I'll start this entry with an abridged version of the hemming and hawing we did regarding the day 9 plan. We walked through it so many times and I thought we'd be okay, but come the evening on day 8, it was a whole new ballgame. The plan? To take a main train as close to Nagaoka as we could get, then hop on to two local lines to a very small town and rent a car, the car drive would then be 30 minutes through the country to the beach. The rental was already reserved and the beach house was nearly $400USD for the night and non-refundable, a place called "日本海夕日ヴィラOne Story" on Agoda, located in Nagaoka. We were paying attention on this long ride out to Akita and saw the wide open roads, nothing for miles and lack of English anywhere at all. It broke down to not being too nervous to drive, but too nervous to deal with renting the car, filling it with gas (or if that was even needed?) and returning the car in a timely manner. We discussed and discussed some more and finally arrived at just not doing it. Instead, I was able to locate a hotel in a place called Omiya, just outside of Tokyo, which had a direct train route both from Akita and to Matsumoto. Candeo Hotels Omiya was booked and we had a whole new plan for day 9. This one involved sticking around Akita for just a tad longer, there were dogs to see at "Akita Dog Station" (true name) and they didn't open until 11AM.
Ready to get on with the day, we check-out and leave our bags with the aforementioned, way-too-helpful staff at our Akita hotel. With time to burn, we ended up walking up to Senshu park and the ruins of Kuboto castle- an area I wasn't even aware of until we literally just started walking around what surrounded us. It ended up being a very open public park area, up a winding path and a bit of a hill, but not too hard to walk through. There were some torii gates, a small waterfall and what appeared to be boy scouts (Japanese equivalent?) doing a ceremony of some kind here, there weren't too many people out and about as it was still early (9AM-11AM range), which was always nice. There were some very interesting structures and a museum looking part of a restored building, but unfortunately we didn't have time to go in. There was also a couple of shops/snack areas, but we also did not stop for them. Maybe next time if we end up in Akita for longer there will be time for exploring. Also a reason why I put a * on Akita as being my least favorite stop. Where I did not enjoy the station center, getting lost in the malls and the surrounding facilities, the park was nice and I'm sure given the chance there were plenty of good things here as well.
Being hyper aware of our timing for the day (which was knocked completely off by the change in plans), we wanted to get to the Akita Dog Station right before they opened at 11AM. Not being sure what to expect, we got there about 10 minutes before and had to wait for the dogs to arrive and doors to open. It turned out to be a literally cubby hole of a shop, selling Akita inu and city branded goods (postcards, books, stuffed animals, dog treats, snacks) with a small gated side that opened to a 4 cubby windowed views. This is where they would put the Akita's that were visiting for the day. This particular morning we had the female gray dog here being swept in (I don't know where they walked them from, but it wasn't too far away). She seemed super hyper and the trainer/worker had a hard time getting her in there, but she seemed content and fed with plenty of treats once she was there. I think they take shifts of less than an hour and are only open a few hours every few days. It's a bit of an odd tourist draw. You can't pet, touch or play with them, just see them through the window, which was a bit disappointing.
A few pictures taken, items purchased and it was back to Akita station to grab our bags and hop on the train. Omiya was a bit further away than our original destination, but it was a straight shot. We stopped at a bakery right outside the Dog Station to get sandwiches and curry buns for the train this time, since it was going to be 4 hours and we were getting the hang of how not to starve to death by now. The train ride was quicker than the scenic, but still filled with the scenery we were quickly becoming accustomed to. There was never a complaint as looking at the window and seeing this is nothing short of relaxing. The rides themselves were always smooth and having something as simple as a clean restroom to use when you needed it and food on hand to eat made it feel like you were actually on vacation and not just running around to the next destination. We truly became familiar with the train system at this point and were able to "experience" it for the first time in three attempts.
If you are keeping track here and able to do some math, you'll know right around this point what comes next. Yup, we arrived in Omiya RIGHT before rush hour! Did I mention this was a Tokyo suburb? Yeah, we weren't in the countryside anymore and that was super apparent. A quick, what felt like, jog to our hotel (about 15 minutes if taking a straight shot) from the station to drop our bags and right back out the door we went. Getting there so late in the day, we weren't sure exactly what to do, but were quickly sidetracked by an idol (boy band) concert taking place right in front of the station! We were no strangers to this happening, as we've stumbled across these performances in the past, however they were usually inside malls and part of festivals/celebrations. Not just being put on in front of a train station in what seemed randomly on a Saturday evening. A few of the dancers were cute and you could tell they had all of the pop idol charms that are cliché. Entertaining for a song or two, but with the crowds and wanting to get in SOME sight seeing before dark, we left before too long. Terra seemed to think it was pretty cool though and I think I'd like to purposely attend one of these on a future trip.
Never regretting keeping all of my Japan newsletters, prior planning notes and NHK programming thoughts together, I was aware of Omiya and what it had to offer. They boast a manga museum, "Bonsai Village" and were rapidly expanding with new malls and hubs to become more large city centralized. It was unfortunate that we only would get a taste of this town and it would be after most of the buildings had closed, but I figured at least walking around the area would give me a good idea if it would be worth returning to in a future visit. The "Saitama City Cartoon Art Museum" looked pretty cool once we arrived! It was in an old-styled building (I believe it was newer construction, but made in a traditional style) with Koi garden out front. The residential neighborhood surrounding it was all within "Bonsai Village". There was a central "Bonsai Museum", it was sadly already closed for the evening as well, but the small tourist shop with maps of the local area and hot spots on where the small parks were and participating houses was still open though. We precured a map and just went for a stroll. Once again amazed by how quiet and rural it seemed to be just 5 stops up from the centralized Omiya area and crowds we just left, to quote Weathering with You "Tokyo sure is amazing".
The area itself was super interesting, but spread out and a little hard to understand where the "bonsai" all were. We instead opted to just looking around and would spot little clusters of them outside of what appeared to be normal houses, but I think that's all it was outside of the museum! Some of them were so cute and you could tell it was this common thread amongst the residents here. Such a neat idea.
After an hour or so of walking, it was time to go eat a decent dinner. I had time to do some quick research on the train ride out here and came across a new mall complex called "Cocoon City" (yeah, creepy name, I know). It seemed like a promising area to explore, grab some "food court" style food, possibly some dessert and then head in for the night, so off again we were. It was only a short 20 minute or so ride to a station that dropped us right into the complex. The shopping mall area was very large and appeared to be three or four malls connected by outdoor walkways. As soon as we walked into one of the main indoor areas, we here the clacking sound of paddles and I knew what it was! The hard candy with little designs in the middle, a "show" I had meant to catch during New Year's our last visit, but we didn't get the chance.
Unfortunately, we caught this particular show right at the end, something to keep in mind for the future mall visits however as we bought a small jar to enjoy later (more info on this candy, see youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-3Xe7RMg3w). Landing ourselves in the food court after some exploring, I was able to get a delicious bowl of Udon while Matt and Terra bought Gyudon, everything was pretty darn good for food court food. Afterwards we splurged on crepes, that could then be enjoyed in the outdoor area just outside the food court complex. It was an interesting indoor/outdoor area. With full bellies, it was time to indulge Terra in her everyday request of visiting an arcade. We hadn't been able to hit up too many yet as we were outside of major city districts, there were some nearby as we were just outside of Tokyo. (photo just outside the mall complex before hopping back on the train)
We get back to the main Omiya station in time for Saturday night parties to begin, little did we anticipate. The main shopping/station area was apparently party central and the first time we were exposed to night life Tokyo out on the streets. Tons of smoking, cursing (yes, I could tell) and side eyeing by having an 11-year old out there past dark (it was about 7-8PM, to be fair). We were able to pop into a few arcades to check out UFO catchers (still not buying/collecting items at this point) and play some Rhythm/Taiko games. After not feeling welcome for a bit, it was time to go turn in for the night. This hotel happened to have an onsen/spa downstairs, so after Terra insisted, we headed downstairs to check it out. It was the first time I turned out to be brave enough for this whole "public bathing" thing. It was a weird mix of not knowing what to do, not sure if I was doing it right, trying to keep my eyes to myself, and then relaxing in a very hot bath for a few minutes. I still don't know if we did everything right, but there were at least other kids there, however Terra stated the girl a few years younger than her kept "staring". I don't know, but we got our bath, "relaxed" for a few and can now state we've done it, so there's that. Back in the room, we were treated to the night city skyline for a few before looking forward to what tomorrow might bring (castle!)
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