Kakunodate

Our final day in Akita started off with a rainy morning. After we packed up our things, we called a taxi that took us to Seitai Hoshikai. My mother had initially suggested for us to visit Our Lady of Akita after hearing about my plans to visit. I didn't even know about such a thing but after doing some research, it was intriguing that there was a recognized Marian apparition in Japan.

It just so happened to also be Easter Sunday today so it's an even better excuse to make a detour. We got there a bit early and had the time to go around the gardens and check out the stations of the cross. When we got back, there was already a lady waiting for us and we were allowed inside the church. It was interesting to see the Japanese-style church, it had both Eastern and Western inspiration. The main draw was of course the statue of Our Lady of Akita which was said to have cried tears more than a hundred times in a few years, ending at the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.

From there, we called cab back to Akita Station where we got on a train heading towards Kakunodate. Our first stop however wasn't the weeping cherry blossoms but a hike. We found ourselves on another cab heading to Dakigaeri Valley. We were dropped in a rainy forest. We started off with a visit to the nearby shrine while I chomped on some breakfast. So began our hike through turquoise rivers and pretty bridges but the path toward the waterfall was super wet. By the time we got to the waterfall our shoes were soaked yet, it was so worth it as it was grander than I had imagined, plus we worked for it and we were the only ones there. Sadly, we had to walk all the way back and by the time we reached the entrance, things were truly soaked. I called the same cab and he dropped us by Kakunodate or as close as he can. We were immediately attracted to the Taiwanese fried chicken booth as to help stave off the chill in the air and in our bodies. We explored the streets but unfortunately, the sakura here weren't in full bloom yet. It was still beautiful nevertheless. We stopped by various stores and houses but in the end were once again pulled in by the allure of food as we haven't had a proper meal yet. We all got duck udon which tasted amazing and was more than enough to give us the energy we needed because what came next was another hike up a small hill that gave us an overlook of the town below.

From there we went back down and walked along the river and back to the train station where we caught our shinkansen back to Akita. We still had a bit more time before our bus to the airport so we visited the Akita Inu Station to see some goods since the meeting time for the dogs had already passed. The rest of the trip went pretty smooth, the airport was pretty peaceful and we got to eat dinner there before our flight back to Tokyo.Read more