10 Great Day Trip Destinations From Sendai

Above, Sendai Station was featured in Godzilla and Gamera movies. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Years ago, I first heard of Sendai, Japan when discussing my dad's Army service during the Korean War with him. 

Before being sent to South Korea, he was stationed in Sendai as a military policeman (MP). I visited Sendai in 2006 and went to Godaido Temple at Matsushima where he posed for a photo in his MP uniform. I had a local take a photo of me at almost the same spot as my dad.

Above, Bansuitei Ikoiso Ryokan in Sendai. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While in Sendai, I stayed at a ryokan (Japanese inn).

There are many things to see and do in Sendai and the surrounding area. I took a Matsushima Bay boat cruise during my visit.

Above, a Matsushima Bay islet. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan Experience has posted an article on 10 great day trip destinations from Sendai. 

They begin it with:

Sendai is the capital of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tohoku Region. The city of Sendai itself encapsulates much of the major appeal of Japanese culture, but another great aspect is the medley of great day trips that are accessible from here! Take a look at 10 of our favorite spots that can be easily reached from Sendai for some unique adventures!

The city of Sendai, located in Miyagi Prefecture, is a destination that encapsulates Japan as a country—where a modern and sprawling cityscape is located upon the grounds of dynamic shogunate history with rich nature surrounding it. 

It is the largest city in the Tohoku Region that makes up the northern part of Honshu Island and is easily accessible from Tokyo, being only around a 2-hour Shinkansen bullet train ride from the Japanese capital. 

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):

Japanese Prefectures Get Boost Via Travel Web Portal

Above, Matsushima Bay islets. For information on Matsushima Bay go
to Japan Timeline's Miyagi Prefecture section. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

You have a favorite travel agent and have wanted to take a trip to Japan and go to certain prefectures, but your agent had very little (or no) information on those prefectures to provide to you.

That problem has been rectified as there is a new web portal where various prefectures of Japan can share information to travel agents around the world and, also, give you access to find information for yourself.

Tnooz.com has an article on this new website:

Inbound travel operator and travel agency intermediary Freeplus has come up with a clever way to engage international travel agents with information about Japan, while simultaneously allowing local prefectures the ability to share information directly with agents.  

The friction that exists when selling travel to a country such as Japan is greatly reduced by the web portal, called Japan Timeline, which offers an interactive overview into the various activities, geographies and nuances of the country. The site’s slogan is “See What’s Happening in Japan Now,” underlining the continually updated nature of the site. 

This new system will make it much easier for your travel agent to access information their clients need to fully plan out their vacations. And, as previously mentioned, anyone can access information on the different prefectures including timelines for each prefecture with updated information.

See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/article/japan-timeline-local-governments-get-boost-new-web-portal-inbound-operator/#sthash.cBTZbfqy.dpuf

Miyagi Prefecture Recovery

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

The Los Angeles-area Japanese newspaper, The Rafu Shimpo,  has posted an article on a meeting held last month in Little Tokyo on the state of the recovery and reconstruction of Miyagi Prefecture in the aftermath of the March 11,  2011 earthquake and tsunami.

According to the article:

Approximately 100 people participated in the Miyagi earthquake recovery and tourism seminar hosted by the Miyagi prefectural government and sponsored by the Nanka Miyagi Kenjinkai on April 22 at the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo. Five officials from Miyagi Prefecture gave the presentation.

Above, Matsushima Bay's waterfront with the Godaido Temple in the background.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Miyagi Prefecture includes Sendai and Matsushima, both places I visited in April 2006.  The bay is dotted with tiny islands, which served to buffer Matsushima Bay from the full force of the tsunami.

Matsushima, said to be one of the three most scenic spots in Japan, suffered minimal damage as its 260 small and large islands in the bay helped decrease the power of the tsunami and preserve the beautiful scenery of this area. Even coastal regions that suffered the greatest damage have started recovering and welcoming visitors.

Above, one of the 260 tiny islands that dot Matsushima Bay that blunted the force of the tsunami.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

 The Miyagi Prefectural recovery plan is moving forward in three stages:

The earthquake disaster recovery plan that Miyagi Prefecture developed last October proposes three stages to be implemented over the next 10 years: restoration (2011-2013), reconstruction (2014-2017), and development (2018-2020).

A visit to Miyagi Prefecture is one I can heartily recommend.  Besides the scenic beauty of Matsushima Bay (often compared to Carmel, California), you'd also be helping the local tourism industry with your tourist dollars.

Above, some of the Matsushima seagulls being fed by passeners aboard a Matsushima Bay tour boat.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read the full article, go here.

Tohoku Earthquake Coverage

Above, the earthquake-generated tsunami about to engulf homes in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture.

Tomorrow night (L.A. time) will mark one week since the Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan.

If one wants to read about the people of Japan and the rescue efforts currently underway, all they will mostly find in the U.S. media is hysterical reporting on the damaged Japanese nuclear reactors. Of course, those are important stories. But the U.S. media appears to be concentrating on that instead of the plight of the Japanese people. And much of the reporting is erroneous.

Even the usually-reliable FoxNews seems to be concentrating on the damaged nuclear power plants.

I had better luck in finding stories on the people and rescue efforts from the Japanese news outlets NHK and Kyodo News along with the Japanese newspaper, The Daily Yomiuri.

I lost what little faith I had in the American news media during the 2008 election campaign with its blatant biased reporting. So this doesn't really surprise me all that much.

At least I learned something tonight:

The Japanese name for the March 11 earthquake is "Tohoku-Chiho Taiheiyo-Oki." Roughly translated, it means, "Pacific offshore Tohoku region." Oddly, I found this information from the Los Angeles Times' website. The USGS is dubbing it the Tohoku Earthquake, a shortened version of the Japanese name. I've been using "Tohoku Earthquake" even before learning of the USGS naming. It makes perfect sense, since the Tohoku region was the hardest hit.