Akita Furusato-mura, Theme park in Yokote, Japan
Akita Furusato-mura is a theme park in Yokote with multiple connected buildings housing workshops, exhibition halls, and learning spaces. The grounds feature areas dedicated to traditional crafts, modern art displays, and planetarium facilities.
Akita Furusato-mura was built as the largest project under the national Furusato-zukuri program, with a total cost of about 16.8 billion yen. Yokote won the site in March 1989 over Kyowa because of its expressway access. The park opened on April 20, 1994; admission was initially charged but was made free in 1999, after which visitor numbers recovered to over 700,000 in 2002.
The nickname Kamakuland, chosen from about 3,300 public entries in June 1991, comes from Yokote's kamakura snow-hut tradition. Craft workshops let visitors watch demonstrations and try making Akita crafts themselves, while the mascot Nobu is modelled on an Akita dog and named after explorer Nobu Shirase.
The park sits about 15 minutes by bus from Yokote Station and opens every day for visitors. During rain, all activities move indoors to covered buildings, so any weather works for a visit.
The mascot Nobu, an Akita dog, is named after explorer Nobu Shirase, who led Japan's first Antarctic expedition. Other mascots include his sister Non-chan, a black woodpecker called Cookie, and the Namahage Brothers, a red oni named Crimson and a blue one named Viridian.
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