I don't want to forget to tell you about my time in Sendai as well. I took the Shinkansen (bullet train) for about 1 1/2 hours from Tokyo to Sendai. As soon as I arrived at the Sendai Station, I headed straight for the Starbucks. Yum! I spent the first night about 1 hour from Sendai with my dear friend, Kaori Takashima (now Oikawa) and her husband. It was really fun to see their new apartment and spend time with her the next day too. I then spent the next 3 nights with Mio and her husband. My family hosted Mio in 1998 when her high school in Mutsu came to Port Angeles for their school trip. It has been so fun to get reconnected with her. She always calls me her sister since she is an only child.
We drove about 1 hour to hike and see Akiu Otaki (waterfall). Mio and Kenji had never even been here before but thanks to my Lonely Planet book we were able to find it! Apparently, it is one of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan. Who knew? Here I am with Mio as we get wet from the mist of the waterfall.
It was so much fun to get to know Kenji. His English improved a lot during my time with them...he would always tell me "Thank you, teacher". Ha ha.
Another fun highlight of this trip was "Miobucks Cafe". She made some yummy coffee one morning so she decided to name it that. Hilarious. We kept laughing about that. The night before I was supposed to leave she said "Let's go to Starbucks for breakfast. I am sorry but Miobucks is closed tomorrow". :-)
I enjoyed playing cards with them at night. Oh, Mio and I also had a "girl's day" one day. We stayed in our pajamas until 12, went shopping, out to lunch, took Purikura (sticker pictures), drank Starbucks, and went to the movies (by the way, it costs about $18 to go to the movies here). It was such a fun day!
After going to the waterfall, we also did some more hiking. It was a beautiful day. We sure did work up an appetite so we ate dinner at a gyutan (cow tongue) restaurant. Sendai is famous for this. I returned back to Mutsu on Sunday, April 13th. Oh, I also carried a Starbucks with me all the way back up to Mutsu....I think I had enough this break to last me for these next few months!
We drove about 1 hour to hike and see Akiu Otaki (waterfall). Mio and Kenji had never even been here before but thanks to my Lonely Planet book we were able to find it! Apparently, it is one of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan. Who knew? Here I am with Mio as we get wet from the mist of the waterfall.
It was so much fun to get to know Kenji. His English improved a lot during my time with them...he would always tell me "Thank you, teacher". Ha ha.
Another fun highlight of this trip was "Miobucks Cafe". She made some yummy coffee one morning so she decided to name it that. Hilarious. We kept laughing about that. The night before I was supposed to leave she said "Let's go to Starbucks for breakfast. I am sorry but Miobucks is closed tomorrow". :-)
I enjoyed playing cards with them at night. Oh, Mio and I also had a "girl's day" one day. We stayed in our pajamas until 12, went shopping, out to lunch, took Purikura (sticker pictures), drank Starbucks, and went to the movies (by the way, it costs about $18 to go to the movies here). It was such a fun day!
After going to the waterfall, we also did some more hiking. It was a beautiful day. We sure did work up an appetite so we ate dinner at a gyutan (cow tongue) restaurant. Sendai is famous for this. I returned back to Mutsu on Sunday, April 13th. Oh, I also carried a Starbucks with me all the way back up to Mutsu....I think I had enough this break to last me for these next few months!
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