justin․searls․co

Goza no Ishi Shrine
See with all my spots…

I had a few free hours the other day in Akita, and picked (based on a pretty lakeside picture of a red Torii gate alone) Lake Tazawa.

Getting there was probably more involved than the experience was worth:

  • 1-hour shinkansen ride to Tazawako station
  • 25 minute bus ride to the lakefront
  • A quick transfer to a particular bus currently _on its way back to the station, but that happens to be circumnavigating the lakeshore in the opposite direction
  • The bus route is apparently designed for tourists to get this picture and get out, as the driver let us off twice for 10-15 minutes to visit a restroom and get our pictures and souvenirs before resuming the route
  • Realize you just spent an hour on two local buses and are paying nearly 2000 yen in bus fare

(If my spidey sense hadn't gone off when I first arrived at the lake shore and decided to hop on the next bus to get to this shrine, I never would have made it back to the station in time. A combination of maturing language ability and dumb luck, I imagine.)

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