We had a short break at the observation deck on the way to the next stop, Kakunodate.

left: In the distance is Lake Tazawa, which is surrounded by mountains. It is known for its good clarity of the water and the deepest lake in Japan(about 423m).

Kakunodate Town
Is located in about the center of Akita prefecture. After 40 minutes drive from our break, we arrived at Kakunodate Town. kakunodate Town is well known for its beautifully preserved samurai district. It is called 'Little Kyoto' and it used to be a castle town under the Akita Lord during the Edo Period(1600-1850). It still has a classical feeling....

right: Japanese straw hat, which I'd bought at a low prive of ¥300. It looked very cute on Vera!. However, when I wore the hat I looked like a country folk. Why not? That's not fair!

Japanese restaurant, 'Inaba'
I'd checked this restaurant on the Internet in advance. It seemed to be a popular restaurant with tourists.

left: Inaniwa udon('udon' means 'Japanese wheat noodle'). This is a basic way of serving udon., boil udon and rinse in water, and place on a bowl. You eat udon in a dipping sauce before eating. Inaniwa udon is one of the three famous udons in Japan, Sanuki udon(a local specialty in Kagawa) and Kishimen(a local specialty in Nagoya). People say that Inaniwa udon has a proud history of more than 300 years in Inaniwa, which is the region of Akita prefecture. Inaniwa udon is a local specialty in Inaniwa!

center: Hinaijidori Oyako-don('oyako' means 'parent and child'). Oyako-don is a bowl of rice topped with chicken and eggs. The name of the dish is both chicken and egg and they are used in the same dish. Oyako-don is one of the common donburis(rice bowl dish) in Japan. when beef is used, it is called 'Tanin-don'('tanin' means 'not blood relations'). This Hinaijidori Oyako-don is used 'Hinaijidori' as a parent, which is a type of chicken meat and it is well-known for its good taste. Because I guessed that an egg of Hinaijidori wasn't actually used in it, I thought that it wasn't 'Oyako-don' for real!

right: Cold Inaniwa udon. This is not a typical way of serving udon. However, I think that it is a good way to eat udon in summer. There were many ingredients for the topping, wild vegetables, Japanese radish, chopped green onions, dried laver seaweed, tororokonbu(kelp flakes), umeboshi(pickled Japanese apricot), natto(fermented soybeans) and so on.
By the way, I hadn't grown up eating natto. So I wasn't able to eat natto untill recently because of its terrible smell and gooey texture. However, a famous TV program last year, had praised natto's beauty benefit other than well-known health benefits. It had reported that some component of natto had the effect of rejuvenation. So I forced myself to eat natto most days of the week. It wasn't easy work! Because of my effort I finally got to like natto. I used to turn green when I took one bite of natto.... Now I love natto and I become like Japanese! There is more to it... the effect of rejuvenation in the TV program was later found to be fake!

We strolled through Kakunodate town under the scorching sun. The sun was so strong, I got a little sunburned.

left,right: There were about 400 weeping cherry trees along both side of the main street, which was lined with samurai houses. People said that the original trees were originally brought from Kyoto about 300 years ago, during the Edo Period. Today Kakunodate is one of the best cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan. I heard that in the cherry blossom season it was always crowded with tourists enjoying the flowers. However, unfortunately it wasn't the cherry blossom season.... I would like to come back here in spring.The cherry blossom would stand out against the samurai houses surrounded by a black board fence. In addition, there are also more than 300 cherry trees planted on the bank of the Hinokinai River, which flows right next to the Kakunodate. It's said that it is absolutely beautiful every year. The cherry blossoms are usually at their best from the end of April to the beginning of May.

left: An old style mailbox. In the old days, when I was a child, it used to be like this.
center: A roadside teahouse along the main street.
right: Jinrikisya. I had often seen a Jinrikisya at tourist attractions around Japan, Kyoto, Kanazawa and Nara, etc. But I've never taken a ride before because of its high prices!

A roadside teahouse along the main street. It seemed that steamed(?) buns were a recommendation for tourists. However, I just didn't feel like this snack because of a dry throat! All I wanted was to cool my thirst with a cold drink. A jug of beer was all I want!