7. Akita....and a change of plan.

Friday's port of call was Akita, a city of some 300,000 people and famous in Japan for two things; its the home of the Akita dog breed and its reputation for having the prettiest girls in the country.

Upon disembarking we picked up a city map from the tourist desk. In true Japanese style it contained loads of information including several suggested walking guides, all colour coded and in flow chart style with directions, landmarks, distances and timings. As it was still dry, we picked the first route which took us around the local park. As well as taking in some lovely views of the Autumn colours of the leaves, the park also contained a little museum of all things samurai, and a reconstructed castle, the top floor of which afforded a spectacular panorama of the entire city.

As that walk came to an end, the drizzle that had been threatening all morning began. We were well prepared and out came the coats and umbrellas as we started on the next suggested walking route which took us to the local market. No matter which city one is in the world, the local market is always a place of fascinating sights and smells and Akita was no different. The main items for sale were obviously fish and sea related, but there were also many unrecognisable vegetable and fruits. It meant that we were out of the rain as well.

The final walk took us to the local folklore museum which gave us a chance to look round a typical Japanese house, all spartan furniture and woven mats for flooring. It also told the story of the city's lantern festival in which twenty or thirty lighted lanterns are held aloft, balanced just in the palm of a hand, on bamboo poles (thus resembling a ship in full sail) and paraded through the streets. We had a go at the balancing the poles and lanterns, but like many things, it looks easy when the experts do it but is incredibly difficult.

The light rain was showing little sign of abating and so at this point we decided to call it a day and head back to the ship, but there was one more little surprise in store before we sailed away. Although by now it was dark and still wet, a group of drummers played on the quayside for us and a troupe of twenty or so local girls in traditional dress performed a number of dances. The entertainers, many local schoolchildren and the port officials, all waving torches or glow sticks waved us away as we pulled off the pier. It was just a lovely way to end the day.

We did see a couple of the Akita dogs down near the port. They are sweet looking and are excellent guard dogs but a breed that needs to be treated with the utmost respect. As for Akita having the prettiest girls in Japan, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder (but I think there is definitely some truth in the saying!)

Now for the change of plan. The captain has announced that typhoon Lan is heading in the direction of Japan and that as a result our next port of call, Toyama, scheduled for today (Saturday) has been cancelled. Instead we are heading out across the Sea of Japan to Busan in South Korea where we shall berth overnight and thus have two days in the city instead of just the one as per the original itinerary. Lan is being categorised as a "super typhoon" but there seems to be little doubt that wherever we are in the region we are going to be affected by it in some way (but hopefully to a lesser extent in Busan rather than Toyama.) The captain's plan is obviously to be out of the way of the worst of the storm and be in the safety of the port from about 1am on Sunday morning and has assured us that although the seas will become higher later today, there should not be anything extreme. How much wind and rain we get during our time ashore though remains to be seen!