Skip / Kisakata | Southern Akita in Fresh Greenery

In high school days, I was constantly skipping classes. If asked why, the reason was that I did not want to go; furthermore, as a railway enthusiast at the time, there were photo opportunities that could only be pursued on weekdays. The root cause was simply that I was not free to take time off. It was not really my fault. Or so I told myself.

After becoming an adult, the frequency of skipping has dropped dramatically. It surely is not because I want to go to the office, but I have an obligation to work in exchange for my salary. That said, the paid leave system gives me the option to take time off; and constantly skipping work gets me fired which would completely defeat the purpose of skipping.

Last year, when visiting Sakata City in Yamagata Prefecture, a friend took me to Mototaki Springs Waterfall in Kisakata, Akita Prefecture. Like other famous spots in northern Yamagata (Shonai) to southern Akita area on the Sea of Japan, Mototaki was also magnificent.

My main goal for that trip was to photograph the sunset over the Sea of Japan from the limited express train on my way home, so I brought a compact camera that I could prop up on the train’s window frame. After adjusting the RAW files in Adobe Lightroom, I found the results were rather lacking; the compact camera was not able to fully render the rock surface in the extreme contrast at Mototaki. I needed to have a camera with large sensor to shoot Mototaki.

I was left feeling unsatisfied with the photos. Outside of work, I am the type of person who wants to resolve any unfinished issues as soon as possible. When I asked someone originally from Kisakata, he told me that during the clear, sunny days of May (called “May sunshine”) was an ideal, as it would be the fresh greenery season besides the water volume could be high.

“May sunshine” is literally in May, but for this year’s Japanese Golden Week in May, I took a nine-day break and visited Uzbekistan. Although the paid leave system exists, the reality is that as a Japanese salaryman, I cannot simply take time off whenever I want. Yet, even knowing this, I found myself checking the weather of Kisakata while I was in Uzbekistan. I suppose I am just stubborn; or maybe my behavior is simply inexplicable.

From what I learned in Uzbekistan, Okinawa’s rainy season had started early, and it looked like Honshu Island would see high temperatures starting in early May. I thought they suggested the period for fresh greenery in perfect May sunshine would be short.

I recall that I reached a similar conclusion last year, so maybe I am indeed impatient. Also, I may lack meteorological insight; I used to skip school constantly. In any case, I decided to act quickly.

For better or worse, a spell of clear weather was forecast for the week after I returned from Uzbekistan. Since I am impatient, I convinced myself that I had to seize the opportunity. By looking at the weather forecast and frequent flyer award ticket availabilities, Wednesday or Friday seemed promising.

At work, I devote all my power and wisdom as a manager to establish processes that make easier for my team to take time off. That said, taking a three-day weekend right after a full week of vacation was the toughest call. So, I decided to head to Kisakata on Wednesday.

In and of itself, it was only three days after returning from Uzbekistan. I thought I still needed to maintain some kind of reputations to uphold. So, despite being a working professional nearly fifty, I decided to skip the work at this time. Ultimately, the root cause of the skipping is inabilities to take time off freely on weekdays. It was not really my fault. Or so I told myself.

On the way back from Uzbekistan, I worked like a horse at Seoul Incheon Airport, clearing through the tasks that had piled up during my time off. I wrapped up the remaining work on Monday, acting as if nothing was amiss, and booked flights and a rental car in the evening. Then, on Tuesday afternoon, I announced that I would be taking the following day off due to a “family emergency.”

Thirty years have passed since my high school days, yet here I am doing the same thing. Still, I have matured enough to give a one-day advanced notice. Or so I told myself.

COLO’s Traveler Guide: Kisakata

The times listed are based on the timetable at the time of visit. For this trip, I made the unusual choice of using a rental car.

Tokyo Haneda 07:05 (Japan Airlines JAL161) > Akita 08:10

・Konoura Fishry Port
・Mototaki Springs Waterfall
・Naso-no-Shirataki
・Nakajimadai Recreation Forest (Shishigahana Wetland)

Akita 16:55 (Japan Airlines JAL166) > Tokyo Haneda 18:10