Blogs from Matsushima, Miyagi, Japan, Asia
July 6th 2010
Not just another excuse for shinkansen and bento, we ventured north to Sendai and Matsushima Bay (thanks Hugh and Judy for the recommendation!!) We changed at Sendai to a local train to Hon-Shiogama station and then walked to the ferry terminal for a sightseeing cruise of Matsushima Bay. Before boarding we had a look around the local shops which included seafood stalls with oysters and scallops, crabs and huge whole fish. We got a pre-cruise drink of giant cans of mountain dew and white soda pop from the vending machines. It was hard work, but we managed to photograph most of the 260 islands that make up the bay (but Melly says there’s more like 255 rocks sticking out of the water and 5 islands). The bay is one of the 3 great sights of Japan ... read more
November 28th 2009
From October 31st until November 28th, Matsushima was having a kind of Light festival at night. Of course, I wait until the last night to go see it, so the weather was very cold! But the lights were gorgeous! Some of the bay was lit up but the main attraction was the temple and its garden that was completely lit up. Go figure, I forgot my camera but luckily my friend had hers and lent it to me to use.... read more
November 15th 2009
For those of you who don't know, Matsushima is said to be one of the 3 most beautiful places in all of Japan. Matushima is made up of about 260 tiny islands (in Japanese: shima) covered in pines (matsu), and thus where the name comes from. Lucky for me, it's right in my backyard so I've been a number of times and have taken many photos. (For those of you who read my post on the fireworks, those took place in Matsushima as well). Again, sorry for not writing much but there are plenty of pictures to look at! (Oh, and I feel like I should mention that over half of the islands in Matsushima are actually a part of Shiogama!!!)... read more
August 19th 2009
One of the schools I will be teaching at is on an island, and because there was a meeting for all the school principals at the school, we went to check it out and introduce ourselves. The ferry ride takes about 40 minutes, and it stops at another island before going to the one that Urato is on. Before we got on the ferry, my supervisor gave us a bag each of these fish flavoured chips (in the shape of French fries), because he said there are a lot of seagulls that get close to the boats. When we were on the ferry one of the principals gave us more bags for the seagulls. It was surprisingly fun feeding seagulls. Lies let them take them right from her hand, I only did it once because I ... read more
August 17th 2009
Today there was a big fireworks festival (Ohanabi), so Lies and I headed out towards Matsushima quickly after work. The place was packed thus making it hard to find any of our other friends so when we found just one of our friends and his 2 Japanese roommates we stayed with them. There were tons of food stands (we got crepes) and people (both boys and girls) in Yukatas! I really want to get a yukata! The fireworks were AMAZING! Each one of them equivalent to a “Canadian finale” fireworks show lol. They lasted just over an hour. Across the street from the park where the fireworks were, was the Matsushima Kaigen station. The line up for the Sendai train was HUGE!!!! It looked like a line up for the most popular roller coaster at Wonderland! ... read more
February 9th 2009
There is one thing that the Japanese understand and celebrate more than anything, and that's food. Nothing is more appreciated and enjoyed more than a day sitting with friends, surrounded by food, and having a good time. In every town, there is a famous food or preparation of food. Omiyage, or souvenirs, are brought back from a business of family trip for the day or weekend; it's all food. This culture is so rich with such a strong and complex food tradition that it's not surprising that food is something that would be celebrated with weekend long festivals for the masses. This weekend, it was oysters. I had already made plans to meet Chikako at the station and we got a quick breakfast of bread from the bakery before getting on the crowded train to Matsushima. ... read more
November 24th 2007
The famous haiku poet, Basho once penned this famous haiku in his breathless wonder of Matsushima: Matsushima ah! A-ah, Matsushima, ah! Matsushima, ah! Matsuhima is considered one of the 3 views of Japan and it very famous for its over 200 pine tree covered islands that dot the Matushima Bay. My two visitors and I decided to make a day of it and get out of Sendai for Labor-Thanks Day. Matsushima is 400 yen and 20 minutes outside of Sendai via the Tohoku Main, or a little longer on the Senseki Line. Matsushima Station is a little walk from the attractions but its really a lot quicker and you can take a walk around the town before be hit with massive tour buses and tour guides waving flags. My friends and I started out our extended ... read more
June 15th 2006
Yesterday I finally made it to Matsushima, after putting off the trip for a few days due to rain. Matsushima Bay is about 2 hours north of Fukushima by train on the Pacific coast. Matsushima is considered on of the "Three Great Sights" of Japan, along with Kyoto and Miyajima. There is a famous poem by the poet Basho that goes: "Matsushima, ah, Matsushima, Matsushima, Matsushima!" I didn't say it was a good poem... As a top tourist attraction, it was crowded with Japanese tourists, and a handful of foreigners. I finally found my first souvenir shops there (since there are no tourists in Fukushima, there is no need for souvenirs) selling everything from dried fish to hand-carved wooden dolls and iron tea pots. The word "matsushima" means "pine island" since the bay is filled with ... read more
