Thursday, August 16, 2007

Akita last day
















After a free morning, we had the Akita forum on the afternoon of our last day in Akita. Above is the mascot of Akita, the tree that was everywhere. The forum consisted of speeches and panel discussions, including by a former UN Undersecretary General, and a physicist who has a tv show in Japan. The reception that followed the forum included a performance by namahage, demons that frighten bad spirits away from children.




















I stopped by the convenience store after the forum, and found a pound cake-like bread that was mint chocolate chip flavored. Ah, the yummy wonders of the Japanese convenience store!
















The following photo is of the amazing dorms at Akita International University, we were the first people to stay in them. They had wood floors and were more like mini-apartments than dorms.





















With the namahage at the airport, preparing for the hot weather we would face in Hiroshima.

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