Matsushima Light Up

I'm a million years behind on my blog, autumn is long past, John and I have now left Japan (sob, sob) and are currently holidaying in Korea before heading home next week, but I still wanted to share these lovely photos. For pretty much the whole time the leaves look pretty, Matsushima Bay holds a light up event. Every evening, a few of the islands, and all the trees inside the Entsu-in Temple are lit up. 

We managed to accidentally time it to pretty much the perfect day to go. By this point, all the leaves near our house were already down, but Matsushima is fairly sheltered, and the leaves were pretty much at their peak. The result was truly beautiful, even on the drizzly and very very cold night we went. Despite the rain, it was very busy and a lot of patience was required to get people free photos from the best spots, but we still really enjoyed ourselves. Obviously it's too late to go this year, but I'd definitely recommend it if you're in the area next year (assuming they hold it again, but it seems to be an annual thing). 

I wasn't a fan of the green islands. They look like somewhere the Wicked Witch from a fairytale might live. Too scary! 

But this was the view that greeted you as you went into Entsu-in Temple. Reds and yellows and oranges and greens everywhere! 

More scary witch stuff behind the main temple building...

...but the lanterns were lovely, especially when falling leaves got caught in them.

Due to a combination of different trees and different lighting, there were so many different colours and shades throughout the garden.

Trees reflected perfectly in the pond

Looking at those leaves makes me feel like it's autumn!

Taking Mum and Dad around Sendai

I will do a post about our hikes around Fuji Five Lakes, but the photos are on John's computer and I haven't got round to getting them off yet! So, for the time being, here is a selection of photos from when Mum and Dad came to Sendai. I'll do some individual posts too of the new things we did, but for the time being, here is a selection of photos of repeat trips to some of our favourite places! 

Mum enjoying the sunshine at Rinnoji Temple

Dad tying his fortune with all the others at Osaki Hachimangu Shrine

Walking towards Yamadera

Whale Rock

Mum and Dad relaxing on a stone

Paths cut into the rock, alongside crystal clear water, with gorgeous greenery on every side. It's not surprising that this was Mum and Dad's favourite day trip from Sendai.

Dad pretending to be the Little Mermaid. Like everything with my Dad, it's probably best not to ask! 

So so lovely! 

At the top of Yamadera

Apparently it is (just about) possible to feed 4 people in a tiny 1K apartment! 

They must have drained Ayashi Reservoir recently, it's a lot emptier than last time I was there!

A Kokeshi doll statue in Sendai's Nishi Park

Mum and Dad having their first ever paddle in the Pacific! 

Matsushima Bay from on high! 

Mum, like many other visitors to Japan, was a little obsessed with taking photos of all the pretty drain covers! These frogs in Yamoto were some of her favourites! 

It's finally time for the rice harvest. But hasn't it been a gorgeous summer?!

Matsushima and Yamadera, revisited in the sunshine

I've posted before about previous trips to Matsushima and Yamadera, but when we revisited with John's parents, the weather was a bit sunnier, especially at Yamadera. At Matsushima, we did a couple of different things to last time: we took a boat trip round the islands and watched a bit of the "Miyagi International Hero Summit" (don't ask) that we happened upon. 

Although the boat trip is supposed to all about the pretty islands, it's really about feeding the seagulls that flock around the boat! 

Everyone got very excited at this particular island. No idea why.

Nothing says Miyagi Summertime like ice-creams decorated as Date Masamune. 

Date Masamujohn.

I love sunshine through the trees

He's a bit sunnier than last time we met! 

Miyagi International Hero's Summit. Don't ask me what it was for or why. It baffled my brain too.

Crocodiles with platform shoes, scary fish men and a power ranger wielding a large phallic object. What more do you want from a Sunday day trip?!

View from the top of Yamadera in the sunshine. Gorgeous!

Very hot, but we made it!

Quintessential Yamadera shot

A week of ups and downs

This week was always going to be a hard one in lots of ways.

My first full week of teaching. Commuting almost 3 hours each way to my school in Yamoto. Doing a lot of that commute along the coast that was affected by the tsunami. Teaching children who lost homes and family in the tsunami. Teaching those children for the first time while being observed by their parents. Still battling the cold and the snow and the ice. Falling off my bike on said ice. My first Japanese lesson.

It was difficult and I'm exhausted now, but I managed to have a lot of good times too. I (briefly) visited Matsushima Bay, continued to make friends, visited some new places to eat, and celebrated a Japanese festival. Photos below :)

Matsushima park

Matsushima Bay. Despite being by the coast, Matsushima mostly escaped the tsunami due to all the islands and the general lay of the land. The beauty of it feels weird next to the devastation further up the coast, but there's something lovely about it surviving too.  

Dad, maybe you could just steal one when you come to visit???

Our friend Tomoki took us to a yummy and cheap izakaya. Okonomiyaki, pig trotter (John told him to order something random), cabbage and edamame were all on the menu, as well as lots of yakitori. Yum.

Tomoki and his friend Ryusuke fighting to split konnakyu. It's a weird thing made out of a type of potato, but somehow made rubbery. I have no idea how, you'll have to google it.

Like a lot of Japanese places, there was an open kitchen. Fun! 

I couldn't bring myself to take photos in the tsunami area. It feels too prying. But I took this of the lovely sunset in an affected area. Apart from some bits, it's hard to tell what has always been farmland and what used to be housing. I think most of this is just farmland though.

Maiko, a lady I met last week, took us to the Dontosai festival. The basic idea is that you go to a shrine and everything burnt on the fire goes up to your ancestor ghosts/gods. So it's a combination of wishes for good luck, presents to say thank you, and (conveniently) New Year's decorations. 

I hope this wasn't a personal slight! I think it was just a bad choice of bag!

There's lots of food stalls too. (By the way, wondered above what okonomiyaki is? It's this! Cabbage, batter and miscellaeous other items mixed together and fried. It's yummy :D)

Things to be burnt. We wanted to rescue the poor teddies but I think that would be breaking far too many cultural taboos!

Afterwards, Maiko took us to a kind of tapas restaurant in Sendai. We had lots of tasty food but this was the only one that earnt a picture. Why? Well it may look safe, but it's actually, in the words of Maiko who couldn't think of the English word, "the bits of a fish that make semen"!! It was actually really good and just kind of tasted like a strange type of cheese!

I hope everyone else had a lot of good times this week too!