I still am holding some hope though that I will eventually make it over to Japan before 2020 comes to an end. And in a meantime, I guess I should go about adding another post chronicling the trip to my favorite country to visit that I did take last May (some 10 months ago now!)...
Just a few minutes walk from the pier where I disembarked
from the boat that took me across Matsushima Bay
Photography is not permitted in the buildings of Matsushima's
largest temple but I trust that images like the above of
its grounds give an idea of how atmospheric it is
Puppet Ponyo felt intimidated and overawed at Zuiganji but
less so at the grounds of the neighboring Entsuin, whose
rock garden she decided she liked to pose in front of
Entsuin's most famous spot is a mausoleum to a son of a local
feudal lord, who died when he was just 19 years of age -- and whose
interior contents include the oldest Japanese image of a rose
While Puppet Ponyo felt emboldened in the rock garden, I must
admit to having felt a little creeped out in the section of the temple
grounds that I get the distinct feeling is home to a number of graves ;S
For much of the time that I was in Matsushima, I often had
quite a bit of space all to myself (and Puppet Ponyo) -- including
when I headed over to Oshima Island on the edge of the town!
Cool views of Matsushima Bay and a few of its many islands
can be had from this former retreat for monks, where
multiple shrines and meditation caves still can be found
My time in Matsushima was shorter than I would have liked,
not least because I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful scenery
along with peace and quiet that I found there (So yes, this is
yet another part of Japan I'd be happy to return to some time!)
3 comments:
With Thailand seemingly doing the same thing though the govt appears very confused, much of Asia may be shut down which has to have devastating effects on tourism and the economy. How long till the USA is put on that list I wonder.
If you had a little more time on that trip, how many days would you spend in the Matsushima area and in which town would you stay?
Hi Brian --
With the USA now having ninth highest number of confirmed Wuhan coronavirus cases, I would expect that travel to and from at least specific sections of it (e.g., Washington state) will be discouraged from it before too long. From what I've read, the authorities there don't seem to have prepared much for its spread to their country. It's almost like they seemed to have assumed that it was going to just be an Asian thing... more fool them!
Hi Paul --
Matsushima is just half an hour by train from Sendai, so one can easily do day trips from there. I'd rather base myself in Sendai as it's home to lots of good eateries but do two day trips to Matsushima rather than just the one that my May schedule allowed (and was already shortened as it is by my being unable to resist having a sushi lunch at Shiogama and deciding to take a boat from there to Matsushima!).
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