Monday, April 25, 2016

A Day in Akita, Akita Prefecture, Japan

1. 11:00 p.m.-9:00 a.m. I will be staying at the ダイワロイネットホテル秋田 which costs $45 a night (¥5033.48). This hotel offers large, clean rooms, is close to a shopping area, and has good reviews for the staff friendliness and the quality of services. The hotel is also located near the center of the city so it offers a decent point for exploring the rest of the city. I will probably be sleeping during this time. 

2. 9:50-10:40 a.m. I will be preparing myself for my town outing and eating breakfast.

3. 11:00-12:00 p.m. I will be leaving the hotel for the Akita Station where I will board the Ou Line, Resort Shirakami 5 快速 Aomori, which will take about 16 minutes by foot. Then after boarding the train and riding it non-stop for about 11 minutes, I will get off at Oiwake Station from which, I will depart for the Akita Prefecture Museum. After walking for around 19 minutes, I will arrive at the museum. The whole trip will cost around $6.84 (¥760).

4.      12:10-2:30 p.m. The reason I chose going to the Akita Prefecture Museum as my first activity is because I would like to see what kind of history Akita Prefecture has had, this museum contains an interesting showcase of archaeological artifacts, crafts, biological and geological samples pertaining to the regions history and folklore.

5.      2:40-3:30 p.m. I will return to the hotel and then head toward Takashimizu Park to look at the Akita Castle. Even though it will take around an hour if I go by foot, there are a lot of sites that I can visit in between.

6.      3:40-4:50 p.m. I will eat lunch at Izakaya Restaurant. Since I haven’t really eaten a great variety of Japanese dishes, I think I will order a series of noodle-based dishes like soba and ramen. Given that I like sushi, if it is offered then I will also order some as well. I’ll have a spending budget of about $50 (¥5551.75).

7.      5:00-6:00 p.m. During the course of my trip, I will stop at the Hokkeji and Saihoji temples. I’ve always been fascinated by the layout out of Japanese Buddhist temples and the cultural practices revolving around temple/shrine visits.

8.      6:30-7:20 p.m. I will visit a shopping mall that is along the way. I just want to survey the area and get a feel of the city so that I can continue to plan different expeditions.

9.      7:30-8:00 p.m. Having satisfied some of my curiosity, I will make one final detour and stop at the Karamatsu Shrine that is not too far away from the park. This time I would like to note the differences in structure between a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist temple as well as see how practices are carried out differently/similarly.

10.  8:20-8:50 p.m. I will arrive at the park. Once I am there, I will thoroughly explore the grounds of Akita Castle before heading back to the hotel via the route I took to get to the park.

11.  8:50-9:40 p.m. Once I get back to the hotel, I will eat a late dinner and then take a bath.

12.  10:00-11:00 p.m. I will read a book and then study Japanese for a while. During this time, I also plan to create an itinerary for the following day. I would still like to visit the Akita Omoriyama Zoo, Jizouden Ruins, Kubota Castle, Akita International University, Akita Senshuu Museum of Art, and the Akita Museum of Art.

11:00 p.m.-9:00 a.m. I will be sleeping once again. Over all, I will most likely have spent under $245 (¥27181.16).

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