Welcome back to my 2023 Japan Adventure blog series!
Last time, we enjoyed the guided excursion into Akita that was provided by our cruise
line, Silversea. This time, I'll share our subsequent self-guided exploration
of the area.
Wednesday 23 March 2023 - Akita Exploration
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I was way into Pokémon GO at this time (I played the whole way 'round
Japan, getting lots of new PokéStops!), so I was stoked to find this
vending machine holding a promotional event! 🤩
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Inside the
Akita Port Tower Selion, there was a scale model of the tower!
The real thing is the
tallest building in the northern Tohoku region 🤯
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From the observation deck at the top of the tower, we could see our
ship! 🛳️
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Our home at sea for two weeks, the Silver Muse, in Akita!
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At a Selion restaurant, we got to try an Akita specialty:
kiritanpo
(きりたんぽ) 🤤
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These naturally vegan snacks were made with pounded rice and slathered
in white miso! YUM!
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Next we visited the Selion Rista, which is a sort of indoor botanical
garden and recreation space located right next to the tower.
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We were late for most of the flowers (they seem to bloom very early
since they're indoors!) but there were still a few beautiful displays
like this 🌼
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A view from the upper level of all the lovely greenery!
There
weren't many people, so we nearly had it all to ourselves.
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I enjoyed my walk through this quiet and refreshing space 🌳
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Here's another one of those artistic manhole covers that I enjoyed
spotting all over Japan!
This one is from 秋田土崎港 (Tsuchizaki-Minato, Akita).
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With our last bit of time before all aboard, we enjoyed a seaside stroll
back to the ship, along a pathway studded with various statues and
monuments.
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I couldn't find any information online about these monuments, but they
are easy to find in person, since this area is part of the walking path
from the cruise terminal to the tower 🚶♀️
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Akita's epic farewell performance featured namahage taiko drummers!
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The view of the area as dusk fell was magical ✨
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The tower is regularly lit up at night. We got to see the green version!
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The grand finale, set off as we cruised out of port, was a fireworks
display! 🎆
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After an excellent day exploring, it was time for dinner!
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Getting dressed up for dinner was a hassle, but the result was fun!
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Vegan pizza! 🍕 If I could do this cruise again, I'd order this more often!
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After dinner, we enjoyed dessert from the Arts Café and did the daily
crossword puzzle before heading back to our cabin to rest up for our next
stop: Aomori! I'll share more about it next time, so please look forward to
it. Until then, may you be happy, healthy, and safe 💖
