Akita is another relatively large city, on Japan's north west coast. It's known for the Akita breed of dog... I only stayed here briefly as this was where my long-booked, much awaited special scenic train journey would commence north. I came here knowing there were doubts about whether the train would run given the snowstorms and wind, thankfully it did.

In Akita I did get some very good urban snow that made for interesting photography opportunities despite the near frozen state of the camera. Snow has a way of reducing a scene to a few elements, and offers lots of negative space, a combination I like a lot.

Scenic train to Hirosaki

Designated one of Japan's 'joyful trains', the Resort Shirakami train takes about 5hrs between Akita and Aomori at the very northern tip of Honshu (I would get off one stop earlier) and it traverses some stunning scenery that includes the rugged coast line next to the wild Sea of Japan, mountains, farmland and has views of the Mt Iwaki volcano known as mini Mt Fuji. It's been described as one of the most scenic coastal train journeys in the world, and I agree. At some points the train is just metres from the beach; add to this some heavy winter weather and you've got a stunning combination.

Ending this blog here, photos from Akita below.