Hotel Metropolitan Akita: the perfect base for sightseeing in Akita
Hotel Metropolitan Akita, located adjacent to JR Akita Station, the gateway to Akita City, opened in 1986 as Akita Terminal Hotel. It was later renamed the “Metropolitan Hotel Akita” in 1996, and has been widely used for business, sightseeing, and events. In May 2021, a new annex, the “North Wing,” opened. The number of guest rooms has doubled to 247 with the addition of the 132 rooms in North Wing to the 115 rooms in main building.
The annex was designed based on the concept of “Remnant of Akita” while maintaining the relaxed atmosphere that is unique to Hotel Metropolitan Akita. Akita cedar was used for the walls and ceiling, and the lobby on the first floor, which welcomes guests, is covered with a coved ceiling that resembles a butterbur-leaf umbrella, a reference to the lyrics of the folk song “Akita Ondo.” It is a special space where one can experience the new Akita as well as the heartwarming Akita.
In addition, the elevator halls on the third through ninth guest room floors display delicate kumiko-zaiku (braided craftsmanship) with Omagari fireworks as a motif. In addition, guest rooms are decorated with tissue boxes made of Akita cedar, Naraoka-yaki mugs, and artwork of Honjo Gotenmari and Itaya horses, allowing guests to feel Akita while relaxing.
Experience the charm of Akita in every corner
For lunch or dinner, go to Dining Manyo on the 3rd floor of the main building. Enjoy a course menu of creative dishes blending Japanese and Western flavors, using seasonal Akita ingredients. The dining room offers fresh seafood landed from the Sea of Japan and Japanese beef produced in the prefecture in an elegant and relaxing atmosphere.
Breakfast is served at Restaurant Quare, located on the same floor as Dining Manyo. The restaurant is well known for its buffet-style breakfast buffet featuring Akita’s local cuisine. The buffet offers a wide variety of Akita’s unique dishes and specialties, such as kiritanpo nabe, damako nabe, tonburi, and iburigakko (pickled ginger). Vegetables and rice are all grown in Akita, of course, so you can enjoy the taste of Akita to the fullest from the morning.
A little sightseeing around the hotel
Another attraction of Hotel Metropolitan Akita, which is well located, is that you can enjoy petit sightseeing in front of Akita Station. A five-minute walk from the hotel is Chiaki Park, which is located on the site of the former castle of the Satake clan of the Akita Domain. The cherry blossoms in the spring, lotus in the summer, and autumn leaves in the fall are spectacular. Near the park is the Akita Museum of Art, which houses and exhibits the works of Tsuguharu Fujita, who was active in Paris and was widely recognized in Western art circles for his “milky white skin” nudes and other works, and has friendship with Picasso. One of Mr. Fujita’s representative works, “The Events of Akita,” is exhibited only at this museum. The large mural painting, measuring 3.65 meters in height and 20.5 meters in width, will overwhelm the viewer. The Akita Shimin Ichiba, located about a 5-minute walk from the park, is another must-see spot. Visitors can purchase Akita vegetables, seasonal fish, and local specialties at market prices, and the market is also lined with restaurants serving local food. Hotel Metropolitan Akita is the perfect location for sightseeing to the attractive spots around Akita Station. It will be a memorable page of your trip to Akita that will never fade away.
