Yokote and Masuda Storehouses and Yakisoba: Itinerary

This day trip through southern Akita pairs the storehouse streets of Masuda, where lavish inner storehouses still stand, with the local specialty Yokote yakisoba. Enjoy both historic merchant houses and simple, homey flavors.

Course Route

10:00 Start along the Masuda streets Walk Nakananoka-machi Street and visit merchant houses that open their lavish inner storehouses, hidden from the outside. The plaster and polished-log details are superb.

11:30 Storehouse tour and tea Tour the residences with a guide, then pause for tea in an old-style sitting room.

12:30 Head to Yokote Drive toward the city center. Masuda and central Yokote lie within the same Yokote City, and travel by car is convenient.

13:00 Yokote yakisoba for lunch Enjoy the famous fried noodles topped with a one-side-fried egg in a slightly sweet sauce. A signature touch is that fukujinzuke pickle, rather than red pickled ginger, is served on the side.

14:30 Yokote Park and the Kamakura Hall Stop for the view from the Yokote Castle observation deck and a hall where you can see a snow hut year-round.

Highlights

The inner storehouses of Masuda were designated a nationally important preservation district in 2013. Their distinctive design, building a storehouse inside the main house, is the main draw. Yokote yakisoba is a local dish that has won the B-1 Grand Prix, taking first place in 2009 and second in 2006.

Access and Tips

The Masuda area has no station of its own; the nearest is Jumonji Station on the JR Ou Line. A car is handy between Masuda and Yokote. The storehouses have set open days and hours, so check ahead.

Practical Travel Notes

• Time needed: Around 2 to 3 hours to tour the Masuda inner storehouses and 2 to 3 hours in central Yokote. It is content enough to fill a full, unhurried day.
• Getting around: The nearest station to the Masuda area is Jumonji Station on the JR Ou Line, and the Masuda streets lie a little away from the station. Yokote Station is the gateway to Yokote. Since local bus service between Masuda and Yokote is limited, a rental car or taxi makes touring more comfortable.
• About the storehouses: Many of the Masuda inner storehouses double as active homes or shops, and even the merchant houses that open have set open days and hours. Some buildings are free to view and others charge, so check in advance as you plan your route.
• Enjoying Yokote yakisoba: A slightly sweet sauce, a one-side-fried egg, and fukujinzuke pickle are the hallmarks of Yokote yakisoba. The flavor varies by shop, so comparing several is part of the fun.
• Seasons and notes: Southern Akita has deep winter snow, and the solid construction of the inner storehouses reflects life in snow country. If visiting in winter, prepare warm clothing and non-slip shoes. The Yokote Kamakura snow-hut festival is typically held in February.

A Quick Tip

The yakisoba flavor differs by shop, so tasting several is part of the fun. Winter brings deep snow, so do not forget warm clothing and proper footwear.

Practical Information for Your Visit

What this course assumes (time required and transport)

• Allow 2-3 hours for the uchigura storehouse visits in Masuda and another 2-3 hours in central Yokote. Together they make a comfortable one-day itinerary.
• Masuda and Yokote are both within Yokote City, but local bus services between the two districts are infrequent. A rental car or taxi makes touring much smoother.

Opening hours / closing days of each facility

• Masuda Tourism and Products Center "Kura no Eki" (the former Ishihira hardware store, 103 Nakamachi, Masuda, Masuda-machi, Yokote City): open 9:00-17:00, closed December 29 to January 3. You can view an interior storehouse (uchigura) built in the mid-Meiji period.
• Yokote City Fureai Center Kamakura-kan (8-12 Chuocho, Yokote City): open 9:00-17:00, closed December 29 to January 3 (with occasional temporary closures). In the kamakura exhibition room, kept at about minus 10 degrees, you can see a real kamakura snow hut all year round.
• Yokote Park Observatory (the replica keep of Yokote Castle): open from April 1 to November 30, 9:00-16:30. It opens specially during the "Kamakura" period in mid-February.
• Many of Masuda's uchigura are still in use as homes or shops, and even the merchant houses that are open to the public have set opening days and hours. Check in advance about the houses you want to visit.

Price guide

• Viewing the uchigura at Kura no Eki is free of charge.
• The Fantastic Gallery at Kamakura-kan (the kamakura exhibition room and video room) costs 100 yen to enter; free of charge for junior high school students and younger.
• That 100 yen serves as a "4-facility combined admission ticket," allowing you to visit Kamakura-kan, Yokote Park Observatory, the Gosannen Kassen Kanezawa Museum and the Ishizaka Yojiro Literary Memorial Museum, all on the day of issue only.
• Among Masuda's uchigura there are buildings open free of charge and others that charge admission.

Access

• To Masuda: about 10 minutes by car or taxi from Jumonji Station on the JR Ou Main Line. The Ugo Kotsu bus stop "Masuda Kura no Eki Mae" can also be used.
• To Yokote: about a 10-minute walk from Yokote Station on the JR Ou Main Line to Kamakura-kan. By car it is about 10 minutes from the Yokote IC or the Yokote-kita Smart IC.

Parking

• Kura no Eki: free parking available (large vehicles accepted too). There are also free coin lockers inside.
• Kamakura-kan: parking available.

What needs to be reserved

• Some of Masuda's uchigura buildings accept guided tours with an interpreter. Depending on the size of your group and the season, advance notice may be required, so it is reassuring to contact the Masuda-machi Tourism Association (Kura no Eki / tel. 0182-45-5541) beforehand.
• Popular Yokote yakisoba restaurants get crowded at lunchtime. Shifting your timing cuts down the wait.

Points to note and safety notes

• Yokote Park Observatory is normally closed from December 1 to March 31 (apart from the special opening during the kamakura period). If you are visiting in winter, leave it out of your itinerary or rework the plan around Kamakura-kan.
• The exhibition room at Kamakura-kan cannot be entered for about one week between mid-August and mid-September and for about one week in mid- to late February, while the kamakura is maintained and rebuilt (the shop stays open as usual). The dates are announced on the official website.
• The kamakura exhibition room is about minus 10 degrees. Even in summer, borrow a coat or bring something to put on.
• Masuda's uchigura are also places where people live. Do not enter areas that are not open to the public, and take photographs only where permitted.
• The southern part of the prefecture gets deep snow, so warm clothing and non-slip shoes are essential in winter. If you are driving, use winter tires. Yokote's kamakura events are usually held in February.

* The information given here is subject to change. Please check the official websites for the latest details before you set out.

(Sources: Yokote City official website facility guide / Yokote City Tourism Association and Yokote City Tourism Promotion Organization official websites / as of July 2026)