Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tohoku region, located along the pacific coast of Japan. The city was founded in the 1600s by the feudal lord Date Masamune and has been a communications center since early historical times. It was also a castle town and naval port during the Edo Period (1603-1867). The city was damaged heavily during WWII but recovered as an industrial area. Sendai is also home to Tohoku University, which is consistently ranked amongst the top institutions of higher education in Japan. On March 11, 2011, coastal areas of the city suffered catastrophic damage from a magnitude 9.0 offshore earthquake, which triggered a destructive tsunami.
Today we went to nearby Matsushima Bay, adorned with picturesque islands, beautiful vistas and tranquil parks surrounding temples all around. Our first stop was Zuiganji Temple, a major Buddhist temple originally established in 828AD by the legendary priest, Jikaku Daishi, who spread Buddhism though northern Japan. At that time Matsushima Bay was on the frontier of Japan and its beauty was thought to be close to paradise. In that era, Monks made pilgrimages to Zuiganji from as far away as Kyoto, and for centuries lived and prayed in the caves around Matsushima. Over the next 800 years the temple fell into disrepair. Samurai ruler and founder of Sendai City, Date Masamune rebuilt Zuiganji in 1609 to serve as his family temple. Treasures from 1000 years of history, including original armor are held by the temple museum. Pictures were not allowed inside the temple so most of my post today is from in and around the gardens of the temple.
We also saw Entsuin Temple, built in 1646 and ornately decorated with gold leaf and intricate paintings, and enhanced by a rose garden, an unusual feature for a Buddhist temple. And, Godaido, a small temple hall originally built in 807 on an islet next to the pier, a proud symbol of Matsushima. Known for its architectural design, it also serves as an observation point to appreciate the breathtaking views of the surrounding islands.
The day started out bright and sunny and by the time we were finished the wind had picked up, the sun was gone and we were not dressed properly for the end of the day. We ducked into a cute little restaurant for about a half and hour prior to meeting back at our bus and had some hot green tea and some Miso soup with clams. It was absolutely delicious! As we were headed back to the bus, text messages started pouring in about my friend Peggy’s son and daughter-in-law’s new baby girl. What a wonderful world we live in when one can be halfway across the world, learning about things that are centuries old and then, like magic hear the immediate news of the day. Congratulations to the Eral family and their newest member, Louise Marie. So happy she arrived safely and is healthy.
Tomorrow we have a sea day and as we head further north the temperature is dropping into the 50’s and the wind is howling. The seas have been very rough for the last couple of days but, thankfully, neither of us had any tummy issues as a result. Our next stop is Hakodate, Japan and then just one more stop in Kushiro, Japan before our crossing the Bering Sea toward Alaska. We took on new passengers in Kobe for the last three week leg of our Grand Voyage. Time flies when you’re having fun!!
Fun Fact: We have a whole new round of trivia with new teams formed during this last segment. We remain on team “Smarty Pants” and after two rounds we are tied for second place. We have five sea days in a row to cross to America later this week, so lots of opportunity to either gain or lose ground in that respect.
