Welcome to virtual vacation video series where we can explore destinations from the comfort of our homes. Join us as we take a short virtual journey to Akita, Japan.
Located in the northern part of mainland of Japan and facing the Sea of Japan, Akita City is a four-hour drive from Misawa Air Base. The city is surrounded by rice fields and mountains and is known as one of the nation’s most important granary regions.
Located on a hill in Akita City, near Misawa Air Base, the Institute of the Handmaids of the Holy Eucharist houses a wooden statue of “Our Lady of Akita,” also known as the “Weeping Virgin Mary of Akita”.
Learn more about samurais right outside of Akita at Kakunodate, a samurai housing district. The cherry tree-lined streets with traditional samurai houses will transport you to feudal Japan.
New Year’s is Japan’s biggest and longest holiday. People take Dec. 29 to Jan. 3 off from work to celebrate the first three days of the year praying at temples and shrines for the coming year.
Given that it’s made from sticky rice, just like the Japanese rice cake, and how similar the names are, it’s understandable to assume mochi and Okinawan muchi are the same.
Japan is a country which has many unique cultures within it, and slurping is one of the most unusual characteristics! This can be a huge surprise when you come across it for the first time as it often is considered as a bad behavior at meal in many other countries
A genuine world of their own, the local foods of Okinawa prefecture draw on a deep cultural and historical heritage, finding inspiration through Chinese and Southeast Asian influences.
If you have traveled to Okinawa, you may have stumbled across a dish fit for kings. It’s true, rafute, or braised pork belly, was served as a staple to Okinawan royalty.
