Oga Peninsula

In the north of Akita’s capital, a few kilometers-long road is hugging the wild coastline and leads to Oga, a small rural community with a fishing port sitting at the opening of an elevated plateau jutting out in the Sea of Japan. Visitors must pass through 2 huge and fearsome statues of Namahage, the symbols of Oga Peninsula and of its specific folklore.

The touristic michi no eki motorway rest area (道の駅おが なまはげの里 オガーレ in Japanese) doubles as the town’s visitors’ center. It has a large souvenir shop, and a cafeteria serving the most typical and popular dishes of the area, such as:

• Yakisoba shotsuru fried noodles; and,
• Hatahata sailfin sandfish.

Then, the scenic road continues its ride along the coastline to Cape Nyudo, characterized by its small black and white lighthouse surrounded by grassy lawns. It is the ideal place to admire the sun setting in the sea at the end of the afternoon. Several spots provide interesting halts along the way to Nyudo:

• A rock shaped like the head of Godzilla (ゴジラ岩);
• Oga Aquarium GAO (男鹿水族館GAO) for families with children; and,
• Hachibodai observation deck (八望台) standing between the 2 lakes of the peninsula.

Namahage Museum and Shinzan shrine

Going back inland, one can explore further the local folklore tradition of the Namahage, enlisted in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Namahage Museum (なまはげ館) is a mine of information to know everything about this centuries-old ritual so specific to Oga.

During the New Year’s Eve, men in the peninsula don a rice straw costume and a demon mask 😷 to dress up as a Namahage, a kind of dreadful ogres that are said to be the incarnation of local deities. Then, they proceed to visit every house to scold unruly children and lazy parents. They are served offerings in the form of drinks and food.

Naturally, the commotion is nothing but make believe and all the villagers are role-playing. The tradition is more about strengthening bonds in the community and encouraging families to strive for a better life rather than really punishing kids!

The permanent exhibition is distributed into 2 buildings, one of which, the Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum, is covered with a traditional thatched roof. It provides information on the Namahage ritual, especially through live performances shown all around the year. The diversity of the ritual is also shown with the many different types of ogres costumes displayed, each of them being representative of a neighborhood or a district of Oga city.

Located in the vicinity of the museum, Shinzan-jinja shrine is hiding under a protective cedar tree forest. Its original wooden gate opens a path to the main hall honden. On the way, you’ll get to purify and admire a large fisherman’s boat carved into a unique cedar tree trunk, as well as wood sculptures of daikon, the Japanese white radish symbolizing fertility.

Lastly, the tour of the peninsula can end at its top: on the 355 meters high Mount Kanpu (also called Kanpuzan) overlooking the area and offering a beautiful panoramic view.

Travelers who would like to stay overnight will easily find a room at one of the traditional ryokan inns of Oga Onsen ♨️ village, suited with relaxing hot baths and serving a delicious local food.