Details

Day 1

① Lunch at Oga Shio Ramen "Ogaya"

1:10pm (or 12:45pm if you start at Akita Airport)

Enjoy lunch at Oga Shio Ramen “Ogaya,” a newly opened ramen restaurant just outside Oga Station. This restaurant specializes in shio (salt) ramen and uses Oga spring water and Oga salt to craft its flavorful chicken broth. The eatery’s signature dish includes medium-thin, flat noodles served with sides of smoked chashu (pork belly), spinach, and menma (seasoned bamboo shoots).

Closed day(s): Monday & Tuesday

② Mount Kanpuzan Rotating Observatory

2:00pm

After a nourishing meal, admire Oga Peninsula’s natural vistas at the Mount Kanpuzan Rotating Observatory. This unique observatory is located 355 meters above sea level on Mt. Kanpu’s summit and completes full rotations every 13 minutes. Take a seat, and enjoy unobstructed, 360° views of Mt. Kanpu’s verdant fields, the Sea of Japan, the distant Mt. Chokai, the World Heritage Site Shirakami Sanchi, and more!

Note: Mount Kanpuzan Rotating Observatory is closed annually during winter (early December to mid-March). During this time, you will only travel half way up Mt. Kanpu and will visit the Kanpuzan shokudo.

Closed day(s): None

③ Takinokashira Spring

2:45pm

Please note that you must apply to see this area and a guide is required.

Located at the base of Mt. Kanpu, Takinokashira Spring is a treasured water source that accounts for approximately 70% of Oga City’s water supply. Snowmelt and rain seep into Mt. Kanpu and then go through a roughly 20-year natural filtration process before flowing out of the earth. This verdant area features a small fountain, clear ponds, and a mysteriously alluring shrine.

Closed day(s): None

④ Ine to Agave Brewery

3:30pm

Ine to Agave Brewery is a craft sake brewery founded in 2021 that aims to share the charm of sake and Oga with the world, while simultaneously revitalizing the local area. The brewery solely uses organically-grown rice and combines creative thinking with traditional sake-making techniques to craft its quality products.

Closed day(s): Monday & Tuesday

⑤ Lecture and Sake-tasting at Sanaburi Factory

4:00pm

After familiarizing yourself with Ine to Agave Brewery, head over to its Sanaburi Factory. This food processing factory and shop transforms the often discarded byproducts of sake-making into usable products. Here, you will participate in a lecture and sake-tasting experience with details as follows:

• In English, learn about the basics of sake-making, craft sake, sake-making at Ine to Agave, and Ine to Agave’s urban development goals
• Taste and compare five types of sake and doburoku (a sake variety)

Closed day(s): Irregular holidays

⑥ Dinner at Tsuchi to Kaze or Tsubaki

5:00pm

Enjoy a luxurious dinner at Ine to Agave Brewery’s restaurant, Tsuchi to Kaze, or your accommodation, Tsubaki.

Tsuchi to Kaze’s Akita-born chef prioritizes the use of Oga and Akita-sourced ingredients and draws upon his professional training to create elevated Kyoto-French cuisine. The restaurant’s dishes highlight Oga’s blessings from the mountains and sea and embody the area’s culture.

Closed day(s): Monday & Tuesday

Similarly, Tsubaki showcases Oga’s fresh seafood and mountain ingredients with high-quality kaiseki (Japanese multi-course dinners). The meals feature creative and artfully-plated dishes filled with seasonal ingredients.

Closed day(s): 12/27/23 to mid-March 2024 (renovations)

⑦ Lodge at Yui-no-yado Bettei Tsubaki

7:30pm

Yui-no-yado Bettei Tsubaki is a refined hot spring hotel located on the Sea of Japan. This accommodation features seaside guest rooms, rejuvenating indoor and outdoor hot spring baths, traditional cuisine, stylish lounges, massage services, and more—ensuring a comfortable stay.

Closed day(s): 12/27/23 to mid-March 2024 (renovations)

⑧ Namahage-Taiko Performance

8:30pm

Namahage-Taiko is an Oga-born performance art that originated in the 1970s to entertain guests staying in the Oga Onsen area. This custom combines Oga’s long-cherished Namahage tradition, in which men dress up as demon-like creatures, with taiko drumming. At Oga Onsen Community Hall Gofu, enjoy a 30- to 40-minute show where Namahage-clad performers play soul-reverberating melodies.

Closed day(s): late-November to mid-April

Day 2

⑨ Ine to Agave Brewery Experience

8:00am (4-hour experience) or 9:30am (2.5-hour experience)

Start your second day with a brewing experience at Ine to Agave Brewery! You can opt for either a 2.5- or 4-hour experience. Details are as follows:

2.5-hour option

• Wash rice
• Try kaiire, the process of mixing water, koji mold, and steamed rice with a long, oar-like paddle
• Analyze the alcoholic beverages

4-hour option

• Join morning meeting with brewers
• Participate in koji mold work
• Wash rice
• Join tasks related to preparing sake
• Try kaiire, the process of mixing water, koji mold, and steamed rice with a long, oar-like paddle
• Analyze the alcoholic beverages
• At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate of completion

Closed day(s): Monday & Tuesday

⑩ Lunch with kurabito (brewery workers) at Ine to Agave Brewery

12:00pm

After a hard morning’s work, enjoy lunch with your fellow workers at Ine to Agave Brewery. The set meal includes curry, as well as a unique mayonnaise fermented with sake lees (a highly nutritious sake byproduct). For additional fees, you can purchase coffee made with carefully selected beans and corn or sake lees soft serve after your meal. The brewery will also introduce simple recipes using sake lees mayonnaise.

Closed day(s): 11/27/23 to mid-March 2024 (closed for winter), irregular holidays throughout the year

⑪ Roadside Station Oga Namahage no Sato Ogare

1:15pm

Complete your Oga adventure with souvenir shopping at Roadside Station Oga. This facility sits encircled by the Sea of Japan, Mt. Kanpu, and Mt. Oga-Sanzan, and thus, offers a wide selection of local marine and agricultural products. There is even an area where you can meet adorable Akita dogs!

Closed day(s): None

Tour ends at 2:00pm with dismissal at Oga Station or transportation to Akita Airport.