This is an article about the first day of my work vacation in Kakunodate. What image comes to mind when you hear the word "Kakunodate"? " Kakunodate is famous for "cherry blossoms," "Kakunodate, a small Kyoto town," "samurai residences," and the "Cherry Blossom Festival," but I also highly recommend visiting Kakunodate in "summer"! However, it is also highly recommended to visit Kakunodate in the summer! Kakunodate in summer is a perfect place to escape from the heat, as the mornings and evenings are cool and can be spent without air conditioning, and there are many cool restaurants. In addition, Kakunodate has recently been full of spots that are great for young people with a high level of information sensitivity! With the opening of a new workcation facility last year, Kakunodate is also attracting attention as a work spot. Even without a car, there are ways to enjoy Kakunodate in summer comfortably, and "Yobunoru Kakunodate" is exactly the transportation method that replaces the car. In this issue, we will introduce a 2-day/1-night course for women in their 20s to enjoy a summer workcation in Kakunodate by using the convenient "Yobu-noru Kakunodate" service!
▼ If you are visiting Kakunodate in winter, click here!
Take the Akita Shinkansen "Komachi" from Tokyo Station, and after a 3-hour ride, you will arrive at Kakunodate, "Little Kyoto! You will arrive at Kakunodate, "Little Kyoto!
We recommend that you stop by the tourist information center "Kakunodate Ekimae Kura" right in front of Kakunodate Station to get sightseeing pamphlets and maps before you leave! It opens at 9:00 a.m., so even after you arrive at Kakunodate Station on the Akita Shinkansen first thing in the morning, you will be glad to know that it is open.
Then, it was time to board the Yobuoru Kakunodate at the time you had reserved. There is a large "Yobuoru Kakunodate" sign in front of the station, so I was able to easily find the boarding location!
What is "Yobunoru Kakunodate"?
Yobuoru Kakunodate" is a shared-ride transportation service that allows passengers to go where they want to go when they want to go, and it operates when customers make reservations. It is available for 400 yen per person per trip (same price for adults and children, 300 yen for Senboku citizens) to go anywhere within the operation area from any place you want to go.
Operation period: April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025 (Closed December 31 - January 3) Operation hours: 8:30 - 17:30 (Reservations accepted from 8:00 - 17:00)
*Senboku Citizen Card or other documentation must be presented when using the discount for Senboku citizens only. Reservations can be made from the day before your visit. *Boarding time and arrival time may be delayed due to the possibility of sharing rides with other passengers during the tour. A fee of ³,000 (tax included) per person will be charged for rides to/from Hodogari Gorge (Hodogari Gorge Parking Lot 2 during the busy fall season). Map of "Yobunoru Kakunodate" service area in fiscal 2024 Map of wide area where "Yobunoru Kakunodate" will operate in FY2024 Boarding and alighting points for FY2024 From April 2024, "Yobunoru Kakunodate" buses will operate on the Nakagawa Line of the Senboku Shimin Bus (discontinued on March 31, 2024) and in a part of the Buke Yashiki Street area, which was out of service area last year. With the expansion of the service area, it will be easier to get around Kakunodate.
(*Some areas of the Buke Yashiki Dori may not be covered during events such as the Cherry Blossom Festival. Yobunoru Kakunodate Inside the car of Yobunoru Kakunodate
... Move on "Yobunoru Kakunodate" =3=3 Kakunodate Station → Onsen Yupopo (10 min.)
10：00 Work while enjoying hot springs and meals for a change
Concentrate on your work at Semboku Workplex
Semboku Workplex exterior The facility itself is new and very clean, opening in 2021. It looks like it was originally the bathhouse of Onsen Yupopo, and the symmetrical design makes it interesting that there are places where you can feel the vestiges everywhere. There are a variety of menus to suit different usage scenarios, such as a single building rental or drop-in, with drop-in rates of 1/2 day (1,000 yen) and 1 day (1,800 yen). There is also a kitchen studio so you can do simple cooking!
Facilities in the well-equipped workcation facility
Equipped with monitors for easy work There is also a sofa. The "work lounge" provides a telework environment for about 10 people, with seats equipped with monitors and sofa seats, making it easy for users to communicate with each other. There is also a fireplace where you can read a book or take a break while warming up in the fireplace in winter! Monitors, LAN cables, and stationery can be borrowed free of charge, making it a great place for workstation users! In addition to the Work Lounge, there are three other studios: the Kitchen Studio, the Creative Studio, and the Development Studio. Here is a brief explanation of how to use each of them!
● Kitchen Studio The kitchen can be used by 1-6 people. It can be used for simple cooking, events related to "food" and "food culture," and for filming, as it is equipped with drink service, tableware, and cooking appliances. The orange walls will look great when photographing food.
Creative Studio There is a projector with a wall projection capacity of about 200 inches, which can accommodate meetings of up to about 15 people. Equipment for filming, distribution, etc. is available, so we recommend using it like a studio. (*Equipment rental will incur additional costs.)
●Development Studio This is a private room with a telework environment for about 3-6 people. Fixed seating includes high-function chairs and high-resolution analysis monitors, providing an environment for engineers to concentrate on their work.
Semboku Workplex" allows you to concentrate on your work. If you get tired while working, you can take a day trip to the adjacent "Onsen Yupopo" hot spring, or feel the warmth of wood at the "Forest Crafts Museum. Semboku Workplex
Take a hot spring bath and have lunch at "Onsen Yupopo" in between work.
This spacious bathhouse has the scent of Japanese cypress. Since day-trip bathing is available, you can take a dip in the hot spring while you work at the work facility!
Approx. 10 min. from Kakunodate Stn. by "Yobunoru Kakunodate".
Business Hours
Large bath: 10:00-21:00 / Small bath (sauna): 12:00-21:00
Closed
Closed on weekends and holidays
bathing fees
General: 650 yen / Elementary school students: 400 yen *Face towel: 100 yen / Rental bath towel: 150 yen
Inquiry
TEL：0187-44-3955
Forest Crafts Center" where you can pick up woodworking souvenirs and try your hand at woodworking.
The Forest Craft Center is a facility where you can feel the warmth of wood. You can try your hand at making wooden key rings, nameplates, and other items! The wooden accessories are wonderful and make good souvenirs!
16：00 Take a short walk around the samurai residences until check-in
Fujiki Denshiro Store" where you can experience the traditional crafts of Kakunodate
Fujiki Denshiro Shoten is a sophisticated, museum-like store. This long-established store was established in 1851. The cherry bark kabazaiku work is all wonderful and will stimulate your senses just by looking at it!
Approximately 5 minutes from Kakunodate Station by "Yobunoru Kakunodate" (within walking distance from Buke Yashiki Dori)
Business Hours
10:00-17:00
Closed
Wednesdays If it is a national holiday, the following day is closed.
Inquiry
TEL:0187-54-1151
17：00 Check in at today's inn and work until dinner
Enishi - Kakunodate, a private house with Akita dogs
Enishi, where you will be staying Stay at En-Enishi. En-Enishi is a renovated 50+ year old private home where you can stay with your Akita dog with no meal. It is run by the Yoshimi sisters, the owners, and you will be welcomed by their sales manager, Akita dog "Soo-chan", and his wife "Fujiko". Check in to a Japanese-style roomThere are 4 rooms in total, 2 Japanese-style rooms and 2 Western-style rooms each. The two Japanese-style rooms are separated by a fusuma, so they can be opened to make one large room for a group of 4 or 5 people.
Free-wifi is also available, so you can do your work perfectly. Of course, you can concentrate on your work in your room, but the dining space on the first floor is more comfortable with a desk and chairs! It's time to work until dinner!
18：30 Enjoy local cuisine for dinner at a popular local restaurant "DOMAJIN
The concept of this restaurant is local production for local consumption, and it is popular among locals. A must-try menu item is "Ando-san's Miso-yaki Pizza" using miso made by local Kakunodate and Ando Brewery!
Approximately 5 minutes from Kakunodate Station by "Yobunoru Kakunodate" (within walking distance from Buke Yashiki Dori)
Business Hours
Lunch 11:00-15:00
Evening: (Monday)-(Thursday) 17:00-22:00 / (Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays) 17:00-23:00
Closed
The 3rd Tuesday of the month: August13, December31, and January1
Inquiry
TEL:0187-52-1703
21：00 Return to the inn and go to bed early
The first day was mainly spent working at a workcation facility in Akita Art Village, a short distance from Kakunodate Station, but we also took a bath in the adjacent hot spring and experienced Kakunodate's crafts. Especially, as for transportation, using "Yobunoru Kakunodate" was a great decision. It was good to be able to use it easily. The next day, we will go to bed early because we plan to experience walking Akita dogs in the morning and leave for the Haganari Canyon!
