Akita Municipal Red Brick Local Museum

Akita City Red Brick Local Museum (the Red Brick Building) is a city-run local history museum and art museum. The red brick building itself, which served as the former head office of the Akita Bank completed in 1912, is designated an Important Cultural Property. Access to the Akita City Red Brick Local Museum is about a 15-minute walk from JR Akita Station, or you can take the Akita Chuo Kotsu bus on the Araya Line or Kawajiri Wariyama Line and get off at "Akarenga Kyodokan-mae." The museum preserves the atmosphere of its days as a bank, and in the former vault, traditional Akita crafts such as silver filigree are on permanent display. In the former meeting room, there is also a memorial room for the metalwork artist Shiro Sekiya, a recognized holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property (a so-called Living National Treasure), where his home atelier is recreated and his works are exhibited and introduced. Special exhibitions themed to the season or topic are also popular, letting visitors enjoy notable works connected to the local area. The museum is also active in hosting children’s programs, with especially popular learning workshops such as crafts and in-building exploration. As its name suggests, the exterior is a Renaissance-style brick structure, and many tourists are said to be overwhelmed by the beautiful vermilion-colored bricks. The interior is also a Baroque-influenced Western-style space, and for those interested in historic architecture, it is a place where you can easily spend the whole day without getting bored.