2 Best Sights in Tohoku, Japan

One of the best reasons to visit this museum is the building, designed by renowned architect Tadao Ando. The museum's highlight is the enormous Annual Events in Akita, painted by local artist Fujita Tsuguharu (1886–1968) in just 15 days. The painting of three local festivals merged into a single scene was rendered on one of the world's largest canvases at the time, measuring 11 feet by 66 feet. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions relating to Akita life and art.

This contemporary arts museum houses a collection of works by Munakata Shiko (1903–75), Nara Yoshitomo (1959–), and Terayama Shuji (1935–83). Another highlight is three of Marc Chagall's backdrops created for the ballet Aleko (the fourth belongs to the Philadelphia Museum of Art). Unlike many museums in which gift shops are near the entrance and packed with people, the gift shop here sits quietly in a corner upstairs, seemingly asking visitors to enjoy art first before shopping. Outside, don't miss the statue of Aomori-ken (ken sounds like both the words for prefecture and dog) waits in front of his food dish.