Day one: Traveled from Tokyo to Sendai by bullet train; I love the bullet train! Then we transferred by a local train to visit the Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery.
Check it out here: Miyagikyo Distillery
No pictures of the distillery because I was busy tasting whisky! We spent the night at a local hot spring hotel and the next day we returned to Sendai city.
Day two: Sendai City is pretty big.
Sendai is nicknamed the city of trees.
As we walked around town I noticed that this is a very clean city. And, like most Japanese cities there are a lot of restaurants here.
For lunch we went to this famous beef tongue restaurant. Turns out that Sendai is famous for beef tongue; in fact CNN called it the beef tongue capital of the world. Lucky me!
Inside the restaurant we were seated right in front of the grill. We had a damn good lunch - delicious!
After lunch we went to an observation deck on the 31st floor of the AER building. Mountains in one direction...
And, the Pacific ocean in the opposite direction.
Emi enjoying the view.
This is the entrance to the Sun Mall Ichibano covered shopping district. After walking around for a couple hours we caught an express bus to Naruko Onsen (hot spring).
Day 3: Exploring Naruko Onsen town.
Like many rural onsen towns in Japan, Naruko's best days are somewhere in the rear view mirror. Some hotels thrive but many like this one are deserted.
Kokeshi dolls! Naruko is the oldest Kokeshi doll production area in Japan. Hence, there are these oversized dolls are all over the town.
And, the town is pretty quiet.
A train runs through it! But, not so often.
I wanted to get this picture with a train on the trestle but I would have had to wait for over an hour in the cold damp weather - I moved on.
Time for lunch. With this many signs in this restaurant's window it had to be good, and it was. Lucky for us because there aren't that many restaurants in town.
A Kokeshi doll mail box in front of the local post office.
A visit to the Naruko Onsen shrine. It's over 1,000 years old - soak it in!
In a week or two this place will probably be covered in snow.
Yes, it's me probably violating some shrine rule by touching this Kokeshi doll's head.
This local grocery store would be packed if more than 4 people walked into it.
A typical family owned Inn. Cheap and cozy.
Even the village phone booth is decorated as a Kokeshi doll.
Yes I bought a Kokeshi doll. Meet Nomi-chan, my new drinking partner.
Day 4: Visiting Osaki City.
We took the local One-man train to visit this charming little town. There is a stream that runs through the town that is actually part of an irrigation system for the local rice paddies.
Persimmons are ripe for the picking.
This place is clean!
The deterioration of this barn shows the traditional bamboo/mud construction style.
On the right side of this stream is the Yubikan garden. Let's visit.
Originally built in 1677 as a retirement house for Munetoshi Date. Due to earthquake damage it was recently reconstructed.
The garden surrounding the house was created in 1715. And, it is a beautiful garden.
A view of the house from the other side of the pond.
This garden is well maintained - it's picture postcard perfect.
Taking the one-man train back to Naruko-onsen. As we rolled down the track I excitedly looked out the window at the countryside...the locals snoozed.
The afternoon sun is harsh. Almost everyone on the train is falling asleep.
On the way back to our hotel I picked up another Kokeshi doll; I wouldn't want Nomi-chan to be lonely. Meet her new sister- Nami-chan!
Thanks for stopping by!
Mike
Random bonus shots from the world I live in:
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