Sunday, February 21, 2016

Visiting Akita/ Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Akita/ Carlos Pueblo

I am always looking forward to visiting Akita for two reasons, first, a dog breed
Akita Inu; secondly, a railroad Gonou line along the northeast sea coast. Akita is
a very pretty city facing the sea of Japan with mountains behind it. I must admit
that I have achieve neither. It was snowing and very wet days. Instead of Gonou
line, a coastal line, the Japan Rail staff arranged me Ouu Main line which was inland
safer route and I changed to Shinkansen via Morioka instead. I did not run into one
of the famous Akita dog, Hachiko’s kind, and I learned that the statue was at Shibuya
station of Tokyo. Hachiko has been a worldwide sensation  for her loyalty to her
master, Professor Ueno and a Hollywood release with Richard Gere’s help made it to
the Oscar award.

At the station, I took the ticket for the next trip to Niigata and walked out of the station.
I didn’t know if that was lucky or unfortunate for me to run into a snowing day. I was
on Hirokoji Dori passing by two big ponds like two giant skating rinks with snow cover
them. It was Sunday and stores were closed. Fortunately, I was prepared with some of
the dry staff and I bought a lunch box and orange at a convenient store called Lawson.
Next morning, I was in a hotel restaurant to enjoy Japanese breakfast for 900 yen, less
Than $8. Usually, I would take it to fill myself until late afternoon for a Japanese noodle.
I was hurt on both upper side of my two teeth for infection and I thought that I caught
a cold.

I was looking for the Kutoba Castle Ruins, actually inside the Senshu Park. I went to a
wrong direction visiting wrong places for more than an hour. Finally, I came back to
the hotel, it did mention the location was Akita Senshu Koen, Akita Senshu Park. A
nice Japanese lady asked me following her and I was back to where I came Hirokoji
Dori with two skating rinks like ponds. She pointed me to the street in between the two
ponds for the main entrance of the park. The Castle is on a hill inside the park.

 I enjoy very much when I visit Japanese temple, shrine, and castle. I always try very hard
to read the monument, the epitaph or tablet, the inscription of a tablet. They are all in
traditional Chinese literature writing. I don’t pretend that I can understand all of them;
however, I know that they are within certain kind of classic writing after Tang and Song
dynasties, in China, it lasted until early 20 century.  There is a small turret of the castle,
lord’s temple, shrine, and several monuments. After Meji Restoration, the emperor abolished
the han, local domain Satake donated the Castle to the city. The last lord’s statue was melted
during the war for munition and was rebuilt after the war. It was the same fate for Hachiko’s
statue at Shibuya station in Tokyo during the war. The park was covered by 2 feet of snow on
that day and all the pretty cherry trees were leafless. I ran into a Taiwanese young family in
the park and had a good chat with this high tech executive of Taiwan.


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