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
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