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- Akita Shinkansen
The Akita Shinkansen Komachi debuted in 1997, running from Tokyo to Akita with stops along the way such as Sendai and Morioka. Interspersed along the route between Morioka and Akita are many sightseeing spots, including Lake Tazawa, known for its clear water, and Kakunodate (also in Akita Prefecture), known for its wonderful cherry blossom trees. The Komachi train cars are sized slightly smaller than typical Shinkansen cars, and are decorated with gray and pink lines on a white base, giving them an effeminate form that has been compared to the Akita women, known throughout Japan for their beauty.
Special Promotion
Hiking Event Information
Free Hiking Event to be held on Saturday, May 25, 2013! Join local high school students on a stroll around the Akita Prefecture city of Noshiro, which boasts one of Japan's largest pine forests.
Get a free gift!
When you use your JR EAST PASS SPECIAL or JR EAST PASS to travel to Aomori, Akita, Iwate or Miyagi between April 1 and June 30, 2013, you can receive a free gift!
The Train Line-up
- Series E6
The Super Komachi: Tokyo – Akita
- Series E3
Komachi: Tokyo – Akita
The Super Komachi, a new Shinkansen train, debuts on March 16, 2013!
The Series E6 is custom-made with careful workmanship. It is fashioned around the three design concepts of space, comfort and personalization.
- A futuristic exterior design with a sense of speed
- The elegant yet bold color scheme complements the unique form of the Series E6, built for environmentally friendly performance. The crimson red color of the roof reflects the climate and traditions of Akita while the silver arrow lines running along the Hiun white car body highlight the speedy, streamlined shape of the Series E6.
- A new level in accessibility and universal design
- The interior of the Series E6 brings a new level in accessibility and universal design, featuring extra-spacious restrooms designed to accommodate mobility scooters and wheelchairs, multi-purpose cabins, and large full-color LED displays for travel information. When entering the vestibule, passengers are greeted with a hospitality space designed to recall the beech trees of Shirakami-Sanchi, one of Akita Prefecture's World Heritage Sites.
Interior Layout of Cars
The Super Komachi Series E6: 7-car trains
The Komachi Series E3: 6-car trains
Notes:
Trains between Tokyo and Morioka are coupled with an 10-car train.
The public telephone service is available between Tokyo and Morioka Stations.
Places of Interest
- The water of Lake Tazawa is known for its beautiful, cobalt blue color and is the deepest of any lake in Japan. Its glittering surface does not freeze in winter, so visitors enjoy its wondrous scenery all year round. About 40 minutes from Tazawako Station is Nyuto Hot Springs Village, a spot famous for its marvelous hot springs, each with its unique properties and restorative effects. Another feature of this village is the encircling mountains, whose natural beauty typify the Tohoku region.
Access: Take the Akita Shinkansen to Tazawako Station. 
- Kakunodate is a town in Akita Prefecture where many samurai mansions of old remain. Historically flourishing as a castle town, Kakunodate earned the nickname Little Kyoto from its townscape. In spring, some four hundred weeping cherry blossom trees come into bloom, a delight to the eye.
Access: Take the Akita Shinkansen to Kakunodate Station. 
- The Kanto Festival, or Festival of Lantern Poles, is a traditional event for which Akita is well known. Men carry poles 40 feet and higher, decorated with lanterns, and perform traditional tricks such as balancing them on their palms, foreheads, shoulders and even waists. The lantern poles weight 100 pounds or more, and their feats of skill and displays represent wishes for a bountiful harvest. The namahage event of the Oga Peninsula is particularly characteristic of winter, when adults dress as monsters to test the mettle of children.
Access: Take the Akita Shinkansen to Akita Station.