Sendai: Getting There and Staying

Above, the statue of Date Masamune at the site of Sendai Castle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Sendai, Japan is a city northeast of Tokyo that had some kaiju activity in the movies.

In 1993, Fire Rodan made a flyover the city (specifically, over Sendai Station) and Gamera and Legion had a battle there in 1996. I spent a few days there in 2006 and explored the city and nearby Matsushima Bay. I was drawn there as my dad was briefly stationed there before moving on to Korea during the Korean War.

Above, Sendai Station, "visited" by Fire Rodan, Gamera and Legion. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan Info Swap has an article on getting to Sendai and staying there.

They begin with:

Located about 350 km (220 mi) to the northeast of Tokyo, the City of Sendai makes for a very pleasant getaway from the hustle and bustle of the Metropolis and due to its position on the Shinkansen “bullet train” network, along with various air and bus options along with low prices for attractions and hotels compared to their Tokyo and Kyoto counterparts, provides for either a quick day trip all the way to a week-long jaunt for those looking to check out a bit of the Japan “less seen” by the average tourist — both foreign and domestic. Nature, history, culture, and modernity are all on display.

To read more, go here.

Miyagi Tourism Video Decried As "Sexually Suggestive"

Above, the statue of Date Masamune at the site of Sendai Castle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A travel promotional video for Miyagi Prefecture has some female councillors up in arms.

According to the South China Morning Post:

Seven female members of the Miyagi prefectural assembly on Friday asked the governor of the northeastern Japan prefecture to remove a tourism promotion video it is using on the internet, claiming it portrays women as sex objects. 

The video, featuring a well-known model and actress in a kimono, showcases attractions and tourist spots in the prefecture but also contains some sexually suggestive scenes, including one in which the camera zooms in on her parting lips.

I saw the video (it is posted below) and I didn't see anything offensive about it. It spotlights Sendai (the statue of Date Masamune is featured) and Matsushima.

To read more, go here.

Here's the video (you be the judge):

Japan Planning Tohoku Tourism Campaign

Above, the statue of Date Masamune at the site of Sendai Castle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the most picturesque areas of Japan is the Tohoku region. Matsushima is often compared to Carmel, California in scenic beauty.

Unfortunately, since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the region hasn't fully recovered as a tourist draw to this date, despite that the rest of Japan is seeing record tourism numbers.

However, the Japanese government is planning to fix that problem.

The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun) reported:

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan will start a campaign to attract more foreign visitors to the Tohoku region, transport and tourism minister Keiichi Ishii told a press conference Tuesday. 

The action will be taken as the number of visitors to Tohoku has not returned to levels before the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit the region.

To read more, go here. 

Kaiju Trivia: Date Masamune In "Gamera 2"

Above, the statue of Date Masamune as shown in Gamera 2.

It had been a while since I've watched Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996), so I put it in the machine today. It is my favorite of the Shusuke Kaneko Gamera trilogy.

There is a scene in Sendai, Japan in which the Legion flower pod bursts into bloom, causing debris to cascade down on pedestrians in the street. Right after that, in a shot what just about almost disappears in a blink of an eye, news reporters are standing in front of statue on a pedestal.

Above, the statue of Date Masamune during my 2006 visit. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I hadn't noticed it in the movie before, but I visited that statue in 2006 when I visited Sendai. The statue is of Date Masamune, the feudal ruler of the Sendai region. The statue is located on a hilltop where Sendai Castle once stood.

Just a little trivia for y'all!

Tohoku - Where Japan's Past and Present Co-Exist

Above, the statue of Date Masamune at the ruins of Sendai Castle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of my favorite places in Japan I visited was the coastal town of Matsushima in Tohoku.

There, many small islets dot Matsushima Bay, providing beautiful scenic views. Those small islets also helped to shield the town from the tsunami generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011.

The Star Online (Malaysia) has an article on places to see in the Tohoku Region of Japan that inlcudes Matsushima and nearby Sendai.

It begins with:

This region is an intriguing mix of trainee geishas, vestiges of feudal Japan, fresh seafood and smooth saké! 

TRAVELLING north to Japan’s Tohoku region in the middle of winter might seem like the perfect opportunity to turn into a popsicle but, as I discovered, it is well worth a visit there in early January, as there is more to see than just the snow.

 To read more, go here.

Zuihoden In Sendai

Above, the statue of Date Masamune at the site of Sendai Castle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in 2006, I took a shinkansen trip from Tokyo to Sendai (and nearby Matsushima) in the Tohoku region of Japan to see the area where my father was briefly stationed during the Korean War. I arrived at Sendai Station, a place prominently featured in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) and Gamera 2: Advent of Legion (1996).

While in Sendai, I did some exploring around the city. I managed to get up to the hilltop site of the former Sendai Castle, now just ruins. The site has a great view of the city and, also, has a statue of the founder of Sendai, Date Masamune (September 5, 1567 – June 27, 1636), called "the One-Eyed Dragon."

Away from the site of Sendai Castle is Zuihoden, the mausoleum of Masamune. Unfortunately, Zuihoden was closed the day I was exploring Sendai. On the other day I had available, I toured Matsushima Bay.

Laura Welch, one of my co-contributors at JapanTravel, has an interesting article on Zuihoden and it tells about Masamune and the architecture of the mausoleum. If you are at all interested in the days of the samurai during the Edo eriod of Japan, you are sure to find the article of interest.

To read the article, go here.

Charms of Sendai

Above, Sendai Station was featured in two kaiju movies in the 1990s. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Sendai, Japan is the Tohoku region's largest city. Sendai sustained some damage (particularly the airport and surrounding areas) from the 2011 tsunami, but it is back in business for tourists.

Sendai was featured in two kaiju movies: Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II (1993) and in Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996). Sendai's main focal point in both movies was Sendai Station. Rodan flies over the station in the Godzilla movie, while the station is the detonation point for the Legion flower pod in Gamera 2. Sendai is spotlighted on page 16 of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

Above, the statue of Date Masamune at the site of Sendai Castle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Asahi Shimbun has set up a special travel page for Sendai, "Charms of Sendai," with links to articles on places of interest in and around the city.

They begin with:

Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, is known as “Mori no Miyako” (City of the Trees) because of its tree-lined streets. Four centuries ago, Date Masamune, a feudal lord who ruled the Sendai domain in northeastern Japan, founded Sendai Castle. Ever since, Sendai has continued to prosper as the largest city in the Tohoku region. The city is the perfect destination for tourists to get a taste of old Japan. We explore with our readers the scenic sights and places of historic interest in and around Sendai.

I visited Sendai in 2006 to see some of the places my father was at while briefly stationed there during the Korean War. Matsushima Bay is only a short ride on a commuter train from Sendai Station.

To see the Asahi Shimbun's page on Sendai, go here.

New Theory Regarding 1613 Keicho Mission

Above, a statue of Date Masamune at the ruins of Sendai Castle that overlooks the city of Sendai, Japan.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In March 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the northeastern portion of Japan's main island, Honshu.

Four hundred years earlier, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck the same region. At the time, the region was under the control of the feudal First Lord of Sendai, Date Masamune.

Two years later, in 1613, Masamune sent a trade mission to Europe and Mexico, originally thought to boost his own name and reputation.

Now, a Sendai historian has new theory on why Masamune sent the mission.

According to an article in The Mainichi:

SENDAI (Kyodo) -- Naotsugu Hamada, a historian in Sendai, has proposed a new theory regarding the 1613 Keicho mission that Date Masamune sent to Europe and Mexico, arguing that the feudal lord of Sendai may have intended to use the proceeds from trade with Mexico to reconstruct the region that had been hit by an earthquake two years earlier. 

It was previously believed that Date Masamune (1567-1636), who built Sendai Castle and established the foundations of the city, dispatched the mission only to boost his own name and reputation. 

After Sendai and many other areas in the northeastern Japan region of Tohoku were struck by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, however, Hamada, 73, came up with the new theory.

It is believed by Hamada that Date Masamune devoted himself to the reconstruction of his domain in Sendai, which included the development of new rice paddies and salt fields.

To read the full article, go here.