🇯🇵 Akita, Japan Cruise Port Guide: What To Do In Town! – Transcript

00:00Akita, Japan sounded like an awesome cruise port stop with its various attractions and that famous dock. So why did this port wind up being the least favorite of our Japan cruise? We'll share our experience, but first port basics. Akita is in northwest Japan, part of Akita Prefecture on the main island of Honu. The city has attractions such as museums, parks, and a cultural center celebrating the annual Kanto festival. It's really cool, but it's also a jumping off point for

00:27regional attractions. Most notably, the Kakuna Date Samurai District, often referred to as Little Kyoto, and Lake Tazawa, Japan's deepest lake with its amazing sapphire blue waters. And Aikita's biggest claim to fame is the dog breed, recognized as a national treasure. They're originally bred in the region as hunting dogs and have a reputation for courage, quiet dignity, and strength. So, what about the port?

00:49Well, that's where the problem is. Town Center is about 9 kilometers from the port. There is one interesting attraction nearby. More on that later. But if you're like us and want to skip the ship tour and explore the town on our own, walking from the port to town center isn't an option. It's like almost 2 hours. The dock itself is compact and tidy.

01:12We got a lovely welcome at the dock. 3. The terminal is essentially one big lobby. As you enter, you'll notice the money exchange machine to the left.

01:40And just beyond that, the tourist information desk in English and Japanese. Around the corner is a small waiting area with benches and free Wi-Fi and bathrooms just beyond.

01:56Typically beautiful and high-tech. The handicap stalls especially decked out. We were there early in the morning, but later in the day the whole floor space becomes a souvenir market. Our experience of Japanese port terminals so far is that the souvenir stands sell really high quality stuff. A lot of it aim for the domestic tourist market which makes it all the more fun.

02:17and the Aikita Dog merch blitz is in full effect. Resistance is futile. Getting out proved to be the difficult part. Since we didn't have an organized tour or take a private one, and walking to town was a hard no. We were left with three choices. Limited and expensive taxis if we could even get one.

02:38>> Except the line is very long and they putting a sign that there's a problem with the taxi in the city. So it might be difficult to come back. >> The relatively new train service to Akita station which required buying advanced tickets at the terminal. No IC cards allowed. This was certainly the cheapest option but we missed out on the first time slot. Also note the last train out of Aikita station back to the port is 3:01 and our allboard time was 5:30. With limited seating the tickets

03:05sold pretty fast. Once you got your ticket you can stand in this line for the shuttle bus to take you to the train station or you can walk it. It's literally a 7 to 10 minute walk. But since you have prepaid tickets for that time slot anyway, you might as well just take the bus. You will need to buy your train ticket from the terminal before you leave. When I did a reconnaissance walk to the station, I didn't notice any ticket boots or ticket

03:31machines. But there were bathrooms around the back. Low tech, but clean. The port station is called Tsuchiaki, and it takes about 8 to 11 minutes to get to Akita station. Once there, you're pretty much in the center of town. Car rental is certainly an option here. Of course, you'll need to account for travel time to and from the rental office and book way ahead of time online. At the train station, there are several car agencies either in the station itself or just within walking distance. I'll leave a link with those

03:58map locations. The closest car rental agency to the port is about a 16-minute walk. Boooo Car Rental, which looks like they have a special deal for cruisers. Transportation to and from the port included. Uh-oh, we missed out on this one. Of course, I'll leave a link in the description for their website, but if anyone's used these guys before, please let us know. We didn't want to wait for the next train time slot, and taxis were a no. So, we did what we usually don't do. Pay for the cruise ship provided shuttle to town.

04:25>> This one is actually a round trip. So, almost the same price >> except it's not point to point. So, that's all. That's fine. >> We don't remember how much we paid for it, but it wasn't cheap. Certainly nowhere nearly as cheap as a train. We didn't expect it to be this I don't know chaotic or crazy what this is like a lot of delays and plus it's at a distance from the town.

04:47>> So this is the reason why you might not be able to get your taxi because that's going to take about you know you're looking about 20 minutes at least. >> Yeah. >> In a way the shuttle is more effective.

05:00It's not the most cost cost effective, but it's a fast, >> but it was airond conditioned and fairly comfortable. >> Sometimes you just have to live it. >> True.

05:14>> And when you do, you have to remember your biggest current is time. >> Once we got going, the ride took about 20 minutes. The buses came with these funky jumper seats in the middle, which allowed for more passengers, but made it a really tight squeeze. The drop off and pickup point was in front of the Akita Castle Hotel, pretty much in the center of town and directly across from the Aikita Museum of Art and Senshu Park. We had a general plan. Take the short 15 to 20 minute walk to the train station area

05:42and get some breakfast at their downstairs shopping mall complex. Yoshi Noya. We wondered how it compared with the stateside version. Answer: vastly superior. >> So, we're going to click home. This is the morning breakfast.

05:56>> Mhm. Like a set. Click this >> your set menu. >> Yes. >> Right. >> So you could free refills, ham, egg and natto, grilled salmon and beef. All of them come with the breakfast. >> We wanted a traditional Japanese set breakfast, and this hit the spot just fine. Simple and basic, but plenty of flavor. The train station complex was on the second floor past the shopping area, and it had all the amenities you'd

06:20expect. clean bathrooms, tourist information, and a really big waiting room. And I was excited to see an ATM until I read the fine print. They're also selling cruise shuttle train tickets back, which made me think, did they sell roundtrip tickets at the cruise terminal? While Angelia went shopping, the boys and I went exploring, focusing our attention on Senshu Park.

06:46Senshu Park is built on the grounds of Kubota Castle, residents of the powerful Satake clan who ruled the area for 250 years. What remains are mainly castle ruins and a lovely park. As you approach, you'll find the former castle moat surrounded by lotus flowers that come into full bloom in summer.

07:10Being on the site of a former samurai clan's castle, it's on a hill, so expect a bit of a workout. with steps that are not always even. And the bathrooms are clean, but old school.

07:26Oh, and by the way, this is male and that's female, but it is a lovely space to wander. The castle turret is one of the highlights, and it's airond conditioned and comes with an elevator.

07:44So the ticket was only 150 yen and uh the guy at the front said cruise ship cruise ship. I said yay. And he gave me a discount. So there's discounts for cruise. So it's 150. It's not not that much to get in, but they have an elevator goes all the way to the fourth floor. We'll see if this is really the the keep uh observation deck.

08:05>> From there, it's a fabulous vantage of the city. and a place for your crew to rest. From there, it was about a 15minute downhill walk out of the park and through neighborhood streets to the Akita City Folk Arts Center, home of all things Kanto Festival. And although it's cheeky to say, it's a small but tall museum. The Kanto Festival is about

08:32praying for a bountiful harvest. The big feature being the towering bamboo poles, some as tall as 12 m and weighing 50 kg. That's 110 lbs. Hanging from each pole are 46 beautiful paper lanterns, all lit with real candles. They're designed to look like a swaying ear of rice, which is why it's a prayer for a good harvest.

08:50This museum explains the origins, features videos about what the festival's like, but most importantly, you can get a taste of experiencing the festival with interactive displays. Try your hand at the challenge corner trying to pick up a lighter Kanto pole and balancing it. There are guides there to help you out.

09:14You getting us? >> That was fun. >> Also, try your hand with costumes and practice your Kanto drum skills video game style. The museum is small, good for a half hour, hour max, but it's a lot of fun.

09:35And if you're touring around the city, a mustsee. The admission ticket is usually a combo with the next door old KCO family house. A beautiful and preserved merchants house dating back to the mid 1800s when the Kko family ran this place as a pawn shop and secondhand clothing store. A visit here is good for about 20 minutes and a perfect compliment to the Kanto Museum. By the way, if you're getting good value from this video so far, help us out by giving us a like and share with your shipmates and consider subscribing. That way you can easily

10:03reference back to our ever growing port reports, ship tours, and tips to help your next independent cruise adventure. Lunch was at a famous and highly recommended chicken restaurant. The chicken here is a point of national pride, the Hinai Jidori, deemed three of the most delicious chickens in Japan, and our go-to place was the Akita Hinayorya. It's one of the most popular chicken restaurants. It's on the third floor of the Topeka Mall, which is directly connected to the JR Aita

10:29station. And we're here for one thing. The famous oyakuan hinagidori chicken eggs served over rice. >> Okay, so I added two things. One is a coal noodle, the local coal noodle. And this one is oyakodon. Oyakodon is a very simple dish, you know, something that your mom would make at home kind of thing. And it's a mix between usually chicken, uh, egg and dashi and possible

10:56probably, you know, a little bit soy sauce and rice on the bottom. That's it. So, let's try. M egg is fabulous. Let's try the chicken.