10. Sakata

Today's port of call was Sakata, and it has been just such a wonderful day.

We understand that it is only the second time that the ship has visited Sakata and right from the outset the locals have gone out of their way to make everyone so welcome. It's not a city, it's really just a small town with a main street; in fact the back streets look almost run down, but you cannot judge a book by its cover. 

When we were dropped off by the shuttlebus, events were in full swing in the central precinct. A judo club was giving a display, and the local high school girls were raising funds for victims of the recent terrible floods by holding little tea ceremonies and writing names in Japanese characters. We walked a little way up the road only to be invited into the studio of a local artist who specialised in calligraphy and who was 96 years old. A cup of green tea and some rice crackers  were served and we watched as he wrote the characters for a horse and matcha tea and then wrote a haiku poem for us. We know the haiku is about rain and the river but any other translation would be greatly received!

Moving onwards we got our directions a little wrong...but not to worry. The same high school girls were operating as personal satnavs for the tourists...we told them we were looking for the rice museum and they took us right to the door. Rice, and especially the production of sake is a big thing in the area and we felt it was important to have a look through the museum to get an appreciation of the history of the industry.

As it was a few degrees cooler that the last few days, it was much easier to walk around and so after the museum we crossed town to have a look at the Rensho temple....the temples and shrines are always a little refuge and a good place to rest a few moments and rehydrate.

The next stop was the Sanno Club. This was not a den of iniquity but used to be a high class restaurant for over 100 years. Now it displays items from the history of the town and makes special hanging ornaments, another important piece of the town's heritage. Claire had an opportunity to try on a wedding kimono...no easy feat given its weight and the heat of the day.

A few blocks away from the Sanno Club was the Somaro which also used to be another old restaurant but which is now a geisha house. Now it was the turn of the high school boys to be our personal guides through the establishment as we were shown around the rooms. The geishas were in attendance too (probably more for the tourists benefit), but it was fascinating to see their hairstyles, makeup and clothes, close up. We were not permitted to take photos which, again, is probably understandable in the circumstances.

With one eye on the clock we made our way back towards our pick up point but not before having a tea ceremony with the students and making a small donation to their fundraising efforts.

Back on the dockside, the locals had put up a number of stalls, many of which were for selling local goods, produce and souvenirs, but several were handing out food specialities and drinks. We had glasses of cherry cider and watermelon cider, tasted several different types of sake and ate slices of melon and some other deep fried "thing", which might have been some sort of rice and fish concoction. It was okay, but I wouldn't choose it for a main course. Climbing up the gangway we were all given a thank-you for visiting Sakata card containing an origami bird which had been made by local schoolchildren.

As preparations were being made for our departure, a crowd of several hundred locals had gathered on the dockside to see us off. We were treated to displayed by samurai warriors, a fierce looking dragon breathing smoke and the ladies, resplendent in matching yukatas, performed a dance routine...and everyone was waving and cheering as we pulled away from the pier. 

The friendliness of everyone in the town has been fabulous and made it a day to remember.