It’s cloudy today.
I went for morning Onsen (hot spring).
There is a Rotenburo (open-air bath) to overlook ocean.
I had Japanese breakfast.
These look old fashioned but food is very delicious.
I enjoy their food very much; very local and very fresh.
Their Onsen is nice and food is delicious.
It sands in front of ocean to enjoy ocean view from a room.
I departed Aomori for Morioka, Iwate.
Yes, the station that I arrived by Shinkansen yesterday.
I look at Iwate-yama (Mt. Iwate) again, the same mountain that I was looking yesterday.
We returned to Aomori Station, Iwate to watch Sansa Odori (Sansa Dance).
Sansa Odori is a combination of odori (dance), taiko (Japanese drum) and flute (Japanese flute).
This dance is dancing for appreciation and celebration of Kamisama (Gods) defeating Oni (evils).
There is a rock with Oni no Te (Evil’s Hand Print).
Evils promised not to return again by making a hand print.
This myth is the origin of name of Iwate Prefecture: Stone Hand Prefecture.
There are many groups and style of Sansa Odori.
The actual performance will be at night, however, to increase the awareness of Sansa Odori, many groups performance during day time at few places such as in front of Morioka Station, Malios, etc.
We went up to the observation room of Malios to overlook Morioka City, Iwate.
We departed for Akita for the last Summer Festival of the tour: Akita Kanto Matsuri (direct translation is Akita Lantern Bamboo Festival).
We reached Akita City.
This road named Akita Kanto Odori will be the street for the performance.
Again, we took early dinner, this time at Akita Castle Hotel.
Hotel banquet rooms became huge buffet dinner place for tourists.
It was like a zoo. hahaha
After dinner, I took a photo with a famous guy in Akita: Namahage.
He looks fierce, but a nice guy.
He scares away evils to being good lucks!
We went to the street to watch the performance.
This is again originated from Lantern Festival; many of us are Buddhist.
It’s an amazing festival with sound of taiko, fue and Kanto (Lanterns on Bamboos).
A person to hold Kanto extends bamboo and it bents greatly with weight of lanterns, making difficult to hold it.
Furthermore, they balance it on their palm, forehead, shoulder and hip.
They start from small.
They are small, but already a great performer!
I enjoy it very much.
About at 9 pm, we left Akita for Oshuku Onsen (Oshuku Hot Spring).
We reached Hotel Mori no Kaze Oshuku at 11 pm.
I found our supper, onigiri (rice balls) in our room; however, I’m still full from dinner.
We quickly went to take a bath because a public bath, Onsen, will close at 25 o’clock.
It was nice.
There is a Rotenburo (open-air bath) and special lemon bath to remove our tiredness.
Oyasuminasai (Good Night)
sonokotchi 