Shirakami Foliage Walk and Nabekko Picnic(Akita Shirakami Guide Association)

Spend a day going around viewing the beautiful foliage in Shirakami-Sanchi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will meet at the World Heritage Conservation Center, Fujisatokan. We will then head to Shirakami-Sanchi by bus and walk around places famous for their foliage. You’ll get to see Shirakami’s iconic 400-year-old beech tree (beech trees are said to live for around 300 years on average, but this giant beech tree  has survived for much longer) and the Mononoke Beech (“mononoke” means ghost or monster). This is an easy walk on flat land that does not require physical exertion. You will be accompanied by a guide who knows everything about Shirakami. For lunch, you will experience “Nabekko picnic,” a custom unique to Akita involving making a hot pot as a team outdoors. Enjoy making and eating kiritanpo hot pot (kiritanpo is a food made from pounded rice that is wrapped around cedar skewers and grilled. It will be simmered in a hot pot with chicken and vegetables) with everyone. *From late September through October