Hina Dolls Displayed Until March 20 in Kakunodate

Hina Matsuri, the Japanese doll festival will be celebrated on March 3. As it is approaching, the dolls have been displayed in family homes and businesses around town – in Kakunodate, you can see various types of hina dolls from different regions and eras only in one day!

The ornamental dolls represent a scene of an emperor’s and are displayed for girls in a family. The tradition is said to have a thousand-year old history since the Heian era.

Kakunodate has served as an important castle town for many centuries. The dolls found here uniquely reflect the owner’s family history. Some traditional merchants may preserve dolls that have been passed down over generations.

Kakunodate Hina Meguri is a tourism campaign by Kakunodate Tourism Association. Many such traditional businesses are encouraged to display their collections so the beauty of the dolls is shared with the visitors to town.

Ando Jozo, a brewery of soy sauce and miso in Kakunodate, is a family-owned merchant established in mid-1800. The family has handed down such beautiful hina dolls over the generations.

Several different sets are on display inside the brick and wooden structure that was built in the Meiji era, which has been designated as Kakunodate Town’s historic site.

Another impressive display can be found at Tatetsuya, a souvenir shop near the post office. This family is also one of oldest in town and passes down gorgeous dolls. You can find 3-dimensional as well as 2-dimensional ones of a technique known as “Oshie,” or pressed picture.

The other side of town known as Nakamachi (“inner town”) is where families of higher class have resided traditionally. So, you can imagine other kinds of dolls are found there.



Hina Dolls at Tatetsuya



Take this unique shop, Neko no Mise Namekawa (猫の店　滑川）.

Yes, that’s right – this is a special store for cat-related goods! At this small shop, you can find many hand-made goods with cute kitties :) This is a place you must stop – You will find something special even if you were not a cat lover!

Namekawa also shares with you their beautiful hina dolls! They are quite interesting – the pieces were collected individually over different eras. The owner, while working with her needles, said “I didn’t really know about our dolls until a few years ago when this Hina Meguri campaign began. Some knowledgeable tourists gave me some hints – then I started to learn about them little by little.”

“A lady once pointed out that the byobu screen with Mt.Fuji painted is actually rare. We figured out that it derives from the Taisho era, when Japan was proceeding on a war footing. It represents the patriotism of that time” says the lady.

Some uncommon pieces related to Japanese folklores such as Shitakiri Suzume and Urashima Taro (left and right in photo below) – those are also considered to be from the same era as well.

Hina dolls collection at Neko no mise Namekawa

The festival will be celebrated nationwide over the weekend, but the display campaign will continue until March 20th. When you come to Semboku City, make sure you stop at places to see the dolls!

Semboku City will Host An American Student Program Next Year!

A big step towards Semboku City’s internationalization! Next summer Semboku City will host a large group of American high school students in a home-stay program!

The program is called People to People Student Ambassador Programs. It is by an American organization called People to People, whose aim is to achieve world peace through educational opportunities to understand cultural and language differences. The programs send Student Ambassadors abroad to represent their home community and share their diverse backgrounds with the hosting community.

This program normally sends about 40 students over 4-5 times during a certain period. However, because next year will be the first time in Tohoku, about 120 students will be sent at a time. 80 of them will be home-staying in Semboku City.

Earlier this month, two persons representing the People to People Ambassador Programs visited Semboku City to meet with the Japanese side of coordinators for this program.

A reception party was held at Tazawako Beer Restaurant. There they met our mayor of Semboku City, other government officials involved in Tourism division and Green Tourism farmers in Nishiki town. They were warmly welcomed with cheerful singing and dancing by some Warabi-za theater company’s actors. Although many of the farmers did not speak English, they expressed their overflowing excitement through the interpreters.



Each host-family member gave a short welcome speech at the reception.

The two stayed at a farmer’s inn called Taizando, which is the very first noka-minshuku (farmers inn) registered after the law was revised in 2005.


Taizando （泰山堂）is the first registered noka-minshuku (Farmers Inn) of Akita Prefecture.



The owner, Ms. Fujiwara represents the local Nishiki Town’s Green Tourism association. Her house is full of warm, rustic atmosphere! Her energy and hospitable spirits transcends language borders. The students will have an amazing time with host families like her. The Program coordinators were impressed by hospitality and heartfelt welcome by the hosts!





The group toured around Semboku City to learn about the environment where their students will be exploring for the Japanese rural cultural experiences: Lake Tazawa, about 10-15 minutes away from Nishiki Town, is a beautiful lake that cannot be missed; Ando Jyozo is a soy sauce and miso brewery in Kakunodate Town, which is closed to the Nishinomiya Residence, an old samurai house that turned into a museum and shop; Bukeyashiki-dori is a stree of samurai houses where to time-travel; also, a local Elementary school is where they will have cross-cultural experiences with eager children.

The two remained in high spirits for the entire time! They seemed impressed how friendly and happy the local people are. In the end of the trip, they were certain that the participating American students will have an unforgettable time there.

Semboku City is a perfect place for any rural cultural activities of Japan. From June to July is when the local farmers are restless and cheerful about the new life cycle in their field and mountains. That’s when the hiking season begins in the local mountain, Akita Komagatake.

The program can be applied through the organization, People to People Ambassador Programs. We are looking forward to meet you and your children here!