Tokyo to Sendai – Memorable & Eventful

Japan – Here We Come ….   Our flight to Narita was uneventful, hopped on the Skyliner fast train to Ueno, a short walk in light rain and we were in our hotel.  Next morning up early and into Tokyo Station to organise our Japan Rail Passes.  The same girl booked all our planned rail journeys.  This country is unbelievably efficient.

Uenoonshi Park
Taking in the scenery at Uenoonshi Park

 

It was then back to Ueno, 10 minutes by rail from Tokyo Station.  We spent the day visiting the Uenoonshi Park, walked the Ameyoko Market and exploring Ueno. This is a great area of Tokyo and the market has some real bargains which we resisted, not wanting to lug them all over Japan.

Ameyoko Market
Ameyoko Market near Ueno Station

Off To Aomori …  Next day, up early to catch the bullet train (Shinkansen) for the 700 km, 3 1/2 hour journey to Aomori.  Hopped on a local bus and checked into our hotel.  We then walked the town to get our bearings and plan our next full day. Aomori is a modern town with wide streets and a number of tourist attractions. They even laid on entertainment for our arrival.  How thoughtful.

Sunday entertainment
Sunday entertainment for the locals and visitors
New friends
Liz makes some new friends

Just Amazing ….    Our first stop the next day was the Nebuta Museum. This museum features floats from the Nebuta Festival which is highlighted by a procession featuring 20 large floats, each measuring about 10 metres square and 5 metres high which are specifically made each year for the festival which takes place in early August.

Nebuta Museum
One of the spectacular floats at the Nebuta Museum
Nebuta Museum
Nebuta Museum


Another Museum – Different This Time ….   Our next stop was the Hakkoda-maru Seikan Ferry Memorial Ship.  This is a floating museum which highlights the history of the Seikan Ferry Company which commenced in 1908 and operated for 80 years. Many of the vessels were destroyed and sunk by enemy air raids during the second World War II.  The last ferry, shown below ceased operation in 1988 and was converted to a museum.

Hakkoda-maru Seikan Ferry Museum
Hakkoda-maru Seikan Ferry Museum
Ferry Museum
One of the dioramas in the Ferry Museum

Back In Time 4000 years ….  After the ferry museum it was out of town 7 km by bus to the Sannai-Maruyama historical site which dates back 4000 to 5500 years ago.  Archaeologists have been excavating this site for many years and have reconstructed many of the dwellings based on their findings.  There are a number of Pit Houses, Elevated Houses and Community Meeting places which have been reconstructed.

Sannai-Maruyama
Sannai-Maruyama Historical Site
Pit House
Inspecting a Pit House. Floor is about 1.5 metres below ground level.

A Bit Of Culture ….  Our final stop for the day was just across the road at the Aomori Art Gallery.  This massive building holds the Aomori collection of local and international artists.

Aomori Art Gallery
Aomori Art Gallery
White Dog
Aomori Art Gallery – One of the exhibits.


Shirakami Resort Train …. This train leaves from Aomori and works it’s way to the west coast through farming and small communities until it reaches the coast.  It then travels along the coastline for around 50 km very close to the ocean.  This turned out to be an adventurous journey as Japan was hit by a typhoon which we ended up right on the edge of.  The sea was ferocious and people that disembarked from the train to take photos had their umbrellas blown inside out and came back onto the train soaking wet.  Hardy people these Japanese.

Typhoon
Train stop to take photos in the middle of a typhoon

 

We arrived in Akita around 2:00 PM and was kindly escorted to our hotel through a maze of shops and department stores by an elderly station attendant.  Could you imagine this happening in Melbourne. Not likely.

Shinkansen
View from the Shinkansen on the way to Sendai

Back On The Shinkansen ….  We left early the next morning for the 2 1/2 hour bullet train journey to Sendai.   This turned out to be another highlight as the typhoon had passed and it was a mild and sunny day with almost no wind.  What a contrast to the day before.  The autumn colours of the trees, flowing rivers, small villages and acres of rice paddy fields made for an interesting journey.  We arrived in Sendai just after 9:30 AM, dropped of our suit cases at the hotel, a 2 minute walk from the station, and then spent an hour familiarizing ourselves with Sendai downtown area.

Sendai
Tree lined boulevard in Sendai

A Harbour Cruise ….   It was then back on another train for 45 minutes to a town called Matsushima, a holiday resort style town.  On arrival we spent an enjoyable hour on a sightseeing cruise around the bay area which is really beautiful as it has dozens of small islands scattered through the bay each with a fascinating story.  These small islands helped break the full force of the tsunami back in 2011 so there was minimal damage to the town and the marine craft in the area. On our return to shore we walked the town then back on the train to Sendai.

Matsushima Bay
Islands in Matsushima Bay

Sendai ….  Aomori could well be described as a rural city but Sendai is a large beautiful metropolis. It has wide tree lined streets, an abundance of department stores and very long covered arcades.  It is certainly a city that we would look to come back to if we visit Japan again.

Ichibancho Arcade
Ichibancho Arcade in Sendai
Sendai
Colourful restaurant in one of the back streets of Sendai.

And Now We Head South ….  After 6 days in the north of Honshu we head south to the island of Kyushu for 10 days.

Tokyo – Our Final Few Days

In The Heart Of Tokyo …..   Our hotel for the last few days was situated right next to Tokyo Railway Station in the heart of Tokyo. Very convenient when returning from Kyoto and also for our journey out to Narita Airport on the Narita Express train. We arrived early afternoon and checked into the hotel then went out to explore the area spending much of our time in the Tokyo Station. It is just amazing how big these stations are complete with department stores and shopping centres and more restaurants than you can imagine. It seems that no one in Tokyo eats at home because many of the restaurants are full and some have ques outside of 30 to 40 people waiting for a table.

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View From Our Hotel Window Down To Tokyo Station

Exploring A New Area ….. The following day we ventured further afield, but due to inclement weather our plans were a little curtailed. We hopped on the train and travelled 4 stops to a suburb called Okachimachi. There is a well known shopping arcade adjacent to the railway line called Ameyayokocho. This shopping arcade is built under the railway line and runs for a kilometer with other shops running off the side streets. And what a contrast to the Ginza. This area is where the locals shop. Prices are much lower but so is the quality of the stores. An interesting contrast to the Ginza and great if you are looking for sporting equipment or clothing.

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Ameyayokocho Arcade – Where The Locals Shop

An Amazing Store …..     We walked from Okachimachi to the next station, Ueno, had a quick lunch then headed back to Electric Town, Akihabara to look in just one electrical store. Yodobashi Akiba. This 10 story building selling just electrical goods, cameras, computers and toys has to be seen to be believed. We took the elevator to the top floor and slowly worked out way down to ground floor level. We didn’t have time to do the basement floor and sub basement floor. One complete floor of this building is dedicated to cameras and camera accessories and every camera is on display so you can touch and feel it with no restrictions.

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Yodobashi Akiba Electrical Store – 10 Floors Dedicated To Electrical Goods

Our Final Day ….. On our final day in Tokyo we went to Shibuya, about 20 minutes from downtown Tokyo. This is a major regional district and popular with teenagers for fashion and entertainment. It is an area where you can rent a hotel room by the hour or the half day. I have no idea why you would want to do this but if someone knows please let me know. We spent a couple of hours in Shibuya taking in the sights and fashions and then headed back to the hotel in preparation for our return home. A great two weeks in a most interesting and enjoyable country.

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Hotel Rooms By The Hour – Interesting

By the way. We stayed in a much nicer hotel that the one in the photo above. We payed by the day, not by the hour.