Japan 🇯🇵 – Kakunodate: A Real-Life Samurai Stronghold! (Part 7) | Japan Travel Guide

I head to the Akita Prefecture to explore the small feudal town of Kakunodate and it’s preserved samurai district, which dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868). These houses showcase the lifestyle, customs, and artifacts of the samurai class from centuries past. I truly recommend making a visit to Kakunodate for an authentic Japanese samurai cultural experience.

00:00 Intro
00:51 Yamadera Temple
04:04 Kakunodate
07:23 Outro

Check out all the different videos below of my extensive travels throughout the vast country of Japan.

Part 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c30F5Ou-4ZY&t=21s
Part 2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC-7l7Z_Vck
Part 3 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py4SHuUT9nE
Part 4 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAvqsJuqjwg
Part 5 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JciKaiq_LNE&t=606s
Part 6 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd7BB4uW9Gw

Japan Travel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaR9vtyA7CFp5s3B9Fui4iGxVGbE0iEca

Feel free to check out some of my other videos for travel tips, ideas, and overall impressions of the country I’m in!

#LeoDoesLife #Japan #Travel

Ever since I was young, I’ve always  been fascinated by Japanese samurai   culture and Bushido code. Their mix of self-disciple,   swordsmanship, and loyalty drew  me in right from the beginning. I wanted to find more of that during my time in  Japan, so I took a bullet train heading north from 

Tokyo, to a tiny samurai stronghold  village of Kakunodate. The journey   is a long one, with a few stops along the way to make transfers. The one stop I made before arriving  to Kakunodate was at Yamadera Temple,   near the city of Yamagata. It’s essentially a Buddhist  

Temple that’s been built into and  on top of a mountain. It’s well over  1,000 years old, where you must  conquer 1,015 stone steps to   reach the summit. The climb can seem a little strenuous but walking through a   cedar forest on the way up can  take your mind off the hassle.

It’s filled with little details along the way and  as I made my way closer and closer to the end, I  began to see how everything integrates naturally  into the mountain itself. There’s no artificial  architecture here and one of the most iconic spots  here is this hall that’s perched on a cliffside 

Overlooking the valley. It’s amazing to  see it when the sun hits it just right   and can make for some truly amazing photos. My favorite part wasn’t  actually the summit itself,   but this small wooden overlook that opens up to the entire valley below. A great place to catch  

Your breath and take in the natural beauty of the Japanese countryside. The final steps at the top is where most people  stop and pray. It’s pretty rewarding to have this  general feeling of accomplishment and enlightment.  There’s no need to rush to the top, Yamadera is a 

Place where the phrase about it being  the journey, not the destination,   really applies. This was a great cardio workout and   seeing familiar Jizo characters made  me smile and appreciate the care and  dedication that went into this  temple. I recommend coming here  

If you’re traveling in the area, as it’s a great spot to add to your Japan itinerary. I hopped back on my bullet train, which  I now refer to as the lady in red,   and continued my journey onwards to Kakunodate.  

My calves were still burning from the  hike and let me just say that the small  convenience store sushi pack never tasted so   good on my ride heading west.  It’s about a 2 hour journey  to the Akita prefecture and the  samurai stronghold of Kakunodate. After arriving to this historic feudal town,  

I did a quick ride through the  preserved samurai district,  also known as Bukeyashiki. This  district features rows of traditional   samurai residences on each side, some of which date back to the 1600s. To really get a sense of how  the samurai families lived,  

It’s important to read up on each family’s history in the region. There is a map   you can get at the train station  that gives a little backstory on  each home, and while some can be free of  charge, most charge around 500 yen for entry.

I chose the Aoyagi home since it was  the largest estate. There are beautiful   gardens, study rooms with classic kanji manuscripts,   and of course, an impressive armory  where you can hold various weaponry,  including the iconic katana. There are  so many different kinds of katanas on   display, as well as the traditional armor that  

Samurais wore in battle. There’s even a  separate room where you can try on some  metal cast samurai helmets, which were  surprisingly heavy but for all the right reasons. Something I didn’t know before was how much the   samurais loved collecting  western items. There are so 

Many different varieties of vintage cameras, film  cartridges, vinyl records, and just about every  variation of gramophones I’ve ever seen.  They were true connoisseurs of their time. I definitely recommend checking out  Kakunodate if you are ever in the   Akita Prefecture. It’s definitely a more authentic and less crowded  

Experience than you would get at the  more well-known cities and to see  the samurai culture in it’s true form is something  that you just can’t get in a many other places. In my next video, I travel further north in   Japan and hop to the island of  Hokkaido. This is such a wild, 

Rugged, and downright unique place  I’ve been to in Japan. A seafood   lover’s paradise and one I can’t wait to share. As always, thank you for watching,   subscribe if you’re new,  and I’ll see you next time.