Kisakata and Kanmanji from Kisakata Station: A Quiet Day Out in Akita

This guide covers the way into Kisakata, the walk to Kanmanji, the islands of Kujukushima and the practical details for a day out.

The islands of Kujukushima stand scattered at the foot of Chokai and look as if they are floating in farmland. The sections below follow the route, the temple, the islands and the times for the day.

Getting to Kisakata

The steps below begin on foot and end with departures for the way back, and the tables that follow add the short drives for those arriving by car.

1. From Kisakata Station, the walk to Kanmanji takes 15 minutes.
2. On weekdays, an ordinary train toward Akita leaves Kisakata Station at 17.09 and a limited express Inaho at 17.32.
3. On weekdays, a limited express Inaho toward Sakata and Tsuruoka leaves Kisakata Station at 17.44.

From	Route or operator	Time
Kisakata Station to Kanmanji	On foot	About 15 minutes
Nemunooka to Kanmanji	By car	About 2 minutes
Konoura IC to Kanmanji	Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway	About 5 minutes
Kanmanji to the Kisakata local history museum	By car	About 5 minutes

Direction	Train	Weekday departure
Toward Akita	Limited express Inaho	11.04
Toward Akita	Ordinary train	17.09
Toward Akita	Limited express Inaho	17.32
Toward Sakata and Tsuruoka	Limited express Inaho	11.38
Toward Sakata and Tsuruoka	Limited express Inaho	17.44

Kanmanji, the Temple Beside the Old Lagoon

Kanmanji stands on land that was a lagoon with countless small islands. After a major earthquake the bed of the lagoon rose and became land. Matsuo Basho visited Kisakata and composed a haiku there.

There is a wide parking lot in front of the temple, and public toilets are provided. Across the wide grounds, cats can be seen chasing each other and basking in the sun. The dates behind the lagoon and the temple are set out below.

Year	What happened at Kisakata
466 BC	The summit area of Chokai collapsed, and the debris formed the origin of Kujukushima
853	Ennin, the head of the Tendai sect, founded Kanmanji
1804	A great earthquake lifted the land by about 2 m, and the lagoon became dry land

Kujukushima, the Islands in the Paddies

In spring the flooded paddies turn sky blue, in summer the growing rice turns green, in autumn the ripe ears turn golden, and in winter snow turns the scene silver. The islands can be seen from the grounds of Kanmanji and from the tower at Nemunooka.

The Kisakata area is a nationally designated natural monument. The tower at Nemunooka looks over the whole of Kujukushima. If you would rather leave the planning to someone else, tours around Kisakata and Kujukushima are available.

Hours and Fees, and Planning the Day

The plan below runs from the walk at the start to the way back, and the opening times and the fees sit beneath it.

Part of the day	Stop or leg	Duration or hours
Arrive	Kisakata Station to Kanmanji, on foot	About 15 minutes
Visit	Kanmanji	About 40 minutes
Visit	The tower at Nemunooka	About 15 minutes
Head back	Ordinary train toward Akita from Kisakata Station	17.09
Head back	Limited express Inaho toward Sakata and Tsuruoka from Kisakata Station	17.44

Item	Detail
Kanmanji hours	8:30 to 17:00
Kanmanji admission	300 yen
Kisakata local history museum hours	9:00 to 16:30, admission until 16:00
Kisakata local history museum admission	150 yen
Nemunooka hours	9:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Community bus single ride	200 yen