Consider A Trip To Matsushima Bay

Above, Godaido Temple with Matsushima Bay businesses in the background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Asahi Shimbun is reporting today that tourism is still slow in the quake-hit region of Japan.

They are reporting:

Tourist destinations throughout the Tohoku region are facing a slump at what should be one of their busiest times of the year. The Golden Week period, which runs from April 29 to May 8 this year, is one Japan's main holiday periods.

A sightseeing boat in the scenic Matsushima Bay area in Miyagi Prefecture, which normally attracts about 3.6 million visitors a year, resumed sailings April 29. Only 326 tourists used the service on the first day, less than 20 percent of what would normally be expected during Golden Week.

The area is known as one of the nation's top three scenic sites.

About 40 souvenir shops and hotels have reopened in the area.

The ground floor of Masashi Kawaguchi's store was flooded by the tsunami but he managed to reopen April 25.

"We want to send a message that Matsushima is alive and well," said Kawaguchi, 46. "There are only a few tourists, but the number has increased since we reopened."

Many reservations have been canceled despite the fact that the area is about 150 kilometers [About 93 miles. - A.] from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Above, the Bansuitei Ikoiso Ryokan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I visited Matsushima Bay in April 2006 and enjoyed it very much. I stayed at the Bansuitei Ikoiso Ryokan in Sendai (about 20 min. from Matsushima Bay by local commuter train). It is a nice, inexpensive Japanese inn with great meals. I highly recommend it! (As an example of how this is a small world, the daughter of the ryokan's owner attended L.A. Harbor College in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County.)



Sendai is a two-hour shinkansen ride (service resumed last week) from Tokyo. The main station in Sendai is Sendai Station (photo above), which was featured in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II and in Gamera 2. (See The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan for details.)

Matsushima Bay has many tiny islands sprinkled throughout the bay (which probably shielded the harbor area from the tsunami of March 11) and boat rides are available. Also, Godaido and Zuiganji temples are located in the Matsushima Bay area.

Below, is a map to Bansuitei Ikoiso Ryokan. Just click on the image and then print it so you can hand it to your taxi driver. This will make sure he gets you there!



You should consider a trip to Sendai and Matsushima Bay on your next Japan vacation. Besides seeing a beautiful area, your patronage will also help out some very nice people!

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