Gojōme

Gojōme
五城目町
Gojōme in Akita
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Akita
Physical characteristics
Area	214.94 km²
Population	10,205 (as of 2012-04-01)
Symbols
Tree	Sugi (杉)
Flower	Goldband Lily (ヤマユリ)
Bird	Japanese Bush-warbler (ウグイス)
Town Hall
Address	〒018-1725 秋田県南秋田郡五城目町西磯ノ目1-1-1
Telephone	☎ 018-852-5100
Website	Homepage

Gojōme (五城目町; -machi) is a small town in western Akita Prefecture.

Festivals

• Nabe Matsuri (February, usually the third Sunday) - Enjoy Gojōme's specialty, damako mochi, along with other nabe dishes on Asaichi (朝市) from 9:00 AM until the afternoon.
• Gojōme Matsuri (May, usually the third Saturday and Sunday) - A street festival with typical food, games, and fanfare.
• Kyadokko Matsuri (August 15th during the day) - Another street festival with typical street festival stuff. Because this is during the Obon season, this is the only time there are people between the ages of 20 and 30 in Gojōme (with the exceptiong of the ALT).
• Obon Odori (August 15th from 7:00 PM) - Teams of dancers compete as they perform three different dances around drum-beating and flute-playing locals.
• Asaichi Marathon (October, usually the fourth Sunday) - Children run 2K, 3K, or 5K races, and adults run 10K or 20K.

Sightseeing Destinations

• Town Map (pdf) (Japanese)
• Morning Market (朝市) (Japanese)
  • Held on dates ending in 0,2,5, and 7, area farmers, fishermen, and merchants sell their produce, fish, and goods. Come watch the obaachans push their carts from miles away snow or shine.
• Gojōme Castle Museum　（五城目城) (Japanese)
  • Located halfway up Moriyama (森山), 五城目城 is beautiful from the outside, but there's not a whole lot to see inside. Still, you can get a great view of the town. Continue to the top of 森山 for an even better view of the town, Japan Sea, and the Shirakami Mountains.
• Gojōme Countryside Retreat (盆城庵)
  • This old-style thatched-roof house holds up to 15 people and can be rented for parties, fishing trips, etc. There are a handful of Gojōme residents who live in the other tradtional-style homes nearby. This area is best during the planting and harvesting seasons.

Schools

• Gojōme High School
• Gojōme Dai Ichi Junior High School
• Gojōme Elementary School

Onsen

• Ogura Onsen (小倉温泉旅館) homepage(Japanese) ☎ 018-852-2440
• Akakura Sansō (赤倉山荘) ¥ 300. 秋田県南秋田郡五城目町富津内中津又字滑多羅3-7 ☎ 018-854-2969
• Yu no Koshi no Yado (湯の越の宿) Homepage
• Nametara Onsen (滑多羅温泉) - Closed down in 2007. Info
• Horose Onsen (保呂瀬温泉) - ?

Restaurants

National Chains

• McDonald's - in AEON Supercenter on R285
• KFC - in AEON Supercenter
• Gusto - next to AEON Supercenter

Local Restaurants

• Nabekoma (なべ駒) - Probably has the largest selection of sake in Gojōme, and the food is pretty good (nomiya/izakaya-type food). It is located across the street from the Daisan on Rt. 15 (going north on 285, turn right onto the 15 and you'll see Daisan on your right).
• Kokuraya (こくらや) - If there are young-ish people in Gojōme, they'll probably be hanging out here, and for good reason. The food has never disappointed, and there's a decent selection of cocktails. The location is a little difficult to describe, so just ask a local.
• Komasa (小まさ) - Good for larger parties, but not so great for an evening out with a few friends, unless your idea of a rockin' night involves listening to soft-playing Japanese folk songs. Komasa's saving grace: the private karaoke room on the second floor. Located on Rt. 15 near Asaichi. Look for the neon sign.
• Maron (まろん) - Maron offers a decent atmosphere and all your favorite songs from 20 to 30 years ago. The menu is pretty good too, especially the late-night ramen (have them spice it up). It's located on the right side of Rt. 15 just before the bridge (if you were going north on the 285 and turned right on the 15). Black exterior with a red door.
• Aki (あき) - Aki always ends up being pretty expensive (I think it's a hostess bar in disguise). But it's open later than the other places on this list, so you can meet some interesting characters. It's located just behind the bus terminal. Sidenote: there's a girl who used to work there on Friday nights, and she has a tattoo on her arm. She doesn't work there anymore, but if you can find out what her tattoo is anyway, Seth Eason will do some crazy stuff for you.

See also

• Gojōme official website (Japanese)