Welcome to the next entry in my Japan Adventure series! These posts recap the
days my husband and I spent in 2023, cruising around mainland Japan, and our
time in Osaka before and after ✨
Last time, we departed from Niigata and sailed to Akita! A lot happened during our
single day in the prefecture, so this post will focus only on the guided
excursions that were organized by Silversea. Let's go!
Wednesday 23 March 2023 - Akita Excursions
|
|
As became my wont, I took another photo of the beautiful morning sea ๐
|
|
|
"Welcome to Akita" at the Akita Cruise Terminal!
|
|
|
Our ship was welcomed with an awesome performance of traditional music
๐
|
|
|
A delegation of stylish and friendly "Akita Tourism Ladies" greeted us,
too ๐ค
|
|
|
It wouldn't be a trip to Akita without meeting some of the namesake dogs
๐ถ✨
|
|
|
A huge theme in this area is the namahage ๐น In front of two massive
namahage statues, this sign states their
UNESCO designation as intangible cultural heritage. Also captured in this photo was something I loved seeing all over
Akita: wind turbines!
|
|
|
Our first destination was the Mt. Kanpu "Panorama Sky Park" Rotating
Observation Deck (ๅฏ้ขจๅฑฑๅ่ปขๅฑๆๅฐ) in Oga. We took a tour bus up the mountain.
|
|
|
At the top of the observatory, you can sit and literally watch the world
go by, as the seats revolve around the room ๐ฎ There are several maps
which point out visible landmarks. This was one of the few opportunities
I had during this trip to simply sit and sketch the scenery ๐️✨
|
|
|
There was much more to see inside the observatory, which is also a
museum. These included a huge kokeshi doll, a dugout canoe, and this 3D
map of the area!
|
|
|
I loved this adorable sculpture outside the building. It's called
Namahage-kun (ใใใใฒๅ) which in this case can be translated to
something like Little Namahage.
|
|
|
The museum helpfully offers an English information pamphlet ✨
|
|
|
There were tons of cool exhibits, including this room with screens
displaying a variety of videos, installed in these wooden posts ๐คฏ
|
|
|
Part of the museum included a namahage experience inside a traditional
thatch-roof house!
|
|
|
We were offered tablets that let you choose your language and read about
the experience before it unfolds. This is an incredible feature!
|
|
|
An exhilarating and unforgettable experience ๐น✨ I highly recommend it
if you get a chance to visit the Namahage Museum!
|
|
|
I learned that the straw that falls from the namahage's traditional
coats after their visit is considered lucky for study if you tie it
around your head ๐ค✨
|
|
|
My husband, Sean, posing with some namahage ๐น
|
|
| And my pose! |
|
|
One of the most breathtaking exhibits was this room full of namahage!
|
|
|
At the shrine shop, they had namahage masks you could don for photos!
|
|
| Namahage Sean ๐น✨ |
|
|
I adore the lion-dogs (ใใพใใฌ) at Shinto shrines. Today I learned the
Japanese name for them means Ancient Korean Dog ๐คฏ
|
That's it for this post but not for our adventures in Akita! I'll be back soon
with part 2, including our self-guided exploration of Akita Port Tower Selion.
Please look forward to it and, until next time, stay happy, healthy, and
safe~❤️
