No upcoming voyage currently calls at Noshiro
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About Noshiro
A timber town at the mouth of the Yoneshiro River, on the coast of Akita. Noshiro called itself 木都 — the city of wood — and the money that came through the port built the merchant houses that are still standing. Between the town and the sea runs a planted pine forest wide enough to walk in for an afternoon. Two festivals bring the place out: one fires from the quay the ship ties up at, the other wheels lanterns the height of an eight-storey building through the streets.
Within reach of the port
Kaze no Matsubara
A black pine forest planted from the Edo period onward to stop the sand the sea wind drives inland. It runs fourteen kilometres north to south and a kilometre deep, about 760 hectares, and the city counts roughly seven million trees in it. Paths run through it from the edge of town to the beach. The city calls it the largest pine forest in Japan.
Kaze no Matsubara (Noshiro City) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it
The former Ryotei Kaneyu
A wooden restaurant built in 1937 by the second owner of a house that had been trading since 1890, using the Akita cedar the town sold. It closed in 2008, was given to the city the year after, and is open to look round. Registered as a national tangible cultural property in 1998. Entry is free.
Former Ryotei Kaneyu (Noshiro City) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it
Minato Matsuri — Noshiro no Hanabi
The port festival fireworks, fired from Shimohama wharf inside Noshiro Port itself rather than from somewhere you have to travel to. The Shirakami mountains stand behind the launch site. The date moves from year to year, so check before counting on it.
Noshiro no Hanabi (official) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it
Tenku no Fuyajo
The Tanabata of Noshiro, held on 2 and 3 August. Two castle-shaped lanterns are wheeled through the town after dark: one rebuilt to an old measure at 17.6 metres, and Chikasue at 24.1 metres, which the city calls the tallest of its kind in Japan. It was revived from Yakutanabata, the older lantern festival the town has kept for centuries.
Tenku no Fuyajo (Noshiro City) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it
Shore excursions
NYK Cruises run their own guided excursions at each port, booked by guests themselves through My ASUKA PLANS — the booking window opens before departure and depends on your cabin class. They are conducted in Japanese. Going ashore independently is always an option.
Official sources
- Noshiro City tourism ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it