One of the many Namahage in the exhibit.
If the door is closed, line up outside and wait for someone to come and take your ticket. Once inside, make sure to pick up one of the tablets they have prepared. It has English explanations for what you are about to witness. Even if you consider yourself pretty good at Japanese, grabbing one is still a good idea, because the demonstration is in VERY thick Akita dialect.
What happens during the demonstration, well, you will have to go there to find out
After finishing the museum, you can visit the Shinzan shrine located two minutes’ walk up the hill from there. This is the location for the Namahage festival, which is held in February every year.
3: Go to the Onsen area
This one is a bit of a no-brainer if you have managed to get this far. Just get on a shuttle bus (again, YOU MUST BOOK IT IN ADVANCE!) and go to the Onsen area. Alternatively, you can also take the shuttle to one of the other spots on Oga and then go to the Onsen from there.
4: Staying at the Onsen
Before you can actually stay at the Onsen, you will have to book a room. There are several ryokan and hotels available, but none of them are very easy to book if you don’t speak Japanese. As of right now (August 2023), none are on Hotels.com, very few are on Booking.com, and the ones that are, all say they have no available rooms for the bookable future. Their websites are also not very helpful. If you check the Japanese language websites, they will display plenty of free rooms (remember to book well in advance though), but on the English website, they display no available rooms. What the reason for this is, I cannot say.
From what I have been able to find, the only reliable place to book a stay in English is www.japanican.com/. Be sure to limit the search to Oga and check the map to make sure you get the place right.
Most places are slightly pricey, but it includes two meals, which is not a bad deal.
5: Namahage Taiko
After you have settled into your accommodations, head over to the Oga Onsen Koryukan Gofu building, pay the ticket, and prepare for a really cool Taiko performance. The building is easy to find, and no more than a few minutes’ walk from the hotels. Seats are non-reserved, so be sure to get there in good time if you want a seat up front.
You can check https://e-ogaonsen.com/taiko/en/ for up-to-date info on performances. Usually the performance starts at 20:30, with the doors opening at 20:00.
Namahage Taiko!
6: Going back to Akita
After you have finished on Oga, take the shuttle back to Oga station, hop on a train, and head on back to Akita station.
Final thoughts
I am a very big fan of the Namahage museum and the Taiko group, however, despite my enthusiasm, I cannot ignore the simple fact that getting around Akita can be a real pain. If you do not have a car, going anywhere can seem like such a difficult hurdle to overcome, that a lot of people just steer clear of Akita. Especially first-time visitors.
But if you follow the steps listed above, you should be able to get around without too much trouble. Whether you want to spend a whole day visiting the Oga peninsula, or just want to see the Namahage Museum, it is definitely doable even without Japanese or a car, so I strongly urge you to give it a go.
Useful links
Namahage Shuttle: https://oganavi.com/namahage_shuttle/en/
Namahage Museum: https://namahage.co.jp/namahagekan/en/
Namahage Taiko: https://e-ogaonsen.com/taiko/en/
Best place to book accommodations on Oga: https://www.japanican.com/