Namahage from Akita-ken, promoting the Akita Bisaikan at Shinagawa, Tokyo

Akita Prefecture have set up antenna shops around Japan to help promote the beauty and charm of Akita. Offices have currently been set up in Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo. In addition, Tohoku Prefecture, Akita Prefecture and Hokkaido, have jointly set up offices in Seoul and Singapore.

The Akita Bisaikan in Tokyo is located close to Shinagawa Station in the Wing Takanawa complex.

This weekend, Jan 30/31, 2010 and Feb 13,14, 2010 they are having a special event where they will be setting up free amazake tasting. Amazake is a Japanese (light alcohol) sweet drink made from fermented rice. There will also be culture displays and a special mini kamakura display.

Kamakura is the name given to small igloo-like structure made entirely from compacted snow: a small entrance gives access to a wide space inside.

Kamakura Festival is held annually on February 15 and 16 at Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, part of the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. It is one of the best known festivals in Akita, along with the Kanto Festival and Namahage, a festival to bring good fortune in which young people put on scary masks of deities and go around the houses of the village frightening the children.

Source: Japan Atlas Festivals.

Here is a postcard image from YukinoHanaXXX on flickr showing what a kamakura looks like in Akita.

Kamakura

You can see some more information about this Kamakura festival here.

Have you visited Akita-ken? Do you have any photos we can take a look at?

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