Travelling North. Matsushima, Natural beauty in abundance. A truly wonderous place - never the less it is similar to many coastal areas dotted with islands. A beauty that would captivate all. Never assume anything. I had wrongly assumed that since Matsushima is one of Japan's three most beautiful locations that it would be natural beauty uninterrupted (something I was craving after the endless artificial commercial madness of Tokyo). Matsushima is a working port - despoiled by man. The tourist boat I caught around the islands ran at maximum revolutions the whole journey, pumping diesel fumes and noise pollution the entire time, that was OK because all the channel markers, commercial fishing leases, cargo ships and the geo thermal power stations took my focus off the boat I was on. The tour itself provided insight into Japanese
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