We left Tokyo very early on Friday morning for the one hour flight to Akita, in the far north. After arrival and dropping off some baggage at the Akita International University, we took busses for about two hours north to the Noshiro-Happo area. We attended a welcome ceremony with the mayor of the town before a bus tour of the local area.
We visited the Energy Center, which was a museum attached to a power plant. The heat from the plant heated a large botanic garden, seen in the photo above. The museum also housed floats from a local festival, seen below.
The Energy Center mascot.
Our next stop was a lookout tower with a view of the Japan Sea/Eastern Sea (depending on your political outlook, the name is different).
I climbed the 100 steps to the top for a nice view.
JASCers!
We also spent some time climbing around on the large cement breakwater area.
On Friday evening we were introduced to our homestay families, who we would be spending the weekend with. My house had two American delegates and one Japanese delegate living with a couple and their two young children, aged 3 and 4, and one set of grandparents. They made us veggie curry, which was delicious, and we sat around the garden drinking beer and talking.
The plan for Saturday was to go hiking in the Shirikami Mountains, hiking near the Twelve Lakes, and go to an onsen (traditional bath). Because a typhoon followed the JASC delegation to the north, we were unable to go hiking. Instead we went to a nature center, did an abbreviated lakes hike, watched a documentary on the mountains, and learned to play the taiko drums.
The angry sea in the midst of the typhoon.
One of the Twelve Lakes, which are super clear and blue, a very beautiful area.
Lookin' good in our ponchos, hiking in the typhoon.
The water is known for its cleanliness and clarity. Near this stream we were treated to some tea brewed with the local water, and some light biscuits.
Playing taiko in the late afternoon.
After our drum lesson, we went to an onsen on the shore. I was pretty excited to be able to go in, as last time I was in Japan I was turned away because I have tattoos, which apparently are only for yakuza (gangsters). The onsen was very nice on a rainy typhoon day, the waves were visible through the glass, and there was even an outdoor area which was modeled after a traditional outdoor stone onsen. Soaking in the super hot water after a day of activities felt really relaxing. On the way home, our host family took us for ice cream, yum!
The host family house was in a pretty rural area, a nice change after the dense feeling of Tokyo. The family had a nice garden, where they grow organic veggies, and a small stone marker across the way.
Saturday evening dinner consisted of kiritanpo, a local specialty of molded rice served in soup with veggies and tofu. It was awesome. We also enjoyed edamame and a few drinks as we sat around the dinner table discusing life, politics, music, and other things. Like many places in the world, Akita prefecture has its own dialect. As a result I had a difficult time understanding what the host 'grandmother' was saying, as her dialect was thick. While I was able to communicate with the kids over 90 percent of the time, I needed the assistance of my fellow JASCers to understand much of our conversations with our hosts, as the topics were relatively advanced. After two nights with the host family I feel that my Japanese improved, and good about how far I have come, but I also was aware of how far I have to go.
The host family kids, so cute!
My fellow U.S. JASCer with our 'little brother.'
Our room for the weekend, futons folded up for the day.
My homestay roomates and our host.
Goofing around with gifts from homestay families on the long bus ride back to Akita city.
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