Today was probably the earliest day of my itinerary as I had planned to visit 2 different locations near Sendai that would both be a whole day trip each by themselves. Am very grateful for Kaoru-chan who had to meet me yawning at the west exit of Sendai station at 7am. ^^; From Sendai it's a 66 minutes ride on the Senzan Line to Yamadera, and the train takes you through hilly terrain and lush forested areas. Saw quite a lot of sakura trees in full bloom along the way too.
As always, an obligatory shot of the train interior at a new location, we managed to get seats, lucky!~ ^^
Cherry blossoms so pretty!
At Yamadera station
Really liked the wooden finishing and olden architecture of the train station ^^
Yamadera 山寺
Yamadera was founded over a thousand years ago in 860 as a temple of the Tendai sect under the official name of Risshakuji (立石寺). Its popular name, Yamadera, which literally means mountain temple is due to how the temple grounds extend high up a steep mountainside northeast of Yamagata city from which there are awesome views down the valley.
Yamadera is famous for their vegetarian options due to the proximity of the temples and this included handmade soba (手打ちそば) and also grilled potatoes (芋焼き)
This is a really pretty shot!~ Wallpaper worthy I would say. ^^
Located around the base of the mountain are several temple buildings, including Konponchudo Hall (根本中堂), Yamadera's main hall. The beech wood building is the temple's oldest and stores Buddhist statues and a flame that is said to have been burning since Yamadera's foundation. The flame had been brought from Enryakuji Temple (延暦寺) in Kyoto, the head temple of the Tendai sect, to which Yamadera belongs. Also around the mountain's base stands a small treasure house that requires an entrance fee that we did not pay to enter.
This leads all the way up to...
... the main temple building on the ground floor
Basho 芭蕉 (on the left) perfected the art of haiku, namely the concise 5-7-5 syllable form now written not just in Japan but around the world
Spotted a cute furry white cat just before we began our torturous (?) ascent. ^^;
We had to hike up a trail that leads up the mountainside to reach the upper area of the temple grounds where the scenic views were best experienced. The ascent takes about 30 minutes and begins after the Sanmon Gate 山門, located a couple minutes' walk from the main hall, where we each paid a token sum of 300 yen (about 4 SGD) to enter. The stone path up the mountain has about 1000 steps, which might make the approach difficult for some visitors. There are stone lanterns and small statues in the surrounding forest along the way that make for an atmospheric hike. We also passed by the massive and awe-inspiring Mida Hora cave (弥陀洞) which housed a giant Buddha.
Just slightly past the Mida Hora cave which was three quarters of the way up
A lovely view of the hidden interiors beyond the mountain cliff face you couldn't see from ground level
Must be really dangerous and difficult for them to make restoration works at such high and steep altitudes
A huge sense of achievement at the highest point (?) beyond Godaido ^^
Past Niomon Gate (仁王門) which was built in the 19th century, we were out in the open and could already see the valley sprawling outwards in the distance. One of the better views can be seen from Yamadera's most famous building, the Kaisando hall (開山堂) and the smaller adjacent Nokyodo (納経堂) building, but by pushing yourself just a little further and climbing up to Godaido (五大堂) hall you find yourself literally perched over the edge of the mountain cliff side with the best view of the valley below.
You could see the river stream to the bottom left of the picture where I took the wallpaper-worthy shot ^^
Liked how the snow-capped mountain range in the distance contrasted with the greener hills in the foreground
Kaoru admiring the scenery... at the same time she was shouting out her wishes across the valley, something to the line of "I want to get a boyfriend real soon!~" ^^;
Was difficult for us to get a good selfie with the background, so we challenged each other to take selfies with background. I won my snacks from Kaoru after this shot :D
Shouseido 商正堂 Address: 山形県山形市大字山寺4437
We headed down to grab a quick bite with Kaoru trying to conveniently forget her treat by distracting me with all sorts of nonsense on the way down. Since I had been eating western desserts such as parfaits and sundaes this trip, Kaoru recommended fried sweet red bean buns (揚げ饅頭) at Shouseido. The manjuus are fried on the spot after you order and there was a certain Japanese elegance to the surroundings that made it seem more like a home than a restaurant. We also decided to grab some spicy senbei and mock yakitori (the first time I had mock yakitori in my life!) on the way back to the station.
Would have bought some of the buns back as souvenirs but alas they spoil too quickly
Our little own private corner right by the river
The staff was very attentive in serving us hot tea for our manjuus... the manjuus were sweet yet not overly and sickeningly so, with a steaming warmth that really made you feel bubbly inside. Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Is this Princess Masako? Kaoru says she's a member of the royal family but she herself didn't know who she was. ^^;
Forgot to snap a picture of the store's name ^^; it's along the way to the hiking trail from the station
The senbei was crunchy but somewhat too dry for my liking while the mock yakitori definitely did not taste anything like its meaty cousin Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
We had a bit of time before the next train arrive due to windy conditions which slowed down train speeds along the mountainous portions, so here's some more shots of the train station surroundings that I barely had a chance to see earlier in the morning. ^^
This was taken from the opposite side of the temples, you can see the temple building in the middle top. Really liked this shot as the train headed for Yamagata was just arriving across the river stream
One of the older track switchers I've seen that seems to be lever and pulley controlled
For a look at the beautiful coastal regions of Miyagi prefecture, click here (coming soon!)
For Day 6 (Part 2): From Hakodate to Sendai, click here.
For Day 7 (Part 1): Yamadera, click here.
Anpan-man Museum 仙台アンパンマンこどもミュージアム＆モール
Address: 宮城県仙台市宮城野区鉄砲町145
Sendai was not hot by Singapore's standard averaging at around 16-18 degrees but it felt hot coming from Hokkaido where I was used to an average of 5 degrees. Was a terrible idea wearing the thicker fur coat walking to my hotel, ended up sweating quite badly. The Anpan-museum is located about 10 minutes away from my hotel and might be a little hard to navigate so I provided the address. Interestingly, it is located on Teppo-cho which means cannon street. ^^
On the way to the museum, reminded me a bit of Motomachi in Hakodate
Greeted by the face of Anpan-man as you near the museum
Met Yumi-chan outside the museum and this time round I was on time as the train to Sendai earlier was not delayed. The museum touts itself to be an interactive participatory museum where children can enjoy the wonderful world of Anpanman, with a shopping mall full of goods featuring the original Anpanman characters and offering unique services. It comprises of only 2 storeys, with the museum located on the second floor and the shops on the first floor. Entrance fee was 1,080 yen (about 13 SGD) which was actually pretty steep for only 1 level of exhibits (although it was a pretty spacious level).
There was an exclusive cafe for museum-goers but we gave this a miss as the stage performance was starting soon
Cute and colourful interior of the cafe museum
Didn't know there were so many characters in the Anpan-man universe!~ I could only name like 5 while Yumi named only managed about 20 haha
We managed to catch the signature stage performance at the Yanasetakashi stage (やなせたかし劇場) and it was the last one of the day at 4 pm!~ At first we were all very paiseh to sing and dance along but amidst the infectious happiness of the parents and their kids surrounding us, we gave in. Felt like being a kid again with all the haiiiis and ikuyos replies but it was really fun. ^^
Yumi was like, "I'm never going to go down there but you should as you're a tourist... I'll help you take the photo!"
There was a meet-and-greet with Mr Skull here who kindly posed for me right after the stage performance
We also managed to catch a couple of the seasonal performances while grabbing some souvenirs and unique food from the first floor. There was the Spring Festa (メロンパンナのスプリングフェスタ) featuring one of Anpan-man's best friends, Melon-panna (roughly translated to Melon bread Anna, as she was a girl ^^). It took place at the plaza in the middle of the sprawling first floor and we managed to catch glimpses of it from the restaurant that we were in.
One of the many unique little stalls (in the foreground) alongside the bigger shops (in the background) selling Anpan-man goods you can't find elsewhere... I got myself a clear file and Yumi got a pen for her cousin
Wanted the popcorn because the bucket it came in was so cute but decided not to as there was no way we would finish this without stuffing out our tummies
Anpan-man onigiris ^^
So cute!~ But there were not cheap at 300 yen (about 4 SGD) a piece ^^;
There's a playground at the top left corner for kids to enjoy while their parents can take a break and get some food
I had the Anpan-man meat bun (nikuman) while Yumi had the Baikin-man red bean bun... wasn't cheap but it was fresh from the steamer and was piping hot and delicious ^^ Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Rikyu 利久 仙台駅店
Address: Sendai station 3F
We parted ways in the evening as Yumi already had a dinner appointment (一緒にとったの写真はメールで送ります！) so I decided to double back to Sendai station to try out one of Sendai's most famous specialties, gyutan or grilled beef tongue! Had a bit of a hard time finding the restaurant I wanted to go as the station was pretty big, but thankfully the station staff were all very familiar with the place. It's located round the corner of the Shinkansen ticket gates in the north exit's direction. The portion of gyutan served was extremely generous and the gyutan was grilled to perfection, retaining its chewiness yet not being overly rubbery.
Sendai at night with its many lights on is a much prettier sight than in the day
Must have been extremely hot in there, but the guy expertly and deftly flipped every piece of gyutan such that they were all evenly cooked. He did it at a rather amazing speed too, was a marvel watching him cook as I ate.
The shop boasted that the marinate for its gyutan was a secret recipe and it was really savoury and complement with the gyutan's taste really well. This set costs about 1,600 yen (about 20 SGD) and was totally worth it. Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Oosaki Hachiman-gu 大崎八幡宮
After a most hearty and filling dinner, I decided to head for the Oosaki Hachiman-gu first before returning back to Jozenji-dori for a late supper. You can take the Sendai shiei bus no. 10 or 15 from the bus terminal next to the JR station and it takes about 20 minutes and 220 yen (about 3 SGD) to get there. The Shinto shrine was constructed for Date Masamune between 1604 to 1607 and the main shrine building (社殿) has been designated as a national treasure of Japan as oldest extant ishi-no-ma-zukuri (石の間造) structure and an example of Azuchi-Momoyama architecture.
The station on the left, the taxi holding area on the bottom left and the bus terminal on the bottom middle and right
Arrived!~
Jozenji-dori 定禅寺通り
Was pretty underwhelmed when I got to Jozenji-dori but had expected to feel so because spring was not the season to visit this street. This street was a symbol of why Sendai had long been referred to as the city of trees or 森の都 with tall Zelkova trees lining the boulevard for about 700 metres. It is also home to the Jozenji Jazz Festival every September and is lit up with thousands of light during winter for the Pageant of Starlight. I was much more interested in the Seiryuu Manjushan Shanghai Ramen located nearby as Yumi told me that it served an excellent shoyu ramen for the cold weather. While I agreed very much with the light shoyu broth, the chashu slices were too porky in taste for me. But at 690 yen (about 9 SGD) this was one of the most afforadable ramen I had this trip.
The Zelkova trees were still bare so early in spring at Jozenji-dori
The boulevard were lined with interesting buildings along the sides, would have liked to dine and sip coffee on the higher floors overlooking the street during summer
Chen Long?! I asked, and there was no link to the famous movie star ^^; Address: 宮城県仙台市青葉区国分町3-6-10
Why is it that racial stereotypes are so prevalent everywhere in the world? Because this is a Chinese ramen shop so it must use the distinctively Chinese bowl with dragon and Xi engravings.
Kokubun-cho 国分町
Kokubun-cho is an area nestled between Higashi Niban-dori and Bansui-dori in Aoba Ward of Sendai City. It is a representative downtown district of the Tohoku region that developed along the Kokubuncho-dori where you can find more than 3,000 eating and drinking establishments standing next to each other. During the Sendai Tanabata Festival in August, elaborate and beautiful decorations deck the streets of Kokubun-cho which is the venue of this event. It reminded me a lot of Susukino in Sapporo, with a bustling night scene and those darn promoters/pushers who either want to drag you to a karaoke bar or some love motel. Didn't manage to take that many photos in the area as I went to join Yumi and her friends for a drink soon after.
Where we had our yakitori, robatayaki and another round of gyutan which was surprisingly good Amimoto Jou no Ie 網元 上の家 Address: 宮城県仙台市青葉区国分町2-2-28 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 裕美ちゃんたちへ：写真はここ
Wasn't sure if they sold real or fake disney stuff... some of the products seemed dodgy ^^;
That scary taxi pool near the station again
Some of the freebies I got from convenience stores such as the Attack on the Titan plate and the Rilakkuma clear file... many many thanks to Yumi for buying me the bread from the Anpan-man museum earlier despite it being so expensive!~ Felt damn bad as I only gave her a couple of polaroids we took at the museum and later at Jou no Ie. Will give you a huge present when you come to Singapore!~ ^^
Click here (coming soon) for the breathtaking view of Yamadera.
