Friday, April 29, 2016

Destination - Akita! (part one)

Last weekend we went to Akita to do some sightseeing and spend some time soaking in the hot springs. On the first day we traveled on the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to the historical town of Kakunodate.

The town was established in 1620 and is quite an attractive place to visit.

The streets are lined with old structures. Some are tourist attractions and others are residences.

Since Akita is on the northern end of Honshu island the cherry blossom trees are just now at their peak bloom.

We were not alone in our enjoyment of blossom viewing.

The streets were full of tourists. I always say, "the more the merrier".

We also visited this shop that sold miso paste and soy sauce.

Nice interior.

One of the biggest attractions of Kakunodate is the cherry tree lined path along the Hinokinai river.

It's glorious!



Big groups and small, all gathered for viewing and of course... to party!


There is romance in the air.


At one point along the river bank there was a local festival being held.

We stopped to watch these local girls perform a folk dance.

They must practice a lot because they were very good.



Meet the boys in the band.



This was some terrific entertainment.

Back to the river walk.



There sure are a lot of trees along this river.



I couldn't imagine a nicer day than this.

And, I'm so lucky to have my sweetheart with me to enjoy it.


This would be a good time to recite Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken".

In my next post I'll share images of Akita's Tamagawa Onsen.

Thanks for stopping by!
Mike

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