2023 Japan Adventure - Part 16: Akita Exploration

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

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! 🤩

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 🤯

From the observation deck at the top of the tower, we could see our ship! 🛳️

Our home at sea for two weeks, the Silver Muse, in Akita!

At a Selion restaurant, we got to try an Akita specialty: kiritanpo (きりたんぽ) 🤤

These naturally vegan snacks were made with pounded rice and slathered in white miso! YUM!

Next we visited the Selion Rista, which is a sort of indoor botanical garden and recreation space located right next to the tower.

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 🌼

A view from the upper level of all the lovely greenery!
There weren't many people, so we nearly had it all to ourselves.

I enjoyed my walk through this quiet and refreshing space 🌳

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).

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.

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 🚶‍♀️

Akita's epic farewell performance featured namahage taiko drummers!

The view of the area as dusk fell was magical ✨

The tower is regularly lit up at night. We got to see the green version!

The grand finale, set off as we cruised out of port, was a fireworks display! 🎆

After an excellent day exploring, it was time for dinner!

Getting dressed up for dinner was a hassle, but the result was fun!

Vegan pizza! 🍕 If I could do this cruise again, I'd order this more often!

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 💖

2023 Japan Adventure - Part 15: Akita Excursions

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 💙

"Welcome to Akita" at the Akita Cruise Terminal!

This unmissable landmark is Akita Port Tower Selion 😮
More about it in the next installment 😉

Our ship was welcomed with an awesome performance of traditional music 💖

A delegation of stylish and friendly "Akita Tourism Ladies" greeted us, too 🖤

It wouldn't be a trip to Akita without meeting some of the namesake dogs 🐶✨

A huge theme in this area is the namahage 👹 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 (寒風山回転展望台) 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 😮 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 🖊️✨

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 (ナマハゲ君) which in this case can be translated to something like Little Namahage.

Our next stop was the Namahage Museum (なまはげ館), also in Oga.

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 🤯

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 👹✨ 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 🤓✨

My husband, Sean, posing with some namahage 👹

And my pose!

One of the most breathtaking exhibits was this room full of namahage!

Our next and final stop was only a short distance away: Shinzan Shrine (真山神社)

At the shrine shop, they had namahage masks you could don for photos!

Namahage Sean 👹✨

I adore the lion-dogs (こまいぬ) at Shinto shrines. Today I learned the Japanese name for them means Ancient Korea Dog 🤯

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~❤️

2023 Japan Adventure - Part 14: Nighttime in Niigata

It's been almost two years since setting out on my two-week cruise around mainland Japan. I hope to return sooner rather than later, so this year, I am focusing on completing this blog series! I want to share this trip with you before I embark on my next one 😉 In the last installment, I shared my daytime adventures in Niigata. Now it's time to reveal the true highlight of the day: the Geisha Dinner Experience!

Wednesday 22 March 2023 - Nighttime in Niigata

After being seated at Kappou Daizen (割烹 大善) our first course was served!

Kappou Daizen was AWESOME because they had no problem offering vegan food 💚

Having the best time with Sean! We enjoyed chatting with our tablemates throughout the night.

One of my vegan courses: konjac sashimi and grilled tofu 😋

It was mesmerizing to watch the geigi (芸妓; Niigata geisha) dancing 🩵

The long kimono sleeves show that this is a junior geigi.

This dance had two geigi performing together.

The synchronized dance was enchanting!

In another dance, a senior geigi joined.

You can see the shorter sleeves that the senior geigi wears, as well as the subtler accessories.

After the dances, we were taught about various aspects of everyone's costumes.

Here you can see the white makeup that continues even around the back.

We had a wonderful interpreter helping us understand the information that was being shared 👏

This geigi looks so elegant in this photo! 💖

Group photo with the geigi! Sean forgot to put his mask on 😆

Group photo of the beautiful entertainers 💙

This geigi had just debuted! She gave us stickers featuring her new geigi name: Sachiko (咲地子) which could be translated as Child of the Flowering Land 🌸

I'm not 100% sure but I believe this was steamed yuba!

Fried butterbur and fatsia sprouts 🤤

For dessert, a wee chocolate cake and strawberry 🍓✨
(In this post, I've only included a small selection of the plentiful food & drink I enjoyed!)

The room we were seated in was decorated richly; this was one of my favorite pieces.

After returning to our cabin aboard the Silver Muse, we were greeted with our breakfast menu, an end-of-cruise travel arrangements form, and our daily newsletter, along with more tasty chocolates 🍫

So ended our fantastic day in Niigata. One of the employees of Kappou Daizen invited me to return, and so I shall, someday! I hope to see Sachiko again and ask her how work as a geigi has been going. Sooner rather than later, if possible. I still have the sticker she gave me; I keep it in my clear phone case, where I see it every day 🥰 But that's all for my adventures in Niigata in 2023. Next time, we'll be visiting Akita! Please look forward to it. Until then, may you remain happy, healthy, and safe 💖