🌸 Hidden Warehouses and Manga Heritage: A 16km Sakura Art in Masuda 🌸
Masuda in Yokote City, Akita, is a historic merchant town that flourished near the Ou Mountains. The name “Masuda” reflects the area’s agricultural abundance, literally meaning “increasing fields.” This 16km GPS art course invites you to celebrate the season by sketching a grand Sakura (cherry blossom) through a landscape defined by its unique “Uchigura”—stunning, lacquered inner warehouses built inside the main houses to survive Akita’s legendary heavy snowfall.
The journey navigates through the Important Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings. As you trace the delicate petals of your digital artwork, you will visit the Masuda Tourist Information Center “Kuranoeki” and the Yosuke Sato Urushigura Museum, which showcases exquisite craftsmanship within a luxury warehouse. The route then transitions from feudal history to modern creativity at the Yokote Masuda Manga Museum, the world’s first facility dedicated to original manga drawings—a “modern warehouse” for cultural treasures.
The 16km loop also encompasses the spiritual grounds of Tsukiyama Shrine, offering a deeper exploration of the Yokote Basin’s flat, accessible terrain. Walking or running this path feels like weaving a thread through the town’s history, connecting the stoic resilience of Edo-period merchants with contemporary pop culture. By the time the digital Sakura blooms on your smartphone screen, you will have experienced the soulful essence of Masuda. Lace up your shoes and bring a touch of spring to this living gallery of Northern Japan!
DETAIL (EXTERNAL LINK)
A PIONEER IN GPS ART.
1st work was authorized by Guinness World Records as “the Largest GPS Drawing”.
He is the only Japanese person to be featured in a Google documentary as an innovator. He is fascinated by the idea of drawing with GPS and has published more than 2,500 works.
