Kojozan Park

the early 17th century Yoshinobu Satake, the feudal lord of Hitachi (now Ibaraki Prefecture) was relocated to Akita. Their feudal domain was called Kubota-han and the rule of the Satake Family continued to the Meiji Restoration. Kakunodate was a small sub castle in Kubota-han and from the middle of the 17th century was governed by Satake Kita Family related to the Satake Family in Akita. Historically the township of Kakunodate existed to the north of the castle, but in the first half of the 17th century was reconstructed in the current area. The castle site is on the hilltop north of the samurai residence area and beyond the national road. It's a long walk up to the hilltop but if you have an extra hour, may be worth visiting to command a good view of Kakunodate.

This garden, considered one of Japan’s three most beautiful gardens, has a very interesting history and character. Built in the Edo era, it refers to a Chinese garden, and to be perfect, it requires six characteristics: size, landscape, ancient, secluded geographical location, abundant water and loyalty to nature and all the conditions presented here. The weather was far from that during our visit, which on the one hand meant no tourist crowds, and on the other, it had a negative impact on our walk. Yet the fact remains that despite the heavy rain, the garden is still a hard job, neat, well maintained and well done: I can’t even imagine how beautiful it can be in the best weather conditions. Not to mention the sense of peace and tranquility that arises when walking on many paths between flower beds, bridges, trees and bodies of water inhabited by brocades. Hopefully one day we can visit it on a sunny day and now feel we can recommend it without reservation.