The north of mainland Honshu is somewhat of a mystery to me, particularly the Tohoku region. Other than that very embarrassing ski trip to Nagano where all I saw was snow earlier this year (which is hardly north enough), the furthest I have ventured is the Kanto region, namely Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures Chiba and Kanagawa.
If I were to give reasons, one would be simply that the Tohoku region is rather far to travel to during the weekends, unlike the southern part of Honshu which is literally at Nara’s doorstep. Another reason is that there is no cheap-ish way to travel there that doesn’t involve having your butt molded into the seat of an uncomfortable night bus. Also, I have come to realise that Japan, unless there is a specific landmark site (sight), is generally the same all over. It is this fact that curbs my enthusiasm to travel north (although Hokkaido is a different story, I DO want to get there eventually) more than the others.
However, a week dotted with public holidays descended upon us, and my two trusty travel companions and I decided to take 3 days paid vacation to make it a full week of travels, and off we went – Miyagi Prefecture and within it, Matsushima and Sendai. And what is a trip up north without a pit-stop in Tokyo?
This is going to be a rather epic post, because it’s 3 locations rolled into one. Lots of pictures, mainly of food. Someone commented that I write a lot about the food I eat. What can I say? Unlike other people whose main aim is to see the sights the places have to offer, I go to places for the food. The sights are secondary. I will endeavour, however, in my other posts that are not about travel (few and far between, I know) to be less of a glutton and more of an intellect. I will try.
Anyway, onward with this post we go.
Matsushima
With this trip to Matsushima, I have completed the 3 most scenic views in Japan. The other 2 being Miyajima in Hiroshima and Amanohashidate in Kyoto. I have nothing much to say about Matsushima except, yay! I completed the 3 views! It was alright, not really fantastic. The food was good though (typical). Out of the three, I like Amanohashidate best.
It was a gruelling overnight bus ride, plus a long wait at the train station for the first train to run, and we were all hungry. First stop. Breakfast. What else.
Being a quiet fishing town, Matsushima boasts fresh seafood, particularly sea urchins and oysters. The season for sea urchins was just over when we were there, but there were oysters. Fresh, fat and juicy oysters like this one. Oh, the creamy explosion of brine and zinc in my mouth. Heaven.
We chose a very bad week to travel. It was gloomy all week round, with grey skies and occasional rain. I suppose Matsushima Bay looks much better in the sunshine. Nonetheless, we paid for a ferry ride to get a close look of the tiny islets peppering the bay that makes Matsushima Bay the supposedly spectacular view that it is.
A shot from the ferry that doesn't say much. Like a lot of sights in Japan, pictures don't do the real thing justice. Also, I didn't take many pics on the ferry because people were feeding seagulls on the deck. It resulted in seagulls flocking around the ferry, and well, I hate birds. So, I stayed inside most of the time, and let the gentle rocking of the ferry sooth me to sleep. Yes, 600 yen (I think) for a 40 minute ride, of which, I was sleeping half the time.
After the rather unsatisfactory ferry ride, we decided to explore Matsushima on foot. Some of the islets are connected by bridges from the mainland.
Cute red bridges such as this one.
There was a shrine on one of the islets. Apparently, the shrine opens its doors only once in a number of years. I can't remember because obviously I'm not all that interested. But, there's some significance to it. Whatever.
Many many wishes!
We trudged up a rather hilly path for about 30 minutes just to see if we could get a full view of the islets. So far, Matsushima was proving to be less than awesome.
At a high point. It really is a pity that the day was so gloomy. I'm sure it will look much more rewarding on a fine day.
Back to our minshuku (民宿) we went. We spent the night in Matsushima, and of course, typically, the minshuku provided dinner and breakfast in its cost. Shall not bore you with more food pictures. Just a couple. This fish sashimi was the bomb. I swear.
The lady of the minshuku was very nice and kind. She cooked up this sweet and sour fish for us even though it was not part of the dinner course. Maybe because we were Chinese and she wanted to give us a little taste of home? It has been a while since i have eaten fish off the bone that I did not cook for myself, so I relished it, even though the taste was not quite there. Beggers can't be choosers *shrug*
Sendai
The only thing I wanted to do in Sendai was to eat the food that the city is famous for – Gyu tongue (cow’s tongue). It was a good thing too, because I would have been utterly disappointed otherwise. We only planned one day in Sendai and that day was rainy and dreary. We did not get to see the sights at all, choosing instead to seek shelter at the shopping arcade, and belt out our woes at karaoke.
We actually looked for this particular chain of gyu tongue restaurants. It's called Rikyu, and it's Sendai's most popular gyu tongue chains. Look at all the raw goodness.
All cooked and plated. it's awesome, no other words to describe it. It was springy and soft at the same time.
They served gyu tongue in stew as well. I got the cheese stew, and it hit the spot.
Tokyo
Of course, I will always have something to say about Tokyo. On this trip, we made it a point to visit the Ghibli Museum. If you know anything about Japanese anime, you would have heard of Miyazaki Hayao, the man behind Ponyo, Tottoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, and so many more.
The Laputa robot. The Ghibli museum showcases all the animated movies of Miyazaki. It also provides a brief history of anime and an introduction on how anime is made. No photo-taking is allowed inside the museum. Trust me when I say that it's a fun place to go, for kids too! There's a huge play area for elementary school children where they can climb all around the neko(cat) bus from Tottoro. Rather unfair if you ask me, I wanted to play too!
We also went to Odaiba. I’ve always wanted to go to this man-made island, but it takes a little effort getting there. Since I’ve seen all the sights that Tokyo proper has to offer, it is time for me to venture out a little.
The FujiTV building, where lovely Japanese dramas, anime and variety shows are produced and made. Think One Piece.
The FujiTV mascot, just cause.
Lady Liberty in Odaiba. There's some history behind this Statue of Liberty. This is replica of a French Statue of Liberty that was erected at the exact same spot from 1998 - 1999 to commerate The French year in Japan. Something like that. To me, it's just a photo-op.
The famed Rainbow Bridge as the backdrop for Lady Liberty. Honestly, I'm more interested in the bridge than the statue. Apparently, it's really beautiful at night when it's all lighted up. I will have to go back to Odaiba at night the witness it.
Another view of the Rainbow Bridge.
This European looking building is in Ebisu Garden. I'm strangely pulled by buildings such as this these days. I think because I'm in Japan, I am attracted to things non-Japanese. Just the way the human psyche works. We had wanted to visit the Yebisu beer museum but it was closed that day. Bummer. Yebisu is the best brand of Japanese beer in my opinion.
Soul food. A trip to Tokyo is not complete without a trip to our favourite Singapore restaurant brunch tucked in the basement of the TBS building in Akasaka. Soul food.
And it is on this trip that I tried monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き) for the first time. Was never really inclined to try it because it's a rather smokey and smelly affair, and I'm not particularly fond of okonomiya, monjayaki's sister. But, it was surprisingly not bad. But yes, we did smell.
Our time in Tokyo ended with a night out in town, at a club in Roppongi no less. There are tales to be told there, but i think I will consolidate my findings a little more. It’s a social experiment I’m taking on, and I’ll be sure to let you know the results.
