仙台

I have let quite a bit of time slip since the last post! As such I can only break down the highlights of what has been going on with my life here. Lazy as always with pictures, but I did at the very least manage to get pics of my Sendai trip uploaded a while back. In fact, my Sendai trip is going to require its own post here.

I really like the place. All of the pictures, by the way can be found here, and I really suggest looking at them all. I figure I would have enjoyed it even more if I had given a little more thought to planning. My first day was spent getting my multiple re-entry permit (so I can enjoy travel outside of Japan in the future) and then travelling to Matsushima, about a half hour or so away from Sendai. Matsushima is one of the most beautiful natural sites in Japan, with hundreds of islands much like this one.



The bay itself offers views like these.



I saw and did way too much to list, but I did make sure to walk around and take in some views of Matsushima, even if the place is a bit touristy. Fortunately on a Wednesday it wasn't too crazy there. I can say that I wrapped up my evening in Matsushima by having a delicious teishoku with fried shrimp and oyster.



I returned to Sendai at night and found a nice bar owned by a guy from England. After engaging in some light drinking and random chit-chat with some foreigners and Japanese alike, I left without a place to stay for the night. My plans to stay at a youth hostel fell through, but fortunately I found a capsule hotel to stay at! My impression? Much, much nicer than I was expecting. Yeah, it feels like the equivalent of being a mouse in a shoebox, but at least it was comfortable and I get a full night's rest.

My second day in the region was a little more ambitious, and ultimately the most disappointing of the three. Not to say I didn't have a great time, but again better planning would have made it so much better. My plan was to visit the island of Kinkasan, which is truly quite a ways away from Sendai when you factor in the boat trip required to get there. I went in hoping to be able to view the main shrine on the island and all of the tame deer that live in its environs (I did), but the shuttle boat unfortunately had to depart early that day. So, my plan to hike to the top of the island and maybe see some monkeys along the way was foiled. I had maybe an hour to spend there, and I really underestimated the transit time require to get to just the town where the boats originated. But for what it's worth, here's a picture of me with a deer in the frame.



It wasn't all disappointment though because upon returning to Sendai that night I took in the local delicacy known as gyutan, which is grilled cow tounge. Absolutely delicious and I went in knowing exactly what it was too. See for yourself. Not so bad eh?



For my second and final night in Sendai I decided to do it old school like my trip to Kyoto a couple years back and crash at a manga cafe. In reality that was a poor idea, because the sleep (if you can call it that) came in bursts of about an hour each. Sleeping in a chair is not advised. An extra $10 would have bought me another night in the capsule hotel and a much more restorative sleep. As such I felt like a zombie much of my third day, which was spent entirely within Sendai.

I took the "Loople" tourist bus that hit all the major sites of importance within the city, but the highlight was definitely visiting the site of the now-destroyed Aoba Castle. The Date (dah-tay) clan made their base here and there is a great statue here of Date Masamune, the fellow who basically founded the city of Sendai. The former castle is built upon a hill in a well-defended location, but even it couldn't survive the reforms of the Meiji Restoration. Many castles in Japan were unfortunately lost during this period, and Aoba Castle is no exception. What's left still offers a stunning view of the city of Sendai though.



And don't forget Masamune himself! Obviously a statue increases his stature quite a bit, but the real guy was quite a shortie. I viewed his armor on a mannequin in a museum, and I was quite shocked that such a samurai badass could be so small.



In the early afternoon feeling very tired I made sure to get some goods from the foreign food store at Sendai Station and then proceeded to make my way back to Yamagata. All in all a very satisfying trip in spite of the haphazard planning. Next time I go back though, I will probably opt for a business hotel so I can better enjoy the nightlife side of Sendai. I only got a taste of this.