On the sixth day, I finally set off on a round trip. To start the little road trip, I picked Sendai in the north, in the Miyagi Province. The plan was to do some sightseeing, stay overnight in a ryokan in Matsushima, and then head to the cat island Tashirojima the next day. Originally, I had planned to visit the Zao Fox village, or rather, that was supposed to be the main destination. But after reading a few reports about the poor animals being kept there in a completely unnatural way, that was a no-go for me. It would have been extremely complicated to get there anyway.
Taking the Shinkansen
Speaking of “getting there”… I had to travel to Sendai. And of course in style with the Shinkansen. That’s actually the quickest and most comfortable option. Flying would hardly have been worth it and would have been far too complicated.
So it was a no-brainer. I had already got the JR Pass the day before, as well as the obligatory seat reservation. I had even familiarized myself with Tokyo Station. So I set off early on Tuesday morning (Amber was still asleep). If I had been smart (or bold), I would have simply got on at Ueno, even though my reservation was only valid from Tokyo. So I had to take the metro.
I found the entrance to the Shinkansen area quite quickly (for my standards). Yes, you can only get in with the corresponding ticket! Everything was very tidy; spacious waiting areas, and the chance to buy a delicious Bentō box (but I had already done that the night before in the Konbini). I got there early enough to be able to find my place comfortably and then queued up at my boarding point. Once again: maximum efficiency and perfect organization. That’s what you need when a train like this only has a five-minute stopover, even at the Tokyo hub.
Then the beauty arrived: a green Hayabusa from the E5 series, elegant, streamlined, more an airplane than a train. Everyone waited with discipline until the train was ready. Among other things, you could see how the seats in the carriages were all placed in the direction of travel. Oh, Deutsche Bahn! Why can’t we have that with the ICE?
Onboard
The seats were super comfortable and huge. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been able to book a window seat at such short notice. But it was foggy outside anyway. Of course, the train left on time and I sat back and relaxed and let the landscape glide past me. The ride was also sensational. No jolting, shaking, or noise. Much better than on a plane!
Like most other travelers, I unpacked my bento box at some point. The Shinkansen is one of the few places where it is socially acceptable to eat in public. I had gotten myself a coffee from one of the many vending machines at the station. The journey was over far too quickly for my liking: the train took less than two hours to cover the 350 kilometers. Even by plane, it would have taken longer.
Sendai Station
Ich wollte in Sendai die wichtigsten Sehenswürdigkeiten mit dem Loople-Bus ansteuern, ein Touristenbus, der auf einer Schleife unter anderem den Zuihoden und die Burg Sendai ansteuert. Die große Buddha-Statue liegt leider außerhalb und es wäre recht kompliziert gewesen, diese auch noch in die Tour einzubauen. Also verzichtete ich darauf und nahm sie mir für eine eventuelle nächste Reise in die Stadt vor. Der Ein-Tages-Pass für den Bus kostet 630 ¥. Es lohnt sich also kaum, stattdessen Einzelfahrten mit den lokalen Bussen zu kaufen. Der JR-Pass gilt allerdings nicht.
I wanted to visit the most important sights in Sendai with the Loople bus, a tourist bus that visits the Zuihoden and Sendai Castle on its round tour, among others. Unfortunately, the large Buddha statue is not part of the itinerary and it would have been quite complicated to get there by other public transportation. So I decided against it and saved it for a possible next trip to the city. The one-day pass for the bus costs 630 ¥. So it’s hardly worth buying individual rides on the local buses instead. The JR pass is not valid, however.
Lost in… Sendai Station
So off I went to find the bus stop. Easier said than done! The whole bus station is a maze of stairs and platforms, and the destination information is extremely confusing. I couldn’t find any signs for the Loople, even if I tried my best, and Maps couldn’t figure it out either. So I asked my way. For all fellow sufferers: bus platform 16!
It was also packed. In general, buses in Japan are tiny, too few and the travel times are also rather an educated (very optimistic!) guess. The latter was not so important to me, however. Luckily, I managed to get on the bus straight away and then we went to the first destination, the
Zuihōden
I definitely didn’t want to miss this enormous mausoleum, built in the 17th century as the burial place of the Date clan, and yes, it is definitely worth the trip:
Sendai Castle and Ōsaki Hachimangū
Sendai Castle
Next destination: Sendai Castle. The castle was built at the beginning of the 17th century, immediately after the Battle of Sekigahara. Less than 50 years later, an earthquake destroyed parts of the castle, and in the 19th century and then in the Second World War, the remaining buildings were destroyed. Only a watchtower was reconstructed in 1967.
I didn’t know that, though. Secretly, I had expected something more than a nice view (or not so nice, because Sendai, like most Japanese cities, is not particularly nice on the whole) and a monument dedicated to Date Masamune. I wasn’t that interested in the museum, it was cold and windy, and so after taking a few pictures and pretending to get some insight into the remains of the foundations of the Hommaru, I quickly made my way to the last destination of the tour, the
Ōsaki Hachimangū Shrine
This shrine was also built in the 17th century and is stylistically closely related to the Zuhōden. A long path lined with lanterns, which then leads to a steep staircase, leads you to the shrine, whose main building, the beautiful Haiden, is completely covered with cypress shingles, which gives the roof a special shine and glow. Here, too, I was impressed by the gilded ornaments in the roof structure. When the lanterns are all lit and it is not raining it must be plain beautiful.
However, it was raining again now and I was getting really hungry. So I cut the visit short. Experience had shown there was no guarantee of getting a place in the next Loople. But I was lucky; unlike a poor person who had sprained his foot on the wet cobblestones and was taken away in an ambulance.
On my way to a cozy bed…
When I arrived back at Sendai station, I looked for something to eat. The area is famous for its good sushi, but I was too hungry and decided to go for the other regional specialty, namely Gyūtan (grilled beef tongue). As a child, I always had a love/hate relationship with tongue – if prepared correctly, it could be delicious, but usually, it was just tough and/or boring. The Japanese version was really good, though! Very tender, grilled to perfection, and plentiful. Amazing food in a simple station restaurant. Full and satisfied, I checked my train connections to Matsushima, because now I just wanted to relax.
It took me a good 40 minutes to get to Matsushima on the JR Senseki Line. Compared to the Shinkansen, a totally different experience. But I didn’t mind – I used the opportunity to bring my friends up to date.
The ryokan
Once we arrived in Matsushima, it was about a 15-minute walk, partly along a road, and partly past a sports center. I was extremely grateful for Google Maps, I probably wouldn’t have found it on my own. The weather was now absolutely miserable, cold, and windy, it was raining cats and dogs, and of course, I had forgotten my umbrella in Ueno.
When I arrived at the Matsuhima Koumura Ryokan, the elderly couple who run it greeted me very warmly. The ryokan is a bit special – it was rebuilt/renovated for helpers in the clean-up work after the great Tohoku earthquake in 2011.
I was given a towel straight away and the mother of the house bustled around me, looking worried. They did a little “quiz” (I had to guess the number of islands in the bay). The “prize” was a small bottle of sake (although I assume I would have gotten it anyway). A young girl showed me the room and then I could relax for a few minutes. The various shoes confused me a little for a moment, but then I remembered – the elevated area means you have to take your street shoes off. And of course no shoes whatsoever on the Tatami mats. There was (of course) an extra pair of toilet slippers in the toilet.
I quickly unpacked the most important things, plugged the camera into the charger, and then set off again to the nearest Konbini (a 7-Eleven) to grab some food. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to book dinner at the accommodation and the operators were therefore not prepared for it – and I thought it to be rude to ask for something anyway. There weren’t many restaurants in the area. Unfortunately, I wanted to leave early the next morning so I missed breakfast as well.
Jasmine, well done, please…
Back at the ryokan, I chatted with the hostess, greeted the cute little dog, and then asked about the ONSEN. By now I was freezing and craving a nice hot water bath. My tattoos were no problem. I quickly showered in my room, then slipped into the yukata and made my way to the onsen. I met two nice young students from Tokyo who were on “home vacation.” The Japanese are sometimes a bit reserved towards strangers, but those guys were very open and interested. It was fun talking with them. The water was almost too hot, even for them. Amazingly, the geothermal heat is sufficient to heat it to nearly 60 degrees!
After maybe half an hour I was sufficiently cooked. I stopped by the hosts again, interviewed them for a few tips for tomorrow’s tour, and then wished everyone a good night. In the room, I drank the sake and ate my dinner, then curled up on the incredibly comfortable and warm mattress and after five minutes I was already drifting away.