exploring the Japanese frontier

Hi to the  inter web,

This is my first of what I am hoping are many blog posts. I am not an expert writer reporter or etc, but my love of social media has lead me to create something that I hope will be a platform to reach out to the larger world.

I am a 26 year old travel enthusiast who has lived in Singapore, Japan and Kyrgyzstan. These stints abroad have allowed me to travel and see most of Northeast, Southeast and Central Asia,  giving me infinite experiences that have essentially burst my Toronto bubble and changed me fundamentally.

This blog will focus on weekly to bi-weekly topics I find on twitter and other media sources dealing with sustainable travel and issues arising in the industry. My connection to sustainable/Eco-tourism manifests itself strongest in my affiliation to  TIES or “The International Eco-Tourism Society” http://www.ecotourism.org/ and will from time to time use this as a platform to showcase some projects of the organizations and their partners. In addition since I have a love of fashion and strongly believe in keeping it local this blog will also reflect these beliefs and interests that I feel are very important to the way I live my life. Enjoy!

International Topics of Interest:

I have noticed in the last 2 months or so increased attention given to  ”Human Safaris”. This constitutes local tour leaders taking tourists on tours of indigenous communities that by law are not suppose to have contact with the outisde world. In addition to more common ideas of protecting these groups culture it also poses a huge risk to their lives since it introduces unknown ailments (i.e. the common cold could kill them since they have no immunity). I was not too surprised that this was going on since many of these governments do not have the capacity to deal with this issue. I also think it is the job of the tourists to advocate for a stop of further exploitation of these communities. Here are the two articles, dealing with India and South America, give them a read and tell me what you think I want to hear feed back:

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/14/andaman-jarawa-india-human-safari
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/26/human-safari-threat-amazon-tribe

For Further Thought….

During my Post-Diploma Studies I came across many articles about the pro and cons of slum tourism.  Since ethically this human zoo is undignified for the community, but if done right the local community can earn an income. The BBC ran an article recently weight in and give a read what do you think?

• http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20120307-ethical-traveller-do-slum-tours-profit-off-the-poor?OCID=twtvl

Fashion:

I love the magazine monocle for its representation not so much of high end brands but the creativity and often focus on sustainability in the products they support. While at a Denny’s (classy I know…) I was talking to a friend about how I was really interested in sustainable fashion and  really only knew of high end brands like Patagonia who have a huge environmental focus in their production, but since many of their products focus on casual or active wear their was a gap in the market for things a bit more classy.

That is when he brought up the organization Apolis based out of the states. I have never seen a brand (and would like to be told if more exist!) that mix high fashion with global and ethical advocacy and production.  Bags made in Uganda, Bangladesh and hats in Nepel help employ local communities at a fair rate. While the rest of their production seems to be localized to the states making not only for a great business plan, but a model I wish more clothing retailers would follow. It is interesting also the role they are playing in advocacy, their link to the Kony 2012 campaign is unique synergy.

Local Discoveries:
I love Toronto I feel it is a cultural, fashion and business hub that cannot be rivaled (Yes I am a Toronto snob deal with it!). What makes this such a great city is that their is so many sub cultures going co-existing. Music, art, food w/e you will find it here. Meaning you never get bored exploring this city because their is always something new.

I really like the move to small independent grocery stores sourcing local produce and food. The Annex is located on Bloor st. Between Bathurst and Spadina, the area is characterized as a mix between student life and hippies (in my opinion) and here you will find the Karma co-op. A little grocery store out of the way with what seems a lot to offer. I hope to visit soon but till then scoop out this blog and if your in the city stop over and see what they have  to munch on http://www.blogto.com/grocery/karmacoop

Sites of interest:

I thought I would just post some links to some interesting blogs, organizations and etc I have come across this week enjoy! I look forword to people’s feed back!

• http://www.travelculturemag.com/ (Independent travel blog)
• http://www.afar.com/ (Progressive Magazine and travel platform)
• http://www.seethewild.org/ (Great NGO dealing with Sustainable tourism and animal preservation)
• http://flyforgood.com/ (Interesting concept dealing with helping subsidize voluntourism)

BYE!!!!!!

While in Aizu I visited Ochijuku. Had heard this was a great day trip from the city but was greatly disappointed. Its such a cool historical place. Back in the Edo period it Ochijuku was a rest area on the road back and forth form Tohoku to Nikko, here you could rest, buy supplies and just generally take a break from your journey. I thought there would be some museum or something but all there is lines of souvenir stores. I can’t even right about this place because there is nothing inherently interesting here. The only thing that has a shred of novelty is the neggie soba or noodles eaten with a green onion its fun but I don’t know if it justifies the money it would cost to take the train out to the area. I say skip this. But here are some pictures and you can decide what you want.

Rating: 2/10

Last week I updated everyone about my trip to Iwate’s Kitakanna and Hanamaki. This post will focus on Tono the place in Japan I was most excited to visit and was not disappointed. Tono is about an hour from Hanamaki using the local train costing about 740 yen. Tono was made popular in the Meiji era of Japan by scholar Yanagita Kunio, who was doing research on Japanese folklore. During the Meiji era Japan was rushing to modernize adapting western ideas, dismantling the feudal social structure of the Samurai and even trying to replace local folk beliefs with science. But Kunio while traveling around Tohoku arrived in Tono, a valley town where the people were very attached to the local legends and gods. This area had been unaffected by the governments modernizing implications. With the help of a local folklorist these folktales were chronicled into an anthology called the “Tale of Tono”. So now in modern times Tono has used its reputation as the cradle of folklore in Japan to base its tourist infrastructure. For those wanting to visit I and every guide book advices 2 days. The reason for this is that many of the cool attractions are spread throughout the Tono countryside. These sights range from Old folk villages showing you what life in Tonos past was like, to various shrines representing Tonos folk godes and each are numbered to their relevance in the anthology of legends itself so you can read the story and visit the place it was inspired by. As well the main city centre has a provincial, folklore and castle museum. To be honest I wasn’t impressed with the castle museum but you can buy bundle tickets so it’s almost free if you visit the other two museums which are much more interesting. For me the best thing about a trip here is bicycling around the countryside. The scenery is breath taking and its just kind of fun you feel on like you’re on a scavenger hunt. Its also kind of Funny since a lot of the small paths have these signs saying beware of the bears, but don’t worry you are rarely going to see the animal and your in no danger. It’s also fun to try o find all the Kappa or water nymphs spread throughout the village. Since they are a main part of the folklore in Tono and a kind of mascot. I stayed in 2 places while in Tono. The first night was the Youth hostel which is a very cool place and the other night I spent in a Bed and Breakfast where the women tell the traditional folk tales of Tono in English. I highly recommend the place. Its new and the couple is eager to please interested travelers. Another good thing to consider is most major sights and the tourist office offers a discount pack of tickets for 1000 yen, letting you into 5 attractions. Considering it costs 500 yen to enter the major attractions it’s a great deal. Please look at my pictures and if you have any questions let me know and ill give you more details. But it’s a reat place and for a place that only gets 2000 foreign tourists a year the English recourses are excellent.

Price break down

Train: 740 yen
Bike: 1000 yen a day
Hostel: 3500 yen a night or 5000 with breakfast and dinner.
B&B: 5500 yen with breakfast included
Bus to hostel: 400 yen one way
Attractions: 200-500 yen

Rating: 9/10

After my recent trip to Fukushima I used the rest of my vacation time to travel around Iwate, I have visited Hirazumi but I will discuss that trip on a separate day. On this adventure I visited Kitakami, Hanamaki and Tono. I started my trip in Sendai, taking a highway bus to Kitakami. My reason for visiting this town was to see the Oni Kenbai museum. This town is famous for a sword dance that is performed while wearing Oni masks during the towns summer festival. When I got into town the guys at the train station were shocked to put it mildly. In Kitakami the Tourist information booth is not located in the train station, but in the small department store across the street. When I entered, they were pretty clueless on how to approach a westerner. So bear with them as they get over the shock and awe of the fact you’re there then ask them for an English map. You can’t rent any bikes in the city so the best thing to do is wait for the public bus. Like all other busses it runs at 2 hour intervals so be patient. Tell the driver where you want to get off and he will help you. Once you exit the bus you need to walk 20 min down a back street till you see the sign to the Museum. I loved this museum it’s the third Oni museum I have seen in Japan and for being 16 years old it looks the newest and had the most interesting displays. I have added a couple pictures of the exhibits so you can get an idea what I’m talking about.

After my time at the museum I talked to the building staff and one of the women was nice enough to drive me to the station, but we may not all be this lucky so take the time it will take to get home into consideration.

After leaving Kitakami I visited Hanamaki, this city is famous for the author Kenji Miyazawaw who created such works such as Night on the Galactic Railroad and The House of Many Orders. The town has commemorated the works of this author through a series of museums. These buildings can be reached via a tourist bus that leaves form platform number 2 at Hanamaki station. There is one museum devoted to his life and another displaying concept art from his books and the last is a kind of history museum talking about the town and the time in which Kenji lived. I visited 2 out of the three museums and if you visit more then one make sure to pick up the discount ticket package it will help you save 1-200 yen. The Museum on Kenji’s life is interesting but since all the displays are in Kanji I had a hard time understanding and this made the atmosphere of the museum a little static. But the second museum I visited showing concept art from his books, this was very interesting. I have also added pictures below. After finishing at the museums I walked to Shin-Hanamaki station, about 20 minutes from the last museum, to board a train to Tono. Ill go into Tono in another post sorry but its such a fantastic place it deserves its own page!

Price brake down,

Bus from sendai-Kitakami=2300 yen

Bus to Oni museum=320 yen, one way

Train to Hanamaki from Kitakami=230 yen

Tourist bus to Kenji museum= 320 yen

Entrance to museums minus discount card= 320 yen

Train Hanamaki -Tono= 740 yen

Overall rating of trip 7/10

For the level of myth and drama played around this event, Aizu has used it to form its tourism info structure. The major attractions are the Graves of the white tigers, the Samurai residence and Aizu castle. But spread throughout the city is many other old buildings、houses ,museums, a herb garden and a little away from the city centre is onsen. I only had time to hit the main attractions and since it was raining I could not rent a bicycle. What I did instead is for 500yen got an all day bus pass to these tourist taxies/buses that stop at all the popular attractions.

Mt. Iimoriyama was the first place I visited, here is where the graves of the white tigers are displayed as well as the place where they killed themselves. The climb itself is pretty tough if your out of shape like me, but some one decided to build an escalator to go up to the top. It cost 250 yen…and I don’t by any means encourage this if you can climb the stairs, its just funny how far the Japanese quest for convenience goes. Once you get to the top of the steps the first thing you see is this giant eagle statue donated by the Italian fascist government, Mussolini himself, who was impressed by the soldier’s devotion to their lord. There is also a memorial donated by the Nazis that until recently was suppressed and hidden by the Americans. All the displays on the mountain have English explanations and the tombs of the tigers themselves give off an eerie but interesting feeling. The surrounding area of the graves has a couple cool temples, as well as this building where the kids practiced are a bit unique with its wooden spiral stair case. As well there is a white tiger museum in the vicinity but I didn’t go inside do to budget restraint.

After I visited the Samurai residence, to be honest I was really disappointed with this attraction. It cost 850 yen to enter and it was nothing rare. The same kind of stuff I have seen in the other Samurai houses I visited. If its your first time then ya, give it a look other wise skip it.

The last attraction I visited was Tsuruga-jo Castle. This unfortunately is not the original castle. But I if you look at the building as a museum they do a great job. Its filled with lots of information revolving around castle life, local festivals, and the white tigers themselves. There are a lot of cool interactive exhibits as well. So as an example of an ancient castle it fails but as a modern castle themed museum it does a great job.

A couple of tips about this area, I took the bus from Fukushima to Aizu-Wakamatsu and I think that westerners are so rare that even the English recording on the bus was Japanese English 、meaning I hard a hard time understanding what it was saying without giggling, as well, if you cant speak any Japanese the women at the info desk inside the train station has a good English ability, while the info booth in front of Mt. Iimoriyama does not speak almost any English, but shes a nice lady and if you can speak some Japanese she would me more then happy to chat and kill time with you. I really like the history here and I think the town has a nice edo period feel and since it seems not many westerners go it would be a great day trip for those exploring Tohoku.

While I was exploring Fukushima prefecture、 I decided to visit the small town of Adachigahara. This small town is famous for one of Japanese most popular folk tales that of Oni-Baba. The Story goes that in the Edo period a family in Kyoto gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, though lovely never cried. Local doctors were at a loss on how to cure the child. So the family consulted a fortune teller to see if she had any advice. The fortune teller told the family that feeding the baby the liver of a fetus would cure the child of her silence. They entrusted the child’s loving nurse with this horrible task. Before she left the nurse gave her own daughter an amulet which was meant to protect the girl from evil while her mother was on this journey. That nurse traveled to Adachigahara where she hid in a cave waiting for an unsuspecting victum. A long time passed before the old women heard the foot steps of an unsuspecting traveler, she jumped out of her cave and made swift with the killing. When the old women took a second glance at her victim she noticed that she was wearing the same amulet she had given her own daughter. Being driven mad with grief the old women ran to the mountains becoming a demon and killing unsuspecting travelers and eating their liver.

Of course this creature does not exist in reality but the town of Adachigahara uses it as a step board for their tourist industry. In order to reach this destination first you need to take a train from Fukushima city to Nihonmatsu (this will take approx. 20 min) The once you arrive to Nihonmatsu exit the station and walk straight till you climb a small hill and reach the first intersection. There you will see the entrance to a Japanese Shinto Shrine and to its right is another bus stop from their you will need to take the bus to Adachigahara koen mae (or in front of Adachigahara park). The busses run fairly irregularly and I remember waiting around 2 hours for the bus to show up. Before you leave ask the information desk in Fukushima city to print you up the bus time table so that you know the schedule and can show it to the bus driver…not many foreigners take this route.

When you get to your stop you will see a large souvenir store/restaurant.  Enter here and ask the women at the check out for a map of the area and then proceed to exit through the door at the back of the shop walk straight and you will see a pagoda behind another building this is the entrance to the park where Oni-baba is. I want to warn you now that maybe 10 years ago this attraction was very new and interesting but much like many other of Japanese theme attractions’ this one has been forgotten by time. The old folklore village that is represented has become worn out, many of the exhibits are closed even local restaurants and snack stands are no longer doing business.

But if you make your way towards the before mentioned pagoda you will start to hear creepy music, this is because a recreation of Oni-Baba lives inside. Its just a plastic doll but it is kind of funny to see. If you follow the path past the pagoda you will begin to see the beginnings of Buddhist temple here is where you will find a small museum to Oni-baba as well and the supposed cave that she hid in! In the vicinity just outside the shrine is a tomb under a tree devorted to Oni-baba herself if I remember right a samurai tricked and killed her…..corrects me if I am wrong!

Cost brake down

Fukushima-Nihonmatsu=400 yen, one way

Nihonmatsu-Adachigahara=350 yen, one way

Entrance to the Shrine/museum= 300 yen

Overall satisfaction:

6/10

Last week I visited Iwaki city in Fukushima-ken for work then had a couple hours to spend wondering around the city hitting the tourist attractions. To be honest Iwaki is not a must see destination, but with that said if your find yourself in Fukushima prefecture with some spare time then Iwaki would make for a good day trip. I also think it is important to note, much like many other of Japan’s cities they have a good infrastructure but the busses are few and sparse so you will be waiting a long time. So if you can carpool that might be better.  Anyway, the 3 tourist attractions I would highlight are the Amida-do temple, the local coal mine and the Aquamarine Fukushima aquarium.

Amida-do is a reconstruction of a Heian period Buddhist temple. The temple itself is not that beautiful and to enter costs 300 yen, so what I advise you do is just admire the building from the outside (because it’s not worth the 300 yen to enter) and instead wonder around the surrounding park and garden. If you go now (around the beginning of April ) you can see the beginning buds of the ume or plum trees which are very beautifully with there pink and white blooming flowers. As well the temple is surrounded by a pond that is frequented by ducks, carp and turtles so the temple grounds are a nice get away for a nature stroll.

About a 15 minute drive from the Amida-do temple is the Iwaki coal mine/museum. Ok to be completely honest with you the mine has been closed for like 40 years and the museum is just a shack with a couple old mining tools and pictures. But with that said the beauty of this attraction is found in the guide. Mine was an ex-ranger (military officer) and he had great historical knowledge of the mine. Apparently the mine first became an important source of coal at the end of the Edo period, when Perrie’s black ships appeared from America forcing the Edo government to end its 200 years of isolation. When Japan opened up this coal was sold to foreign ships, then during the World War 2 period many American prisoners of war were brought to this mine to work, protecting it from allied bombings. When the war was over the Americans maintained the train line from the mine to other places in the country helping to expand the reach of the Japan rail way in Tohoku.  So for a little mine in the middle of Fukushima prefecture it had a big role in the development of the country.

The last place I will discuss is the Aquamarine Fukushima. This is a huge Aquarium in the Iwaki, the entrance fee is a little steep at 1600 yen but it is a great experience and worth the money I think. It goes through fish and fowl around Fukushima, in the arctic and in Tropical places in Asia, the large glass displays are beautiful as well there are a couple rare species of fish that can only be seen at the aquarium so that in itself is enough reason to go.

As I said Iwaki is not one of the best tourist spots but the aquarium and mine make for an interesting experience and a great day trip while in Fukushima.

I recently spent Saturday in Fukushima city (April 3, 2010) before heading out to Adachigahara and Ryozen.  It’s a small city but what little information I found about it online points out that it is a good base to travel around the prefecture. But I advice if your on a tight budget to do a search for Youth hostels in the area because there are some spread around and it is cheaper than returning to Fukushima. My night  in Fukushima did reveal a diamond in the rough. Anyway, I think the cities best resource are the ladies in the information booth. If you don’t speak Japanese I would try to get someone to write out where your going  or have Japanese maps with you to show the ladies. They helped me find a hotel, organize my bus time tables and gave me some great dinner suggestions. But there english ability is very limited so you need to help them help you!

First off are accommodations, if money is no object then there are lots of choices to choose from but if you’re a budget traveler you might have a bit of a problem. There are no hostels or capsule hotels in the city, but there are two budget hotels I was able to find some, one being Silk hotel and the other was the Oriental hotel. Both are around 4000 yen a night. I stayed at the Silk hotel the staff is friendly and the room has all the necessities you need.  To get there walk down eki mae dori (starting at the station) and at the second light make a left, you can’t miss the hotel it’s about a 5 min walk from the station there is a hair salon at the intersection, if you reach the 711 you went to far. The other hotel the “oriental” I found after I checked in to the silk hotel and I don’t know what street it is on so if your interested ask the info desk ladies for directions.  The only down side to the Silk hotel is the 1:30 curfew so if you plan on going out drinking or something like this then maybe the Oriental is a better choice.

Fukushima also seems to have a really cool restaurant and nightlife scene. Next to the Silk hotel is an Osaka soul food restaurant that seemed to be very popular with the locals.  as well as many Yatai or outdoor food stalls selling noodles and grilled meats.  As well if you follow the road in front of the Main bus terminal at the station about two traffic lights you will find another area of the city just packed full of Yatai stalls.

As far as night life is concerned. Next to the Silk hotel is a retro bar, as well from what I hear there is a hip hop club called neo in the city, here is a Map. If clubs aren’t your thing then head to Bunka Street and you can find many nice coffee shops. I asked a guy working in a clothing store where was a nice place to hang out, he recommended a place called “As Soon As” you can’t miss it look or the acoustic coffee shop and make a right the live house is on the second floor. I fell asleep and didn’t have a chance to check it out but if your in the city on a Saturday night its worth a shot!

But like I said its a great little city, I would not spend too long there but for a weekend stop over it is very convenient and a lot of fun!

I don’t know how many of you reading my post have any interest in Japanese folk culture but it is of great interest to me as well as well is one of the primary reasons I came to Japan! It gave me the opportunity to look into some of these local legends and the way it is affects modern day Japan. One of the oldest and most popular creatures in Japanese lore is the Oni. What is an Oni per se? Basically its a giant ogre with horns and a tiger skin loin cloth .  His origins are from  India or China.  Coming form the  buddhist hell where under the control of the King of hell torture the souls of the damned.  As many ideas that came from abroad, soon Oni started to become a notion of Japan and its people. Often Oni devoured unsuspecting beauties, where the enemy of great heros or even if you look at  the World War two period were used as a propoganda tool to illustrate the allied forces.  So as many other creatures of lore the oni have many layers.

Since I love to associate Yokia or Japanese folk creatures with specific locations around Japan I was very eager to visit Ooe in Kyoto prefecture and Mizokuchi in Tottori. Just a note of caution before I go on these places are very far from one another…maybe 10 hours  from each since they are both remote and the only reason im mentioning them together is because they are both areas who rely on their Oni legends in order to bring in tourism and the impact it has had on them in current day situations.

To begin with Ooe is located about 2.5 hours from Kyoto visa express train and  costs about 2400 yen  one way.  The stations name is simply Ooe its a tiny little place when you get into the station you will realize just how out of the way it is.  The reason I wanted to come to this out of the way place is because it is the location of one of Japans most famous Demon locals. The story of mention is called Shutendoji or “Drunken Demon” basically dealing with the warrior name minimoto-no-Reiko  offering to slay a demon who is abducting noble women from kyoto and bringing them up to his mountain fortress to drink there blood. The oni gained his nickname because of his love of japanese sake mixed with the blood of these maidens. The story is very interesting and I cant do it justice in synopsis from so please follow the link at the end of the post to a journal article has the best translation thus far.  The station itself is an old wooden building ,there are not ticket machines so when you enter the station you will hand your ticket to the station attendant.  A nother  word of warning, trains in this area run about ever 1-2 hours so you might be waiting around while if you don’t plan well . The three main attractions of this area are the collection of Oni tiles on the second floor of the station, the  Oni park in front of the station and the Oni museum.  The second floor of the station seems to house a large collection of locally created Oni roof tiles and it is cool to see all the different adaptations. The Oni park, Onigawara park, outside is interesting too since  it houses many oni statues, and art works representing the drunken demon story and other Oni legends of the area.   The definite highlight of this area is the Oni museum about 40 minutes from the station. Outside the Station in the Oni park, you will see a bus stop with an Oni head this is the shuttle bus stop to the museum and local shrines.  The ride from the station is about 300yen, and the museum entrance is about 500yen.  The Museum has many english resources such as explanation of local legends, new paper promotions and exhibit explanations so please don’t let a limited Japanese vocabulary restrain you.  The Museum itself is divided up into 4 main areas. first is a depiction of Oni in the local arts, Second is Oni legends of Ooe town, the Third is a comparison of Oni roof tiles and lastly is a children’s area. There is also an exhibit about Oni from all around the world wich is worth visiting. The Day I went was very bad weather and I was not able to explore the surrounding area to find the temple with the Oni’s  head so I hope the next people who come are successful.

Words of wisdom: the Shuttle bus and train from Kyoto both run about every 2 hours so you might be left with lots of time on your hands since the Shuttle bus and train times are often missing matched.  Some advice is go check out the town. It’s tiny but its interesting to see shops that say Oni coin laundry, Oni gas station and every restaurant has Oni in the title. There is even a local Oni -Soba with black noodles, seaweed, a quail egg and some other toppings, it was almost 1000 yen (10$) a but out of my budget but it seemed popular with locals.

Price break down (approx:)

Train from Kyoto: 2400 one way

Shuttle bus: 300 one way

Museum entrance: 500

The second area worth mentioning is Mizokuchi in Tottori- prefecture in the Chugoku region. I ended in this area by accident actually since previous research told me it did not exist.  The best way to get here is to take a train from Yonago to Mizokuchi station and  the minute you walk out the station you will see the Oni statues. You can rent a bike from the station for about 500 yen for 3 hour. But the area does not see tourists in the winter so they are often lenient about how long you have the bike.  All the main Oni attractions have actually gone bankrupt as of last year so it is impossible to see the attraction but up until recently there was an Oni theme park in the area was open. As well there was an Oni museum and observation desk open to the public.  This Oni Ghost town is an interesting reference to the image folk creatures have in the country, though everyone knows what an Oni is no one cares about them and this remote Oni wonderland has now been left to history. About a 5 minute bike ride from these Oni attractions is Sasafukuji temple where apparently this local legend originates. Basically a local warrior fought off a gang of  Oni who were terrorizing the village. The shrine is old and unkept but has good atmosphere and is worth the trip.  Another interesting Oni related item is the Oni head phone booths near the station.

After seeing the Oni attractions in Mizokuchi you should head over to Yonago since it  has a  very interesting old district of houses, as well their is a lady who owns a cool candy store in a Meiji style building. if you ask she will show you the Meiji period art work on the second floor. Sweet lady!  Yonago also has an awesome art gallery I highly advice you check out!

Miyagi-ken or prefecture is located in the Northern part of Japan. The biggest city in this district is Sendai, which I will cover in a future post. Todays post will focus on Matsushima, a beautiful bay located about  30 minutes from Sendai and made famous by the Edo period poet Basho. Since Matsushima is tagged as one of  the 3 most beautiful places in Japan be prepared for a couple things. First of lots of tourists for a natural wonder its crowded and tourists are everywhere. Secondly many many many……souviner shops everywhere you go there will be stores selling wooden dolls, food and all sorts of nick nacks. Lastly expect it to be expensive. Ok now that I got all the bad stuff out-of-the-way Matushima is a beautiful place its credited  as being one of the top 3 natural scenarios in the country. If you want you can hire a boat for about 2000 yen to take you on a tour of the bay. But in addition to the natural scenery there are a series of old temples in the area. The most notable is Zuigan-ji, a zen temple built by the local lord.  If you only have time to explore the Tohoku area while you travel Japan then I highly recommend seeing this temple, admission is cheap at 700 yen and as a bonus there are free volunteer guides to explain things to you.  As well the Temple grounds houses an interesting exhibit of buddhist artifacts and statues from the temples.  The down side is the main building has been closed for the last 1o years as part of a restoration project. So no tourist will be able to see the temples main hall for another 2 years. As well on the property there is a beautiful garden and tea house  located at Seiryu-den. unfortunately at the time i went the flowers were not in bloom so im sure i did not get the full impact of the garden. One last thing ill mention  that makes Matsushima an interesting destination is the grave stones. on the sides of many of the hills there are excavation of buddhist burials there really interesting and the first time I have seen that sort of thing in

Japan. Just be aware that increased tourist activity has made it lose some of its luster

Travel: From Sendai take the JR Senseki line to Matsushima-kaigan the trips will take about 35 min and cost around 500 yen

Advice: as soon as you exit Matsushima-kaigan station look for the tourist information booth, having a lonely planet, rough guide…etc, is great but the women working at the booth speak great english and can offer you a lot of insight if you want some advice about the attractions in the area.

Hope this was helpful