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Akita

Old-school train car and tourist information center in Shibuya set to move to Akita this summer

The iconic green train car that sits in front of Shibuya Station’s Hachiko statue is finding a new home.

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Do not adjust your monitor – The view from Japan’s Gono train line really is this beautiful【Pics】

Not a Shinkai or Miyazaki anime, nor a CG-created wonderland, this is one of Japan’s best train journeys.

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Hippest grandpa in Japan stuns online with magazine-worthy photo shoots【Photos】

The sweetest part is that “Silver Tetsuya’s” photographer is none other than his beloved grandson.

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2018 Tohoku Kizuna Festival aims to unite the people of northern Japan

This “Festival of Tohoku Bonds” continues to pay homage to six of northern Japan’s most important annual festivals all at one time and one place.

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Tour Akita Prefecture from the back of an Akita Inu Dog with Google’s adorable doggie Street View

The adorable breed of dogs introduces the Internet to its home in Japan’s northern Akita Prefecture.

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Sake on ice! Akita sake brewery has special brewing process that is spinning up tons of interest

Who knew Japanese sake and figure skating would score a perfect 10?

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Hachiko’s spirit lives on in Spain: loyal Japanese Akita dog waits outside hospital for owner

A dog’s love knows no bounds or borders.

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Bear attacks, disappointing anime ending causing concerns about Japanese animal park event

Bears have been getting bad press for both their real-life and anime actions this month, which has some bristling at the idea of a Kuma Miko-themed promotion in Akita.

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Introducing Akita Prefecture’s new moe mascot character, the adorable Sui Kizakura!

A city in northern Japan unveils its new moe character whose three-pronged mission is “moe x rap x town revitalization.” Yep, rap is included.

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Akita Prefecture is a stunning winter wonderland with the warmest of hearts【Video】

Akita, one of Japan’s northernmost prefectures, is beautiful in summer. But as this video is about to show, it’s simply gorgeous in the winter.

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Achingly beautiful video shows the simple joys of life in Japan’s Akita Prefecture 【Video】

Family and nature both feature prominently in this stirring glimpse of a day spent far away from the bright lights of Tokyo.

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Japanese shopper finds the freshest sliced eel ever in a supermarket…with its heart still beating

When it comes to fish and eel meat, “fresh” is the favorite for pretty much anyone. But how fresh is “too fresh?” Well, how do you feel about buying eel with a beating heart?!

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Losing high school baseball team’s manners continue to impress, this time at a hotel

We’ve seen impeccable displays of manners from Japanese high school baseball teams on many occasions before, from the respectful bowing of Yamagata Chuo High School to the classy stadium-cleaning deed of Kyukoku just the other day. It seems like the annual Koshien high school baseball tournament in Hyogo Prefecture really does bring out the best in the promising young players, as another team from Akita Prefecture has proven after being eliminated from this year’s tournament with their grand display of thanks in a regional hotel. 

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Neiger, the Akita superhero who’s keeping the people safe and fed by growing rice

We’ve talked before about yuru-kyara, Japan’s adorable illustrated mascots. But cute manga-style horses and anthropomorphic pears aren’t the only local spokescharacters you’ll find in Japan, as some regions of the country are also represented by “Local Heroes,” (Gotouchi Hiro in Japanese), Power Ranger or Kamen Rider-like defenders of their communities.

One of the more popular Local Heroes is Neiger, whose mission is to protect Akita Prefecture’s people, mountains, and seas. Akita is a pretty safe and sleepy part of Japan, though, and not exactly the kind of place that’s under constant threats that require a superhero-level response. So what’s he been doing with all of his downtime?

Growing rice, apparently.

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So hungry you can eat a horse? This rest stop will satisfy you figuratively and literally

Akita Prefecture is a northern region known for its rice production and other agricultural pursuits. However, our reporter Nakano went out with a different goal. He heard rumors of a village that served a superb donburi (rice bowl) with horse meat.

It doesn’t take much more than that to get one of our reporters on the move, so Nakano booked a ticket and packed his bags to head out to the snow-laden town of Kamikoani. His mission: to try some of their legendary banikudon (horse meat rice bowl).

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Man arrested for breaking into woman’s hotel room, spanking her with shoehorn

Here’s one you don’t hear every day – a man was arrested in Daisen City, Akita Prefecture last weekend on charges of  entering the hotel room of a female acquaintance through the window before proceeding to strike her about the buttocks with a shoehorn that he found in the room. But just what could prompt such behavior?

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Akita judge rules man’s drunk driving somewhat justifiable, gives him his job back

Some people see things in black and white while others tend to judge each incident as a unique situation with its own parameters of right and wrong.

Take drunk driving for example. There are many who would say that under any circumstance getting behind the wheel of an automobile with significant levels of alcohol in the system deserves punishment. And then there are some that say there may be exceptions to the rule.

Luckily for some government workers who got picked up by police for drunk driving, more than a few district court judges appear to belong to the latter camp.

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“The best ryokan I’ve ever visited” – A photo tour of Akita Prefecture’s Miyakowasure inn

The ryokan [traditional Japanese-style inn] in Akita Prefecture called Miyakowasure (都わすれ; “forget the city”), also known as Natsuse Onsen, is unquestionably the best in all of Japan–at least according to our Japanese correspondent Yoshio. Out of all of the ryokan that he has ever visited, he can confidently say that this is his number-one pick.

Yoshio has stayed at literally hundreds of hotels and ryokan across the country for both business and pleasure, but he recently experienced an unparalleled level of hospitality and overall quality during his stay at this particular inn. He even thinks that hotel managers from across Japan and the world should spend a night there to learn a thing or two! That’s how enthusiastically he praises his most recent visit.

Join Yoshio for an in-depth look at this spectacular ryokan in northern Japan after the jump!

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Let’s go! Japan’s best fireworks festival is waiting for you!【Photos】

Summer in Japan means a few things. For some, the negatives, such as the endless days of heat and humidity, are what always weigh on their minds. But for others, summer means mainly two things: festivals and fireworks! While most cities have a summer festival to call their own, the most common and most popular type is the fireworks festival (hanabi taikai). RocketNews24 wants to introduce you to the  fireworks festival that sits at the top of many peoples’ lists as the biggest and best fireworks festival of the summer! The location will definitely surprise you!

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Adorable American Akita proves its pedigree with willingness to take on a bear

Even if you’re not an animal person, there’s a good chance that you’ll still like dogs. Or at least some kinds of dogs! We can understand people not enjoying being around smaller, shriller breeds, but everyone loves Akitas, right? Any animal that can inspire memes and cryptocurrency can’t be all bad, right?

And while there’s nothing quite as heartwarming as a happy Akita, it tuns out that they’re also the dogs you want by your side if you ever happen to run into a bear. At least if this adorable YouTube video is any sign!

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