Who wouldn't want a license plate w/ an Akita on it...??

Looks like noodles on whipped cream & custard, but . . .

...it's a baked Mont Blanc: a dessert of sweetened chestnut purée in the form of vermicelli.

Samurai homes surrounded by Nature's stunning foliage. 🍁

I'll call this 'Samurai Street'; the homes flank both side of this road that's not likely too old.

A pretty transom in one of the Samurai homes.

A little tree growing out of a large trunk.

Mark w/ a samurai sword. Really . . . what could go wrong...? 🤔

We took a shinkanzen (bullet train) back to Akita.

Senshu Park opened just this morning after (still) being closed due to bear sightings. Beautiful.

In the pier terminal, Janine got to try balancing the lanterns. She did pretty well!

Evening entertainment: he's playing something called a vibraphone. It & he he are amazing!

The variety of sounds this instrument can provide are incredible!

'Flight of the Bumblebee ' -- a true test of any artist's abilities!

Return to Akita

November 14 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

Mark met a lady yesterday while standing in line to talk w/ the Port Specialist; it seems she & her husband had similar agendas as us so the 4 of us decided to explore the Akita port stop together.
We took a taxi to Kakunodate (pron: kah coon ah DAH tay). It's an actual samurai village established in 1620 that apparently has changed very little over time. Some actual descendants of the 17th century samurai still reside in their original family residences.
We grabbed the shinkanzen (bullet train) to return to Akita. The bear that was the earlier roadblock to our visiting Senshu Park last time apparently took a break this time, so we were able to spend a little time walking around there.
Taxi back to the boat. Good day.Read more