Saturday, April 18 – Aomori City

This is my last full day in Aomori. And it’s raining. But that’s okay, I’ve got some Journal catch up to do.

(Today’s dodgy weather just reinforces how thankful I am for the beautiful conditions in Hirosaki on Thursday)

By late afternoon the rain had stopped, and I just got out and walked around a bit.

This restaurant is a couple blocks from my hotel, and every time I walked by there was a line waiting to get in. I was tempted to join the queue a few times, but never pulled the trigger. Kind of stupid, as I look back on it…

Sunday, April 19 – transit from Aomori City to Sendai

I’m back on the Hayabusa Shinkansen Train today, traveling south to Sendai. I depart from Shin-Aomori Station at around 1pm. No need to rush on a Sunday morning!

I ended up taking the 10:42am train from Aomori to Shin Aomori. It’s only a 7 minute ride, but I needed to pick up my ticket, so left a cushion in case there were any issues.

The train from Aomori to Shin-Aomori continues on to Hirosaki, where the festival is now underway. And the train was packed on this Sunday morning! (Happy I went to Hirosaki on Thursday!)

This is the train getting ready to depart Shin-Aomori for Hirosaki, after I’ve gotten off. A little full! The conductor is checking to make sure the doors are able to close safely; and push people in, if need be (seriously!)!

(And there’s even a stealth self-portrait in this photo!)

The trip from Aomori to Sendai takes a little under 2 hours on the Shinkansen. Not really long enough to justify a Gran Class ticket; but I did splurge for the Green Class!

Green Class provides 2×2 seating with more legroom, while Ordinary Class is 2×3. The cost of the trip was 97 USD. The upcharge from Ordinary to Green was 23 USD. Worth it!

The Shinkansen trains typically have 10 cars, broken down by:

• Gran Class: 1 car
• Green Class: 1 car
• Ordinary Class: 8 cars

Was lucky to catch a glimpse of Mount Iwate out of my window on the train ride! Its elevation is 2,038 meters (about 6,700 feet).

Sendai Train Station

I arrived a little before 3pm, which happens to be the check-in time at my hotel. And it’s only a 10 minute walk away from the station.

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Sendai

I like this free amenities dispenser in the lobby. It includes everything from bath gels to tea bags!

My room’s a little bigger than in Tokyo; a little smaller than in Aomori. I’ll be here for 7 nights. 121 USD/night, including breakfast.

Monday, April 20 – Sendai

Why Sendai? For pretty much the same reasons as Aomori, except for the Hirosaki part! Plus, Sendai was profoundly impacted by the 2011 earthquake, which occurred while I was living in Yokohama. In the Miyagi Prefecture (where Sendai is the capital), over 9,000 people lost their lives due to the resulting tsunami. I guess I just wanted to experience the region.

You probably know my “first day in town” routine by now – get out and roam.

But first…

…breakfast. And what a spread!

This exceeded my expectations!

A great start to the day!

Just around the corner from my hotel is the Sendai Asaichi Market.

It runs along a narrow street, and is lined with fresh vegetable, fruit, and fish stands.

Sendai is the capital city of the Miyagi Prefecture, located in the east coast of the island. With a population of 1.1 million, it is the twelfth largest city in Japan.

A hour hour walk away is my first stop – Tsutsujigaoka Park

There are over 360 Sakura trees here, and some are still in bloom!

After Hirosaki though, I feel like I’m now a Sakura Snob. Pathetic, I know!

A few sights I found interesting as I made my way to the next stop…

I had to research the story behind this statue. The figure is a representation of “Victoria” (or Nike), the goddess of victory from classical mythology. The developers placed the statue at the entrance as a “good luck charm” for the companies and professionals working inside, symbolizing their triumph in the competitive business world.

Liked the storefronts…

Whoa! A vintage Mini. Not a 1st generation model, which I covet, but still nice. (The property where it is parked however, is a mess!)

My next stop is Rinnoji Temple.

It is often called the “traveling temple” because it has been relocated six times – through Yanagawa, Yonezawa, and Iwadeyama – before finally settling at its current location here in Sendai in 1602.

In 1876, a massive wildfire destroyed almost every building on the grounds, except for the Niomon Gate, seen in the photo above.

Along the approach to the temple…

…there are 13 stone Buddhist statues representing different deities.

The Main Hall (Hondo)

The temple remained in ruins until the early 20th century, when a dedicated effort led to the reconstruction of the halls.

Kitayama Cemetery is adjacent to the temple.

The temple grounds includes a inner botanical garden.

Entry to the temple grounds is free, but there is a 300 yen (2 USD) fee to enter the inner garden.

The garden was developed at the time of the site reconstruction in the early 20th century.

The temple is considered to have one of the most beautiful gardens in northern Japan. I don’t disagree!

As I made my way to today’s final stop, this house caught my eye. Well, I think it was mainly that beautiful flowering tree in front!

This is one of the entrances to the Osaki Hachimangu Shrine.

The Shrine was completed in 1607, and is dedicated to Hachiman, the Shinto god of war and the protector of the warrior class. Because it had survived fires and wars for nearly 350 years, the shrine was designated a National Treasure in 1952.

This is the Main Hall (Honden).

The Offering Hall (Haiden)

Unlike many shrines that feature natural wood, Osaki Hachimangu is coated in a deep black lacquer.

I am at the top of what is considered the main approach to the shrine. I came in the back way!

I’m going in reverse order as I exit the shrine! I’m now at the bottom of the main approach.

And to complete my exit via the main approach, I’m now at the entrance with its stone Torii gate! Totally confused? I know I am!

While walking back to the hotel through Nishi Park, I spotted this interesting sculpture. It is titled “Futari” (ca. 1983), which translates to “Two People” or “The Two of Us, by the Japanese artist Kyoko Asakura.

Well, this was a fun day, with a LOT of walking (24k steps). Perfect!

Travel Note: I was back to the hotel by late afternoon, and was actually working on this Journal Entry in my 11th floor room at around 5pm when I felt a little shaking. Mmmmm… This is familiar. Then the room started swaying back and forth a little for probably around a half a minute. Yes, this is definitely an earthquake! I was surprisingly calm though. Likely because I’ve experienced this before. And knowing that the modern buildings of Japan are designed to withstand earthquakes, I stayed in my room. Soon after, an announcement came over the hotel P.A. system, first in Japanese and then in English, stating that we should stay in our rooms while the staff made an assessment of any damage.

It turns out it was a magnitude 7.5 ‘quake, with the epicenter off the northeast coast of Honshu (Japan’s main island). There were no issues here in Sendai; but at my previous stop, the Aomori prefecture, one person was injured and 39 buildings were damaged.