Yuzawa City

From Akita Wiki

**Yuzawa City**
**湯沢市**
Yuzawa's location in Akita, Japan.
Location
Region	Tohoku
District	Yuzawa City
Country	Japan
Prefecture	Akita
Physical characteristics
Area
Total	790.72km2
Population (as of 2009)
Total	52,558
Symbols
Tree	Red Pine(赤松)
Flower	Dahlia(ダリア)
Bird
Mayor	Toshio Suzuki (鈴木俊夫)
Address	秋田県湯沢市佐竹町1番1号
Phone number	0183-73-2111

Yuzawa City is located in the Southeastern corner of Akita Prefecture bordering Yamagata, Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures, the Ou Mountain Range being the primary physical border.

Yuzawa City is a merger of four areas: Yuzawa City, Inakawa, Minase, and Ogachi. Yuzawa, like many cities in Akita, is primarily an agricultural town with some small businesses, several factories and sake breweries. Yuzawa as a whole is most famous for being the presumed home of the of the famous and beautiful Waka Poet, Ono no Komachi, Inaniwa Udon Noodles, its excellent onsens located in the Akinomiya and Minase regions, and Yuzawa City's Grand Tanabata Festival in earlier August.

With an area of 790.km2, and a population of 52,558(estimated 2009,) Yuzawa is rather spread out but with a densely populated city center.

1 Getting there
2 Schools
3 Fun facts
4 Festivals & Events
5 Sightseeing & Activities
6 Onsens
7 Shopping
8 Restaurants
- 8.1 Local Restaurants
- 8.2 Chains
9 Bars
10 External Links

Getting there

Train. Yuzawa is most easily accessible via the Ou Train line.
Car. Route 13 goes to the north and south. Highway 107, 108, and 398 connect east and west.

Schools

High Schools

Yuzawa High School 秋田県立湯沢高等学校 (C)
Inakawa Bunko 秋田県立湯沢高等学校稲川分校 (C)
Yuzawa Shoko High School 秋田県立湯沢商工高等学校 (C)
Masuda High School　秋田県立増田高等学校** (C)
Ogachi High School 秋田県立雄勝高等学校 (O)
Yuzawa Kita High School 秋田県立湯沢北高等学校 (O)
Ugo High School 秋田県立羽後高等学校** (O)

Junior High Schools

Yuzawa Kita Junior High School 湯沢立湯沢北中学校 (N)
Inakawa Junior High School 湯沢市立稲川中学校 (N)
Yamada Junior High School 湯沢市立山田中学校 (S)
Sukawa Junior High School 湯沢市立須川中学校 (S)
Yuzawa Minami Junior High School 湯沢市立湯沢南中学校 (S)
Ogachi Junior High School 湯沢市立雄勝中学校 (O)
Minase Junior High School 湯沢市立皆瀬中学校 (O)
Higashinaruse Junior High School 東成瀬村立東成瀬中学校** (O)

(N) - Northern Yuzawa JHS ALT (S) - Southern Yuzawa JHS ALT (O) - Outer Yuzawa JHS ALT

Elementary Schools

Yuzawa Higashi Elementary 湯沢市立湯沢東小学校
Yuzawa Nishi Elementary 湯沢市立湯沢西小学校
Mitsunoseki Elementary 湯沢市立三関小学校
Yamada Elementary 湯沢市立山田小学校
Yuzawa Kita Elementary 湯沢市立湯沢北小学校
Iwasaki Elementary 湯沢市立岩崎小学校
Sukawa Elementary 湯沢市立須川小学校
Takamatsu Elementary 湯沢市立高松小学校
Inaniwa Elementary 湯沢市立稲庭小学校
Mitsunashi Elementary 湯沢市立三梨小学校
Kawatsura Elementary 湯沢市立川連小学校
Komagata Elementary 湯沢市立駒形小学校
Yokobori Elementary 湯沢市立横堀小学校
Innai Elementary 湯沢市立院内小学校
Akinomiya Elementary 湯沢市立秋ノ宮小学校
Nakayama Elementary 湯沢市立中山小学校
Ono Elementary 湯沢市立小野小学校
Minase Elementary 湯沢市立皆瀬小学校
Higashinaruse Elementary 東成瀬村立東成瀬中学校**

** - Although these schools are not really in Yuzawa city, Yuzawa ALTs have traditionally taught at these schools.

Fun facts

Yuzawa's mayor, Suzuki Toshio, is a member of the Japanese Communist Party, and no one really seems to like him.

Festivals & Events

Takoage Taikai: (凧揚げ大会)
Kite flying competition. On the 3rd Sunday in March from 10am. More info.

Komachi Matsuri: (小町祭り)
(Ogachi Town) First Weekend in June. Beautiful festival well worth the trip. The cannon-fired popcorn is recommended.

Daimyo Gyourestu: (大名行列)
End of August. A throwback from the Edo period. Commemorates the parade for the return of the local Daimyo from his half-year residence in Edo. However, children fill the roles of samurai, preists, and daimyo.

Tanabata Edoro Festival: (七夕絵灯ろう祭り)
August 5th - 7th. Normal tanabata festivities, but Yuzawa's include a few back-lit paintings, done by locals on incredibly thin paper. Music, dance contests, and plenty of places to eat and drink.

Ogachi Fireworks Festival: (雄勝花火) Beginning of August.
Highly recommended, a great fireworks festival where you can sit nice and close to all of the action. Not quite Omagari, but still worth the trip.

Shigakko Matsuri: (しがっこ祭り)
Shigakko means icicle in Akita ben, and that was the original intent of this festival. Drive all the way to Minase to view the frozen waterfall near Oyasukyo. After that continue the drive up the street to the main ground and get some food and watch the dance and neiga show.

Inukko Matsuri: (犬っ子祭り)
Second weekend of February. Wonderful winter festival with dozens of snow sculptures of dogs, small fireworks displays, delicious food, and free local sake in the warming tent. After the fireworks are over feel free to walk up the latern-lit mountain path. Starts in late afternoon to early evening, though the sculpture site is open and visible all day. Plenty of people bring their dogs to be blessed at the snow shrines or just have fun, and one day of the festival sees a huge official gathering of dogs with owners from all over Japan. Definitely worth seeing for an animal lover.

Sightseeing & Activities

Oyasukyo Daifundō

Kawarage Ōyutaki (川原毛大湯滝)
Follow a 10 minutes trail downstream to an onsen waterfall. You can bathe in the water directly under the waterfall. There is also an onsen slightly upstream from the carpark.
Oyasukyo Daifundō (小安峡大噴湯)
Descend into a beautiful valley and walk along by the river where steam and hot water erupt.
Power Water (力水)
Pumps forth from the bowels of Yuzawa bringing with it all of the mysterious powers you can imagine. Right in front of city hall just opposite the festival ground.
Karaoke
There are two 100 yen Karaoke joints on the number 13 road when driving towards Jumonji. One is on the left and the next on the right. Just look for the giant cat character. The second karaoke place also has table tennis coupled with a small batting and pitching range.

Golf Driving Range
Just head down 13 and you will see the driving range on your right after you pass the second karaoke place. It is just before the Jumonji bypass.

Park Golf
You get polo-like mallets and large balls. Nevertheless, it is only a few hundred yen and something to do when you are bored. You can find this place hiding behind the Yuzawa Cultural Center (湯沢文化会館). The center is located on the same road as Tsutaya (#398). Just go past Tsutaya and under the bridge and you will see it on your right. Enjoy!!

Onsens

Tarobee Ryokan (多郎兵衛旅館)
秋田県湯沢市皆瀬字湯元121-5 map
Tel: 0183-47-5016
Homepage.
A ryokan with at least two onsens and a ryokan.
Taka No Yu Onsen （鷹ノ湯温泉）
秋田県湯沢市秋ノ宮字殿上１Map
Phone: 0183-56-2141‎

Taka no Yu is a great Onsen Ryokan located in the Akinomiya Onsen (秋ノ宮温泉) region of Yuzawa. This onsen is highly recommended during the Koyo, fall leave viewing (紅葉） season. It's located near a beautiful gorge and what appears to be a man made waterfall. It's open from to the public from 11:00 to 2:00 (last entry, must leave by 3:00). It has an one indoor bath and one outdoor bath for each gender, and it also has a mixed bathing (konyoku; 混浴) bath outside near the river gorge and waterfall. The men's indoor bath is quite nice with one bath that is very long and deep. Taka no Yu is very beautiful during the fall and I bet it is quite good in winter as well.

Shopping

Aeon Center. Located in Yamada, this newly opened quasi-mall is where you will go for all the stuff you can't get in the smaller stores. The bakery there is quite nice as well.
Komeri　(コメリ). Hardware store with a big rooster on it. This place usually has pretty decent prices and sales for hardware and housewares. Located on 13 just before 398.
Big Frek. Large grocery store with a 100円 shop and small arcade on the top floor.
Yoneya (よねや). Smaller grocery store than Big Frek, in Yamada on the way to Aeon. Some of the harder to find produce will be here.
Gran Mart. In the same shopping center as Tsutaya and Softbank. Smaller but a bit more classy than the Frek.
Cafe Gita. 秋田県湯沢市相川字中山２８[1]. 0183-79-3260. 10:00am-8:00pm. http://www.caffe-gita.com/. Delicious Fair trade organic coffee from around the world, roasted in small batches right here in Yuzawa. By car, take 13 south toward Shinjo/Kaneyama then bear left at the split on to the "fruits line." Follow for about 10 minutes then turn left at the sign for Cafe Gita. Shop is the shack at the top of the hill with the dog out front. You can buy as whole beans or the owner will grind it for you. Info about their available coffees is printed in English on their easy to navigate website, or on the menu (as long as you can read katakana.) The owner has now modernized the interior (so to speak.) So now you can get a real cappuccino, espresso, lattes, etc as well as delicious cake. A nice quiet, if a bit out of the way, place to have a coffee and relax.
Nakano Shoten. Tobacco shop at the intersection of San-road and 277. They have a decent selection of fine cigars (most from Cuba, but some from other locales as well.) Humidors, cutters, punches, cases, lighters, matches, pipes, and all your other smoking needs can be met at this shop owned by some very kind people. Smoking is allowed at the small tables in this shop
4or Style Urban clothing store run by a DJ named "OT". The sell clothes and stuff, but its more of a hangout for the DJs in town. Formerly Gat$. Every Saturday the guys from this store have hip hop dance parties with live DJs. Location changes frequently. Cover charge is usually between 1,500 and 2,500 for all you can drink all night. Certainly not AK, but probably cheaper, and you're guaranteed no stupid trance or electronica nights. Straight up Hip Hop, and nice guys who like speaking English spinning.

Restaurants

Local Restaurants

Ramen/Soba

Daigen Ramen (大元）. 秋田県湯沢市材木町１丁目３−４６[2]
0183-73-9737
12:00-5:00pm. Closed every Wednesday.
Ranked one of the top three Best Ramen Shops In the Tohoku Region. The Miso Ramen is highly recommended.
It is rumored that the Master used to box semi-professionally in Japan. Daigen's Master and his wife are incredibly kind people with some of the best service in Yuzawa. Arguably the best Ramen Shop in Akita. Make sure to bring a business card to leave on the shop wall o' meishi
Daigen ramen has now reopened. Go there... eat... be happy

Kamontei Ramen:　(嘉門亭). 秋田県湯沢市表町2丁目1-21
0183-72-7095
The king of late night ramen in Yuzawa. Usually the last stop on the enkai express. Open from around 7pm - whenever.
Located right behind Pocket Bar. Menu includes Miso, Negi Miso, Chuuka, and Tonkotsu Shoyuu ramens. Tonkotsu Shoyuu is the top recommendation.

Ajio (味王). 秋田県湯沢市表町2丁目1-23
0183-73-4476
Translates as "taste king." Ramen is not bad, but the main attractions here are the wontons, gyoza, and chahan. The master and his wife are a sweet and comic duo, just don't let her kiss you because she won't stop. Located right across from Bier Bar Rosso Corsa near the station.

Ichibou (一坊). 秋田県湯沢市柳町1丁目1-8
0183-73-2479
Tiny soba place on Omachi road, just past the intersection with san-road. Reasonable prices with decent enough food. The miso soup that comes with their ricebowls is quite good, if you like mushrooms.

Suzuya (鈴屋)
Located right across from the Bunkakaikan, the shoyu ramen is whats recommended here. Caution, this ramen is VERY oily. If you like oily ramen, dig in.

Yamagami (やまがみ)
Located on 277 right across from 4or Style. Lots of good options, but you can't go wrong with the house ramen, or the chashu negi miso. Most are tonkotsu base. Gyoza are cheap as well. Open for lunch 11-2, then for late dinner 6-11.

Chojuken (長寿軒)
2 locations in Yuzawa. One right on San-road next to the toy and hobby store, then one back behind Cowbell. Shoyu ramen is the recommended rig here.

Sushi

Hirozushi (広寿司). 秋田県湯沢市表町1-4-11. 0183-73-4133. Old style sushi in an old style atmosphere. The master here is rather young (thus his karate-flick-reminiscent nickname "young master") and is a wonderful guy. The sushi is arguably the best in Yuzawa.

Matsui (まつ井). 秋田県湯沢市表町3丁目1-5. 0183-73-2277. Very nice sushi restaurant with decent prices and generous cuts. Hata-hata is available, but no less gross at this restaurant. Located on German Street right near the intersection with 13.

Izakayas

Uohiko(魚彦)
秋田県湯沢市大町1-2-33
018-379-5546
Chain Izakaya. Decent, and reliable. They have some pretty good stuff, but it can get a little crowded at times.

Bellami(べら味)
秋田県湯沢市材木町1丁目1-42
0183-73-1291
Decent izakaya with a few delicious Thai themed dishes and a wonderful sake selection. Right across the street from the Fire Station. the fried chillies and red dipping sauce are pretty hot, but also pretty good. The spicy sausages, and spicy fried potatoes are also a recommendation.

Suzuya(すゞや)
秋田県湯沢市田町2丁目1-8
0183-73-9962
Nice little Izakaya right near the ALT apartment. Mix of traditional and newer izakaya foods. Be careful if you reserve the upstairs room, as the phone you order from gets really weird radio interference which is both irritating and counterproductive.

Bistro Yuya(びすとろ遊家)
秋田県湯沢市大町2丁目1-3
0183-79-5477
Located in the つぼ八building next to the tobacco shop at the corner of san-road and 277. On the second floor. Go past the ramen shop, but beware of the unmarked door, it is a secret hostess bar and sometimes people will be passed out in front of it. Food is decent, atmosphere is OK as well, but can get a bit pricey.

Hozuki(ほおづき)
秋田県湯沢市表町3丁目294
0183-72-3991
Quaint little side street izakaya. Don't let the kindness of the owners, all of the letters from high school students plastered on the bathroom walls, or the Disney character zabutons fool you. What lurks behind the counter will challenge your gaijin stomach's mettel. If you're are gastronomically adventurous then this is the place for you. Cow heart sashimi, chicken stomach yakitori, raw squid stomach packed with a thus-far-unidentified grayish paste, boiled pig uterus, raw cow liver, fresh raw horse... the list goes on. Best hormon(pig offal) in Yuzawa. Popular place for JTE's to take their ALT's for a bit of culinary internationalization. (normal food available on request, but not nearly as fun) Recommendations include Yakitori, Iwagaki(seasonal oysters),

Kagura
Right in front of the Grand Hotel
The food is OK, the beer is standard price. and the atmosphere is standard. Standard Izakaya. Only down side is there is pretty limited space.

Niban Kura(二番蔵)
秋田県湯沢市表町1丁目4-17
0183-72-6862
On 13, just across from the gnome. The interior is kind of run down, and the food is OK, but the best part is that its open all night. That means until after the sun comes up. So if you want the party to keep going, this is probably the only place to do it. Don't get the shrimp gratin... it's pretty much all mayonaise.

Kura Kura(蔵々)
秋田県湯沢市柳町2丁目1-52
0183-78-0372
Head north on 277 and just after san-road you will turn left down an alley and see an old Edo-style store house. This is Kura Kura. The food is good, the atmosphere is unique, and the nama beer comes in cool ceramic mugs. What more could you want?

Fuuten(ふーてん）
住所：秋田県湯沢市表町２丁目５−２■TEL： 0183-72-3983 A great little izakaya that serves Okinawa food and Awamori food. You can also order a delicious taco rice dish. The master is really nice and the prices are good. You can find Fuuten near the san-road and number 13 road intersection. Walk along the left side of the number 13 road (away from Big Freck and Docomo) and about 20 seconds after that intersection turn left down the alley and you will see the sign on your right just a few shops down. Enjoy!

Map: http://www.e-shops.jp/local/lsh/an/5/8039323.html

Foreign & Other

Le Croissant (ル・クロワッサン). 秋田県湯沢市愛宕町4丁目1-31. 0183-73-9603. Nice restaurant with decent pasta and set plates. 500円 Tazawako beers. There is a rumour that the owner was an amateur trombone player.

Akemiya Korean Food(あけみ家韓国料理). 秋田県湯沢市杉沢新所字砂田4-4. 0183-72-3085. Located on 13 just north of Yuzawa's center. Delicious and reasonably priced. Run by a Korean family. Be careful -- the parking lot is very small and is bordered by a ditch.

Il Trullo (イル・トゥルッロ). Italian. Omachi 1-3-57[3]. 0183-72-0535. 11:30-1:30, 6-10, closed Sun. Brilliant Italian food cooked by an Italian chef. The chef loves to talk, but doesn't speak much Japanese and even less English, but other than that he's a great guy.

Red Post Cafe and Kitchen (赤いポスト). 秋田県湯沢市柳町1丁目2-12. 0183-72-6141. Charming little cafe and restaurant. The menu is rather varied, but is mostly western style food. Steak set and meat cream pasta are recommended. Some delicious desserts (banana choco honey bread) and Yuzawa's own Caffe Gita coffee are available. Try the caffe latte ^-^. Located right across from Akita bank.

Pizza Bistro(ピザビストロ). 秋田県湯沢市柳町2丁目2-48. 0183-73-1919. Yuzawa's delivery Pizza place. It's not that bad, and there are plenty of options that don't include mayonnaise, lettuce, or corn.

Ajisai Foodstop (あじさい食亭). 秋田県湯沢市湯ノ原１丁目１−２. 0183-73-4828. Quaint little diner just north of city hall. The soups are good, but the curry is the main attraction. Spicier and with more flavor that your normal Japanese curry. Although the curry is decidedly Japanese style, the sets come with naan and a salad. The food is great, the master is a nice guy (who lets you know when you need to watch the waistline,) and the prices are fair for the portions given.

Ken's Cafe. Located across from Tsutaya on the big main road. The coffee is good and during lunch time you can order set meals that are actually prepared in the restaurant next to the cafe. The good thing about this cafe is that it is the only cafe with big windows that look out onto the street.

Beef Man (ushio) Yakiniku (焼肉問屋　牛男). 秋田県湯沢市表町2-5-25 ケイ・アイ・ビル　1F. 0183-79-6629. Mon-Sat: 17：00～about 2：00（Last Order - food：1:00　1:30). Sun: 17：00～23：00（Last Order - food and drink　22:30. Decent place to go after an enkai. The drinks are reasonable, the food is decently priced (especially the hormon yaki) and is pretty good to boot. On two Sundays out of each month there is an all you can eat/drink Yakiniku day from 4pm-7pm. It includes pretty much everything on the menu. ￥3000 all you can eat w/softdrink ￥3800 all you can eat/drink (beer, sake, shochu, etc).

Cowbell. Just across the street from Hokuto bank. This ice cream shop serves various types of soft cream, milk shakes, ice cream dishes, and crepes, made with local Kurikoma milk. Very very rich, but also pretty darn good and cost effective.

Chains

All of Yuzawa’s main chain restaurants are located on Route 13, they are currently listed in order from North to South. With the exception of the Sukiya which is on 398.

Gusto (Skylark). What is to be said about Gusto's food has already been said (check the Yokote page). Other than that, it's usually the place new ALTs go to acclimatize themselves to dining in Japan.

Kappa Sushi (かっぱ寿司). Sushi is one hundred and five yen a plate. Although the fish is cut a little thin, the variety is excellent. You can either take your pick from the conveyor belt or order via computer screen and the Kappa Sushi "Express Shinkansen" will bring out your order very quickly (you will know it when you see it). Not really worth the trip now that Eiskue is the same price.

Eisuke Sushi (栄助寿司). Easily the best chain sushi restaurant in Yuzawa. Great service, great taste, and always full of surprises. Recently changed its prices to 105 yen per plate. That includes complimentary tea. Aburi Salmon is the way to go.

Sukiya (すき家). Chain rice-bowl restaurant w/ 24 hour drive through. They used to have taco rice, but no longer.

Bars

There are many bars in Yuzawa but Pocket, Marvi, and Rosso are the holy trinity for the hip young crowd in Yuzawa. With God being Rosso Corsa, Jesus being Pocket, and Marvi bringing up the rear as the Holy Ghost. It must also be noted that the capacity for these bars goes in reverse order with Marvi having the most room and Rosso Corsa having the least.

As for snack bars, there are plenty of snack bars and a few hostess bars in Yuzawa, and they range from seedy to decent. If you're down ask some locals and they'll give you a recommendation depending on your tastes.

Pocket Bar. 秋田県湯沢市表町2丁目1-21. 0183-73-0200. Right in front of the station. Nice classy atmosphere, great selection of scotch. With fair prices (for Japan.) The bartenders are always professional, sometimes to the point of acting like robots. If you are looking for a place to have nice drinks and conversation with your buddies, and not have the bar tender talk your ear off, then this is the place. (insider's tip: The menu is not the end of their scotch selection. In fact the are sometimes out of what they have on the menu. Ask for a special recommendation and you might end up with a wonderful (albeit expensive) 35 year Islay single malt.) If Sinatra came to Yuzawa this is where he'd be drinking.

Marvi Darts Bar. Also right in front of the station. Reasonable prices. Electronic Darts and some TV's. Lots of drink choices and reasonably priced Carlsburg drafts. The waitresses (Sakiko and Ayumi) are very nice and will help you when you inevitably become confused with the electronic dart games. It's worth noting that many people who come to marvi come for the darts. They can get super serious about it, but usually don't mind foreigners bumbling around with the machines. The staff is usually quite helpful in this matter. Sakiko and Ayumi are very nice and knowledgeable about ghosts, so feel free to ask. They have an in-house darts competition on the first Sunday of every month. Entry fee is a 2,000yen. Marvi is also the only non-snack bar open on sundays. They're menu also has everything written in English for your convenience. If Tom Arnold came to Yuzawa this is where he'd go.

Beer Bar Rosso Corsa (ロッソコルサ). 秋田県湯沢市表町2丁目1-23. 0183-72-3661. Known as just "Rosso" or "Ross" for short, it also is right in front of the station, and across the street from Marvi. Very wide seasonal beer selection. Bass Ale on tap and without a doubt the best bottled beer selection in Akita. Anything from fine trappist ales, to American steam beer, and everything in between. ￥500 for seasonal appetizer (winter is best, as it brings handmade creamy blue cheese pizzas) and sitting fee. Happy hour everyday 7-9, no sitting fee. The master cannot be explained, he must be experienced. (insiders tip: ask him if he has any cheeses in stock. he usually has one or two amazing aged cheeses and will share if asked.) He knows a smattering of English. It should be noted that this is not a place to go for quiet conversation. The master is the traffic director of all things verbal. His pricing system really ends up being what he thinks you should pay at the end of the night, and strangers always pay more than friends. So just let him do his thing, and follow the conversation flow, and your bill will probably be lower. If a random biker from New Mexico came to Yuzawa you would probably find him here.

Kushigoro (串ごろ). 秋田県湯沢市表町4丁目1-1. 0183-72-2288. Located on route 13 a few blocks north of the station. It is a small jazz bar that seats about 8 people comfortably. The master speaks very little English, but is a brilliant guy and is a blast to talk with. The music is always great, except for when female patrons the master thinks are cute request he endlessly loop short clips of enka music, then it sucks. The kushikatsu and curry are good at this place. Prices depend on how good a conversationalist you are, but are usually reasonable. If Tom Waits came to Yuzawa he'd probably go here.

Soir

If you want bust out the jams while you're drinking Soir is the recommended place. The price usually ends up being about 2000yen for unlimited shochu drinks and karaoke. The mama-san is one sassy beast, as are her customers. If one heads north on 13 from the station one will find Soir on the left side up a flight of stairs. If Carlton from the fresh prince of bel-air came to Yuzawa, he'd be drinking here.