Exploring the Charms of Akita with an American Couple~1

On April 30, I took a couple from America on a tour of Yurihonjo City, Akita prefecture.

They enjoyed the tour a lot.

Beforehand, they had wondered which tour to choose, going to Kakunodate with other cruise passengers or joining my tour to this unknown town. Eventually, they selected my tour and they told me after that they didn’t regret their decision.

The places we visited were Chokokuji Temple, Chokai Toy Museum, and Tenjusake Brewery. I was excited about this itinerary because it was my first time guiding foreign tourists in Yurihonjo City. Many places in Yurihonjo City are not well-known.

The first place we visited was Chokoguji Temple. It has one of the three biggest Chokoguji Kannon Buddhist statues. It stands about 11 meters tall, and it is very rare to see such a big wooden statue. It is surprising that few people visit this place. The American couple was very surprised by the statue covered in gold leaf. They were amazed to find such a wonderful thing in such a rural area. I greatly appreciated their kind words.

As we looked around, I pointed out that this year’s rice planting season had started late. So they couldn’t see the rice field in its usual condition at the beginning of May. I explained that as the harvest approaches in September, this area would be covered in gold. I asked them to try imagining it. They told me it was a wonderful place

After visiting the temple, we visited a small store called “Everybody's Shop”. It is located next to the parking area. There were many mountain vegetables. The woman was very excited. She had never seen such mountain vegetables. She took many pictures. I live in a rural area and see these things every day. I was surprised that the mountain vegetables were very strange to her. I thought it was a true cultural exchange. I could feel that deeply. The next place we visited was the Museum.