Solo-ing Up in Sendai

I decided to make the most out of my JR pass and head up north for an overnight trip. This involved me taking 6 hours of Shinkansen and local lines in each direction… but hey, it was free with the price of the pass, so I’d call it worth it!

I took the train from Kyoto up to Sendai, stopping in Tokyo for a transfer. From Sendai, I transferred immediately to the Senzan line for an amazingly scenic hour on the train, before getting off at Yamadera, 山寺, meaning mountain temple. And a mountain temple it sure was. It was 2:00 pm by this point and all I had was some food from 7-eleven for breakfast at 7:30 am, so I was ready to eat!

I stopped at a restaurant, getting the Yamadera Dashi. Dashi is a kind of fish broth that can be very strong in the fishiness if you don’t prepare it right, but this had enough soy sauce in it to cut the fish taste. It was brutally hot here, and I wasn’t looking forward to a hot soup, but much to my surprise, it was a cold soup! It was so refreshing and certainly cooled me down after even my short walk from Yamadera station. The restaurant was in the traditional Japanese style, with a tatami (bamboo mat) floor and tables that you eat at by just sitting or kneeling on the ground. The dish had local veggies in it, including okra and cucumber, but I’m not sure what else. The okra when cooked made this weird bubbly gelatinous substance that rode on top of the soup, which I wasn’t the biggest fan of, but the dish overall was delicious.

Refreshed, I headed to my first of two attractions to hit in Yamadera: the Tarumizu Ruins.

Now, full disclosure here, I did have a reason to come to this very specific station 6 hours from where I was staying. A favorite series of mine visited this town in their Hide and Seek Across Japan game, and it looked very pretty, not touristy, and like nothing I’d seen in Japan so far. So, I did find the filming location in the opening seconds of first episode, and recorded my version of it… here’s the result…

This is the spot of the ruins of some ancient temple, but honestly, not much remains. I was a little confused of the significance because all the signs were only in Japanese, but it was a nice spot to hike regardless.

The forest had incredibly beautiful trees, scenic overlooks, and not too much elevation that I felt very tired. All the rock formations in the area were filled with holes, which was also a very cool sight. I don’t remember ever seeing rocks that look like that.

After the hike, I made my way to the Temple of 1000 steps, which, yes, is what gives Yamadera its name. The pathway up was lined with stone pillars. Some of these pillars commemorate loved ones who have passed, and others are engraved with Buddhist texts to inspire those making their way up to the top with spiritual excellency. The temples at the top weren’t really that that special, but there were several in one area which was cool. I more enjoyed the walk up, as it was a walk through nature that had been shaped by humans. It was both naturally beautiful and created to be beautiful. And that was amazing. It was almost like what I would imagine walking through Nara without the hordes of tourists would be like.

I should probably note, there was not a single soul I saw my whole time at the ruins, and there were four other groups of tourists at the temples when I was there. This place was so much more relaxed, fair priced, and just more enjoyable than the heavily touristed spots. I felt like I wasn’t in the way or being a nuisance really for the first time since being in Japan.

I took the train back to Sendai, where I stayed the night. Sendai is famous for beef tongue, gyoza, and fish. Though Sendai isn’t coastal, its neighboring cities are on the coast renown for the best fishing in Japan, so the fish is still great, as Sendai is the city of the region.

I’d had beef tongue recently, so I went with the Gyoza—fried dumplings. The restaurant I went to was nothing like anything I’d experienced before in Japan. And this is where I first learned that the north really is different from the tourist hotspots in Japan. In the restaurant, everyone was loud, laughing, yelling excitedly, and just enjoying themselves. The staff looked like they were having fun, and were interacting with the customers. I was served my food, and they brought me a fork and spoon right after in case I wanted it…I declined. And the guy sitting next to me helped me mix the sauce for the gyoza in case I didn’t know how to do it myself. I felt, again, like I wasn’t a nuisance. That I wasn’t disturbing the silence that everyone so desperately craves in Tokyo or Kyoto. I wasn’t overcrowding somewhere with the other hundreds of people just like me. I just felt treated normally there. Treated friendly, respectfully, and with appreciation. Maybe that’s a little “American Savior” of me to think, but I think it’s just common sense to treat visitors respectfully and with appreciation. I’d do the same in America.

But after dinner is when things got really fun. I headed to a district called Kokubuncho, which is their version of Tokyo’s Shinjuku. It’s where there’s the most nightlife, not necessarily the flashiest area, but an area with lots of small bars and even some clubs. When we were in Shinjuku, each bar had a cover, they were all patronized exclusively by tourists, and the prices were wildly high. As I wandered Kokubuncho, I hoped that the same small bar vibe would stick, without the obvious money grab that was the Shinjuku spot. And boy was my wish fulfilled.

I found a bar that looked filled, Mori, but I liked the vibe in there.  I peeked my head through the curtains to see if there was an open spot. See, in Japan, local bars aren’t huge establishments with hundreds of seats and plenty of standing room. Sure there are bars like that, but that’s not the custom. These bars have maybe four, eight maximum seats, and people form a relationship with their bar owner and come back to the venue religiously.

When I showed up, two couples were there, and much to my excitement, the seat between the two—the fifth and final seat in the bar—was empty. It was perfect. As soon as I entered the bar, Mori—the owner—and Nori—the guy sitting next to me (I kid you not, their names are one letter apart)—both welcomed me deeply with as much English as they knew. Which was more than I was expecting. Mori asked if I’d take something to drink. I asked him to recommend a bottle. When he asked me to choose between beer, sake, and sochu, my choice for sochu lit up everyone’s faces. Nori helped me find a bottle that was good, as clearly this was something he was passionate about. Either a mix of broken English and my broken Japanese, we got me my sochu with lemon and tonic water… how I’m used to having it.

This is where things started to flow smoothly, as we learned how to communicate quickly. Mori offered me a local delicacy, fried sardines, which were quite good as long as I put tartar sauce on them, lol.  These were on the house, Mori told me. He wanted me to try local Sendai cuisine. When he gave me the food, I replied with an arigato-gozaimasu, which is a pretty ubiquitous phrase that just means thank you very much that I feel most tourists would have picked up on by week 2 in Japan. But everyone was shocked by me saying that. Which, I’m unsure of if it refers to their inexperience with foreigners or their perception of me not being smart just because I wandered here and spoke no Japanese. Or probably they were just being excitable and trying to have fun. But either way, that, combined with my use of chopsticks, impressed them significantly. From here on out, I knew I’d be at the bar to stay all night. 

Conversation shifted to meeting everyone in the bar. I met Nori’s wife, the other two workers at the place, and the two university students next to me on the other side. We talked about where I’m from, what I’m doing in Japan, and about everyone else’s lives as well. They knew the Detroit Tigers, which helped put my life on the map, and amazingly they also knew of the University of Michigan!

After probably six refusals, I let Nori buy me a drink. This was top-floor sake—even better than top-shelf. As in Mori had to go upstairs to grab the special bottle.

Back in Tokyo, if you order sake, you get it poured in a glass that they fill to a regular amount with the drink. But that’s not how the locals do it. Mori put the cup in a wooden box that was open from the top and poured the sake until it spilled out of the cup and into the box. This tradition shows that the host is welcoming to the guest, giving them more than their share of the drink. After a few kanpais, I drank. And that’s the interesting thing here too. In America, if you ordered sake, it would be a shot. Here, they don’t do that. Even for stronger liquor (sake is not that strong), you sip from the glass. It’s to enjoy and to last. The purpose isn’t to get drunk, it’s to have fun. And yes, I’m saying this after four years of college so of course I’m going to see it differently than an adult would, but I still really appreciate this aspect of the bar experience.

Mori gave me more food on the house. This was oden, a Japanese stew made with bamboo shoots, egg, daikon, and something else mysterious… I was not a huge fan of the oden, as I found everything a little mushy, the broth tasted of mustard, and I’m not a huge fan of egg to begin with. But I still ate it out of respect, and appreciation that I was eating something new and special.

I looked over to the plate of sashimi that the university students had. It was filled with all kinds of fish and meat, some of which I recognized, and some of which I did not.  I ordered myself a plate of sashimi. I didn’t care how much it would cost at this point, I was really enjoying myself and I wanted to try something nice from a nice place. Mori asked me if I wanted whale, which I responded with I’ve never had it, but sure I guess! After looking it up, whale sashimi was historically common, but today, it’s rather expensive and considered a top-notch delicacy. I figured it wouldn’t be cheap, but again, what the hell. I’ll never be able to try whale sashimi ever again, so now’s the time!

The plate was delivered to me soon after with: tuna, mackerel, whale blubber covered in mustard, and whale meat. He served me with soy sauce and ponzu sauce as well. He instructed me to try the whale blubber. It wasn’t too bad! Certainly tough and chewy, but the taste was very inoffensive. It tasted mostly like the mustard that was on it. Then, he instructed me to dip the other pieces of blubber in the ponzu and leave them there to soak. The tuna was excellent. It tasted fresh, it had a nice texture, and it was just the right amount of juicy. The mackerel wasn’t very fishy, which was very enjoyable. But I was most surprised by the whale meat. The meat was delicious. It was very flavorful just as red meat, was easy to chew, and it tasted just like steak. Seriously if I was served this plate without being told, I would have never guessed that the meat was anything but beef. The rest of the whale blubber was better after marinading in the ponzu. Still the texture was a small hurdle, but I could certainly get it down and enjoy it. I’m just not sure if I’d do it too many more times in the future.

We continued to talk and drink, with Mori breaking out the beers and another round of sake. It was a seriously fun time. Just good conversation, lots of smiles and laughs, and everyone just seemed deeply happy. I’ve gotten, from being on trains and transport so much, this idea the Japanese people in suits are overworked, chronically tired, have no life balance, and must therefore be deeply unhappy. But this is not how I experienced our time yesterday. It was just a room filled with smiles and happy people, and we all were able to appreciate just how special the moment was.

Mori comped everyone’s drinks for the night. I refused to not pay, and tried to give him at least ¥3,000, about $21, which was all the cash I had on me. He refused, giving it all back to me. I left 2,000 on the table, but before going outside, he blocked the door, giving it back to me. I placed 1,000 on the bar and was finally allowed to leave. We took several pictures outside the bar to commemorate, with everyone’s phones, and said our goodbyes. It was one of the most wholesome experiences I’ve ever had traveling, and I am so thankful to everyone that made it possible.

I stayed overnight at the only hostel in the whole area, which had a futon for me. In Japan, futon means a mattress on the ground over a bamboo mat floor. I got a good night’s sleep.

The next morning I woke up early to head to a town called Matsushima. It’s a small town north of Sendai that has “one of the three scenic views of Japan” along with Miyajima (which we visited) and one other coastline on the Sea of Japan, a few hours across Honshu from Kyoto. This town was FILLED with tourists, but none of them were western. It seemed it was mostly Japanese and Taiwanese tourists, as well as many schoolchildren on field trips. The bay was certainly beautiful, but it was marred a little bit by the rain and clouds.

The bay was full of islands, some large and some just rocks sticking out of the water. Each island had some spiritual or historical association, and each island is believed to be the residence of some god. Some of these islands are inhabited, with ferry companies running public transit for the locals, as well as each family having their own boat. The islands have a school system, but I’m not sure if there are any stores.

I grabbed lunch, though it was frankly nasty and made me gag… I ordered fried oysters, and everything about it was just gross, honestly. Oysters are out of season, so I didn’t really have any good way to try the local delicacy. So I ended up with this nasty dish instead…

I had to head back from that point to Sendai to make my trains back to Kyoto, but overall, I really enjoyed my time up north! I’d recommend to anybody looking to visit Japan to make it out to spots that are less visited. That’s where the friendliness, personality, and genuine interaction with Japanese history and culture really takes place. It’s not in the big cities that are sick of and overrun by tourists. I would have spent many more days exploring areas like this instead of being headquartered in Kyoto, for example. So, keep an open mind for the places that are less known—that’s where you’ll find the best stories.