Akita Japan

#akita #japan #hollandamericacruise #senshupark

 In the cabin we were able to watch short videos, on the television with information about the ports we were visiting. These were by the  specialist travel guide. Strangely, as Akita was quite an interesting place he spent most of the time talking about the famous Akita dog and little time about anything else. As this wasn't very helpful we used the excellent local tourist information guides, who we used for the rest of our ports of call. They were all welcoming, knowledgeable and helpful, with maps and advice. 
Travelling into town by shuttle bus, we were pleased to find that just a short walk from the drop off point was Senshu Park. With the weather being favorable, we decided to spend some time here. 
Crossing the road, we soon entered the park, and as fate would have it, the first open area had a walk in section where you could view the famous Akita dog!

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Moving on, we explored the rest of the park with its stunning scenery, again being a little disappointed that the Autumn colours hadn't really set in. As well as interesting walkways with ponds and fountains there was also the Yojiro Inari Shrine and Kubota Castle to explore.

After a lovely walk in the sunshine and a refreshing ice cream, we left the park, crossing over the stunning moat, to explore more of the town. Seeing a poster for a Salvador Dali exhibition and using google maps we eventually found the gallery.
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This exhibition, held on the significant occasion of Salvador Dalí’s 120th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the Surrealist Manifesto, will provide an overview of Dalí’s life through the collection of the Morohashi Museum of Modern Art, one of the world’s foremost Dalí collections. It will also focus on Dalí’s activities after he moved to the United States.

Exploring the complex and delicate inner world of "Surrealist Dalí" that captivated audiences and the "human Dalí" behind it, this exhibition will reveal what kind of artist Salvador Dalí was, through oil paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, and works by other Surrealist artists such as Miró and Magritte, who are beloved worldwide.

Unfortunately, again we were restricted from taking photographs in the main, Dali exhibition, although you could in the local contemporary gallery. It always surprises me how other towns in different countries manage to put these exhibitions on but Manchester and other large towns in our country can't.
After enjoying the exhibition, it was time to get the shuttle back to the boat after a lovely day in this port.

One thing that we enjoyed in every port was the arrival and departing ceremonies. As it was the first time the Noordam had visited this port, not only did we have a show to watch of drummers and dancers, the town even put on a firework display to honor our visit, which was quite special as was the night sky as we left.