Train ride to AizuWakamatsu City

Today in real life is the anniversary of the horrific bombing of Hiroshima City. My husband and I have visited Nagasaki (years ago) to visit the memorials there for the bombing. I told him I wanted to go to Hiroshima City, too. He doesn’t want to go. He has gone previously with his college group and felt that it is just too sad. The museum inside the dome is very graphic, and will make me cry. So he doesn’t want to go.

So moving on…….

My niece left Japan a few days ago, but I am not even close to finished posting photos of her fabulous Fukushima trip. So put on your seat belts and get ready!

My husband wanted her to see the most historical area of Fukushima Prefecture, AizuWakamatsu. So we woke her up early and boarded the bullet train to Koriyama and then changed to a regular train. (My husband didn’t want to drive or use the bus, either of which would have been cheaper!)

Don’t wake her. She’s dreaming about kitties who slide down rainbows.

Out the window: That’s Fukushima.

Yep, that’s Fukushima.

That’s Oklahoma.

And this is Dallas, Texas.

Please realize that I have spent the entire day writing my FICTIONAL manuscript and now I can’t stop FICTIONALIZING everything, but it’s okay because I got a new pair of eyeglasses that will either help me improve my fiction or my diction or my eyesight. I can’t remember what the optometrist said exactly.

Starbucks in Sendai City

I wasn’t planning to take my niece to a Japanese Starbucks. I wanted to do “only in Japan” sort of stuff. But she told me that people on the internet were raving about a certain apple pie Starbucks drink a while back. So I guess the Japanese Starbucks is cool!

Look at the above photo. A tips card?

Cards with tips on them!

Normally, Japan does not do “tips” (monetary gratuities for good service) like servers expect in the U.S.

Enjoying our Ch-Ch-Ch-Chinos.

(Yes, I know my stomach is showing. My diet begins now.)

The BIG BIG BIG festival that Sendai City is known for is its Tanabata Festival, which is held every August. I usually go to the United States in August so I have never actually seen it.

And I still haven’t seen it because on the day these photos were taken was in late July. It was too early for Sendai’s Tanabata Festival.

Neverthless, the Sendai City train station gives us a small taste of the festival. Streamers for Tanabata!

That’s all my Sendai City photos. I hope you enjoyed them.

Pokemon Center in Sendai City

This is for all you Pokemon fans out there….You know who you are! My son loves Pokemon and wanted to go to the Pokemon Center while we were in Sendai City. (The Pokemon Center is actually a shop! I think the name “Center” makes it sound a little like Disneyland! Nope, no roller coasters or ferris wheels. Just Pokemon merchandise!)

So normally the Pokemon Center has always been in the AER Building, two buildings away from the train station……..

But I am such a silly billy, I didn’t realize that the location has changed to the Parco Building–one building from the station. You can see the sign announcing the new store in the background of the above photo

Here we go! Up to the eighth floor!

It’s a lot larger than the former store, about twice a big. (See my son’s grin? He loves Pokemon!)

Lots of Pokemon stuff to buy. The merchandise in the photo is regional–only in the Tohoku area.

Are you a Pokemon fan? I remember when I was living in Japan during the mid-nineties. Pokemon was huge in Japan, and I knew that it would soon come to America. I gave my niece (then eight years old) a Pikachu mask and said that the character would be famous in America…and I was right!

Pokemon originally began in Japan in 1995 and was introduced to America in September of 1998. Now I can’t imagine life without those little pocket monsters…….

Cow Tongue Lunch in Sendai City

The photos are still from our day trip to Sendai City. That is the largest city in the Tohoku area of Japan, and it’s in Miyagi Prefecture. I asked my niece what the 3/11 disaster is known as in the United States. She wasn’t really sure, but she said it was known as “Fukushima.”

Actually, more people died in Miyagi Prefecture than in Fukushima Prefecture. So it is incorrect to think of the disaster as a Fukushima only thing.

There were basically three parts to the disaster: 1.) The earthquake itself and damage caused by the shaking. 2.) Then the tsunami that occured along the coast about forty minutes later (approximately.) This tsunami was what resulted in the most loss of life (as of this writing.) 3.) Then the meltdowns that occured after the tsunami hit the Dai Ichi power plant on the Fukushima Coast.

In Japan, the 3/11 disaster is usually known as Dai Shinsai (Big Disaster) or Higashi Nihon Dai Shinasi (East Japan Big Disaster.)

Okay, moving right along!!!!!

Beef tongue is a specialty of Sendai City, so went to a beef tongue restaurant named Rikyu.

My beef tongue meal…

My son’s beef tongue meal…

My niece’s meal included sashimi (raw fish) on rice. She really enjoyed it.

What do you think? Does it look delicious? Or would you give it a pass?

Owl Cafe in Sendai City

Last year, my husband took me and my son to an owl cafe in Sendai City. My niece saw the Facebook photos of it, and so she wanted to see an owl cafe, too.

The one my husband took us to was called Ricky’s Owl Cafe. This time, we (my niece, my son, and I) went to a different one called “Owl Cafe.” Both are located in the downtown area of Sendai City.

My niece was pretty excited.

It’s one large room. It costs 12,00 yen for each adult, unlimited time.

This meerkat was my favorite. He was so very, very sweet. He likes cuddles.

My niece also loved the meerkat. (Like me, more than the owls.)

Various animals. They don’t get much of a chance to move around, though. 😦

Sweet bun bun

I spent a lot of time with the meerkat. He loved affection, so I just held him and stroked him like a cat or small dog.

This is a ferret. FAR more active than the meerkat. The ferret wanted to play. My son was interested in the ferret because one of his favorite youtubers owns a ferret.