Michi-no-Eki Kisakata Nemu-no-Oka
About the Kisakata Camera
This camera sits on the fifth floor of Nemu-no-Oka, the roadside station at Kisakata in Nikaho, on Akita's southern coast. The position is unusually good: Mount Chokai stands to the east and the Sea of Japan opens to the west, so both are in reach of one building.
Mount Chokai reaches 2,236 metres and is often called Akita Fuji for its shape. It holds snow well into summer and dominates the view inland from anywhere along this coast.
Kisakata itself has a strange history. It was once a shallow lagoon scattered with wooded islets, and Basho came here on the journey recorded in Oku no Hosomichi, ranking its beauty alongside Matsushima. An earthquake in 1804 lifted the seabed and drained it. The islets are still there, now as small mounds standing in rice fields.
Highlights & Nearby
- •Watch for: Mount Chokai inland, the Sea of Japan to the west, winter storms off the coast
- •Nearby: Mount Chokai, the Kisakata rice-field islets, Nikaho, the Sea of Japan coast road
- •Note: the camera is on the fifth floor of the roadside station, taking in both mountain and sea
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Kisakata camera live?
Yes. It streams from the fifth floor of the roadside station around the clock.
What mountain is visible?
Mount Chokai, 2,236 metres, often called Akita Fuji because of its shape. It keeps snow into the summer.
What happened to the Kisakata lagoon?
An earthquake in 1804 lifted the seabed and drained it. The wooded islets Basho admired now stand as mounds in rice fields.
Did Basho visit?
Yes. Kisakata features in Oku no Hosomichi, where he compared it with Matsushima.