Sendai

We went to Sendai in early November 2012. We flew to Tokyo, then bullet trained to Sendai. The trip took about two hours.

We had booked to go in April 2011.  Then the tsunami came, and we felt it would be rude to wonder around at that time.  We had booked our hotels with Hotels.com.  There was no problems getting a refund, although, as they informed us, there were many thousands of cancellations for hotels all over Japan, so it may take a week or two which it did. Our overnight Tokyo hotel refund saw us lose a few dollars on currency movement, yet the Sendai hotel refund, which was a separate booking, came three weeks later and we gained a few dollars.

Sendai is a city of about a million people.

The loo, and bathroom.

This is Zuihoden Shrine, amazing colour and wood sculpture.

Zuihoden again.

Hachimangu Shrine.  Beautiful gold work !

Both Zuihoden and Hachimangu are easy to get to via a 'Loop' Tourist bus.

This is a side lane with a dozen restaurants in it.  We went to a couple, and at one, the sushi chef made a wee matchbox of sushi for us !

MORIOKA

Morioka is about 45 minutes north of Sendai by bullet train.

Morioka Castle Gardens is one of those few places in one's life where you stall, and all goes quiet.  The beauty is breath taking.

On this trip I had a popping hernia and a hip ready to be fixed, thus walking and standing was often painful.  Yet here, I just stood stunned.  In the spitter. The autumn colours had the affect of making one calm and ecstatic.

YAMAGATA

Yamagata is about 40 minutes west of Sendai. 

The Castle Gardens are an autumn delight (above and below)

Street sculpture in Yamagata.

FUKUSHIMA

Fukushima is about 30 minutes south of Sendai. The pianist is outside the train station.

The Tourist Info people in the Sendai Station were exceeding helpful with providing maps, and helpful travel tips.

If you single click on any picture, you'll get an enlarged slide show.