Golden Week in Tohoku

2005年5月18日 (水)

In Golden Week I set sail for Tohoku – an area I had heard was famous for cherry blossoms, samurai villages and cow tongue. I took the overnight ferry from Tomakomai (which was very comfortable) and arrived in Sendai early the next morning. The weather was warmer than Sapporo’s so I was immediately happy! Some highlights of my trip included Matsushima, Chuson-ji, Lake Tazawa and especially Kakunodate for it’s beautiful weeping cherry blossoms and lovely samurai houses. I also had an interesting afternoon in the local Lake Tazawa Brewery called “ORAE” where my friends and I drank lots of delicious beer! The worst things about my trip were the traffic jams and the cold nights spent shivering in my tent! Before heading back to Sapporo I made sure to sample the famous “gyu-tan” and found it to be very tender and delicious. I was a little surprised! I had a wonderful time in Tohoku and would recommend this area to anyone wanting a holiday with history, natural beauty and good beer!