A short trip to Yokote City, Akita Prefecture for a peaceful and relaxing stay (2 days, 1 night)

Ai Nishimura

Administrator of the blog "My Diary," which began in 2004. A writer who has traveled to all 47 prefectures and loves local culture and history.
Author of Shimane's "Geography, Place Names, and Maps" Mysteries (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha), My Town is the "Number One in Japan" Dictionary (PHP Institute), and Prefectures Explained in Neko Neko Japanese History (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha). Official blogger for Suntory Gourmet Guide, official top user for Retty, and official platinum blogger for Excite.

09:00 Yokote Masuda Morning Market, with a history of about 380 years

The morning market held in Masuda Town is a famous morning market where many stalls line Asaichi Street on the 2nd, 5th, and 9th of each month.
The items for sale are a variety of items that give a glimpse of everyday life in Yokote, from vegetables, wild plants, fresh fish, pickles, and prepared foods, to seafood and mountain produce, clothing, hardware, etc. The early shops start popping up around 6am and stay open until around noon.
As I strolled along with my camera in hand, someone called out to me from the back of the store, "Where are you from?", and the greeting sparked a lively conversation. Their friendly smiles and kind words completely eased my tension from being in an unfamiliar place. Each and every visit was filled with warmth and comfort, and I was able to spend time interacting with local people, not just those in a tourist spot.

Most of the customers are from the local neighborhood, and people still help each other by paying on credit, just as they did in the past. This morning market is also a place that creates connections between people, not just a place to buy and sell things, but also to build relationships of trust between people, which has had a major impact on relationships in daily life. You can often see locals sharing stories about their families and recent developments, and it plays an important role in everyday life.
In 2013, the main street was designated as a "Nationally Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings," and the number of tourists from outside the prefecture visiting the morning market has increased. I hope that it will continue as a warm and friendly place for interaction that will never change. In early spring, a large number of seasonal wild vegetables are lined up, and you can also buy local food ingredients and handmade products, so why not take a leisurely stroll around the market while asking various questions and having fun conversations?

Yokote Masuda Morning Market

10:00 Visit the traditional "Uchikura" house in Masuda, Yokote City

Masuda-cho, located in the southeast of Yokote City, was a silver mine in the Edo period, and in the Meiji period, it flourished as a logistics hub with many middlemen of lumber, rice, tobacco leaves, raw silk, cocoons, etc. About a five-minute bus ride from Jumonji Station on the Ou Main Line, you will find Nakananukamachi Street, an old streetscape built mainly in the Meiji period.

Masuda's streets were used by merchants as both a place to do business and a place to live, and the area has been explored as a tourist destination for over 15 years. When the area was selected as a designated designated preservation site, a building survey was conducted and it was confirmed that each building had a gorgeous "uchikura" (storehouse) inside the building at the rear of the main building. A uchikura is a storehouse that is enclosed by a roof and cannot be seen from the outside. Yokote is one of the snowiest areas in Japan, with up to 2m of snow falling in winter, and this unique architectural structure was established to protect the storehouses and the items inside them. Currently, about 50 of these uchikura remain, some of which are open to the public.

Although the purpose and shape of the storehouses have changed slightly over the years, they are impressive structures with heavy plaster doors and lacquered pillars and beams, and were used not only to store tools, but also as daily living spaces and tatami rooms. Another feature is the wooden sheaths (scabbards) that protect the storehouse from damage when taking things in and out through the doors and windows. The delicate designs of the wooden frames and kumiko sheaths add elegance to the imposing storehouses made of black plaster, and further convey the skills of the craftsmen of the time to the present day.
The Uchikura is a precious spot that recalls the glorious times of Masuda-cho and gives a sense of the passion and skills of the people who have continued to protect this town and its historic buildings. It is rare to be able to catch a glimpse of a part of life here, so a trip to Masuda-cho will be a time to fully experience the charm of Yokote.

Streets of Masuda, Yokote City

12:00 NS. coffee stand: A place where fans of specialty coffee continue to gather

The lunch spot we stopped off at on our tour of Masuda's storehouses is a relaxing cafe that was renovated from a white stone storehouse. It's a friendly space lined with displays of chalk art and miniatures. There is a counter on the first floor and table seating on the second floor.

Lunch changes daily and can be accompanied by salad, soup, drink, or dessert. You can choose from multiple types of drinks, and also choose from light, medium, or dark roast coffee. You can also choose from two types of dessert, so you can put together a satisfying lunch to suit your tastes.
The owner, Mr. Nakamura, is a self-taught coffee roaster, and is passionate about roasting, removing damaged beans with hand drip, roasting, grinding the beans, and hand dripping, to create a cup of coffee that satisfies any coffee lover. There are always 5-6 types of coffee beans available, and over 10 types are available with different roasts, so many people come for lunch and buy some beans to take home.

The lunch menu for the day was Neapolitan pasta with an original sauce. It was more filling than a typical pasta lunch, and the chewy linguine was very satisfying. This is a wonderful restaurant where you can feel the owner's desire to make sure that customers eat to their heart's content.
Enjoyable conversations flow across the counter, and both regulars and one-timers can have a great time.

NS. coffee stand