Two great rings of river stones lie in a quiet field on a plateau near Kazuno, in the north of Akita prefecture, and at the heart of each stands a small arrangement of upright stones that has been called a sundial. The Ōyu Stone Circles, known as Manza and Nonakadō, were built by the Jōmon people around four thousand years ago, and they are the largest stone circles in Japan. Beneath and around them archaeologists have found graves, suggesting they were places of burial and ceremony. Some researchers believe the circles were aligned with the setting sun at the summer solstice. Since 2021 they have formed part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan.
The Jōmon were hunter-gatherers who lived in Japan for over ten thousand years, famous for their elaborate cord-marked pottery, and they built settlements, shell mounds and ritual sites across the north of the country. A museum on site displays finds and explains their way of life, and reconstructed buildings give a sense of what a village might have looked like.
The area around Kazuno is mountainous and green, with rice fields in the valleys and thick forests on the slopes. Winters are long and snowy; summers are short and warm. The region is known for its hot springs and for the cuisine of Akita: kiritanpo, rice pounded and grilled on cedar sticks, then simmered in a hot pot with chicken, and the local Hinai chicken from Ōdate.
For riders, the area is a gateway to some of the best roads in northern Japan. To the north lies Lake Towada, a large caldera lake surrounded by forest, with roads that wind along its shores and down the beautiful Oirase stream. To the south, the Hachimantai Aspite Line climbs over the volcanic plateau of Hachimantai, with steaming vents, alpine meadows and views; it is closed in winter and opens in spring between walls of snow. Surfaces are generally excellent, and traffic is light outside holidays.
Kazuno has fuel, shops and restaurants, and there are hot spring hotels in the area. Fuel stations in the mountains are scarce, so fill up in town. Autumn foliage here is superb, usually in October; in spring, cherry blossoms arrive later than in the south, in late April or early May.