Here's what my ekiben looked like when the lid was lifted.  Eki means station and ben comes from obento meaning lunch box.  Ekiben are an institution.  The stations are full of kiosks and shops selling them.  This one claims to be a thirty item balanced lunch and the thirty items are listed on the inside of the lid. 

Donkey's years ago there was a Japanese restaurant around about the corner of Queen St and North Charlotte St that sold lunches in boxes but not to take on a train journey.  These were very upmarket red lined black laquer boxes.  So up market that they went out of business quite quickly.  I ate there in their closing down sale, a somewhat unusual offering in the restaurant world of half price meals.

When I got to Akita I set of for the Comfort Hotel using this little map that I'd copied from somewhere.

When I got there no such hotel was to be seen.  I'd got my Japanese data sim card up and running by then so I was able to call upon Google without incurring horrendous roaming charges and made my sweaty way (it was very hot) back to the blue X I've added to the map within spitting distance of the station.  Did they move the hotel do you suppose or was the map produced by someone with a grudge against travellers?

The hotel has proved to live up to its name and it provides an excellent breakfast buffet which I will try to remember to photograph before I leave tomorrow.  After checking in I pottered about for a bit and the effects of the ekiban having worn off I had something to eat.  Without an English menu and with no pictures it was a stab in the dark but generally I've found if you order a ramen dish (I can read the word ramen) you get a bowl of steaming broth containg the noodles and a variety of items.  The more expensive the dish the more likely those items are to include meat but frequently you can't tell what they are so you are working on the assumption that whatever they are they're edible.

I got back to the hotel in time for my online session with Momo who is still in Vietnam.  The connection was a bit dodgy at times but it worked out quite well.  I'm sure I learnt something new but I was still pretty tired from my flight and poor sleep the following night so quite what that was I've already forgotten.

Now the reason for coming to Akita was to attend the Battling Yama festival at Kakunodate.  It's an event that's been going on for centuries and was absolutely wonderful.  The yamas are big floats decorated with  large figures of gods and warriors.  They represent various towns in the area and parade around Kakunodate and do battle.  The battles between them that may well have been bloody in centuries gone by but now it's a fun show and the streets are full of food and drink stalls and hundreds of spectators.  Nonetheless the yama teams are whipped up into action with loud drumming and bell ringing and flute playing and dancing while their leader shouts instructions and blows his whistle vigorously.  The opposing floats eventually hurtle into one another.  Spectators are more or less in the midst of the action so it's very difficult to get good pictures but here are some.  Each of them is worth the proverbial thousand words.

Parading before battle

Another yama parading

Dancers on parade

Serious Drummer

Young rope puller takes a rest

The enemy approach

Getting close to one another

Raising spirits

Impact, pity about the focus

Negotiations

Has agreement been reached?

Everyone is satisfied

Post battle dance yama 1

Post battle dance yama 2

These encounters between different groups went on well into the night but I'd been on my feet all day so a little reluctantly took the train back to Akita and for at least half of the 50 minute journey slept.