HISTORY IN CITY

<Stroll around Ginza>
For travelers, Ginza is an exciting place to begin a journey to Tokyo. The historical shops are standing next to stylish modern buildings and fashion-conscious consumers give the area a great buzz. It would have been nice to have seen the weekend setup.

<Stroll around Nihonbashi, COREDO Muromachi (Dashi [Japanese soup stock] sampling, etc. at Nihonbashi Dashi Bar)>
Even though I live in Tokyo, I was surprised to learn about how important the area was during the Edo Period. I almost can't believe that I have walked past the central statue of the bridge maybe 3-4 times and never really took notice of it.

<Origami>
Origami is something I am very familiar with. It was fun to watch the others learn how to make one on their own, some of them for the first time ever. The teacher was extremely patient and spoke very carefully, so none of the participants had any real trouble at all. It is a good service for visitors and I am glad it is offered at such a low price.

<Lunch：Hounenmanpuku>
After our origami lesson, we were able to have a very tasty lunch

<Meiji Jingu　(Kiyomasa's Well)>
Meiji Jingu is definitely one of the must-see places in Tokyo to visit during your travels. The large, looming wooden torii gate welcomes all visitors and it itself is a sight to behold.After offering our grateful bows, we entered the grounds and saw the lush trees that lined the path to the shrine itself. Finally, we made our way to the shrine and, magically, we ran into a wedding party.

<Nezu Museum>
The Nezu Museum, in the fashionable area of Omotesando, is not necessarily out of place among other really chic and modern buildings. We were able to visit the museum during an exhibition of Maruyama Okyo works. I was not familiar with this painter, however, I fell in love with the blend of watercolor-like lightness contrasted with deep, rich colors that gave the paintings texture, almost a 3-D quality.

<Dinner：Teyan-tei>
After a long day of walking (and riding) around Tokyo, it was nice to sit with the group and have a dinner together. And there's no place better in Japan that an izakaya! We went to a very traditional-looking place around the Azabu area and had a cool private room with counter entrance directly from the kitchen, something I'd never seen before!

<Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Marunouchi>
The hotel was extremely convenient as it was directly connected to Tokyo Station. If you have an early morning train, you can't beat the location of the hotel. The room had nice amenities and a modern look inside.

<Shinkansen>
What can I say, the shinkansen is always reliable, comfortable, and convenient. I was excited to ride the Hayabusa for my first time, as it uses my favorite color- turquoise. That was the best part for me.

<Sendai mediatheque>
Sendai Mediatheque was architecturally amazing. I truly wanted to go there and it was great to see the structure of the building and the inner tubes holding the whole thing up. It might be exciting for visitors to Sendai, even those like me who love interesting architecture.

<Sendai Castle>
Sendai Castle was a nice place to visit to get an idea of the history of the city. It was where we first learned about Date Masamune, the feudal lord of Sendai. It is a shame the castle no longer stands, but luckily we were able to see a model of how it would have looked today as well as really cool projections of its past glory. Learning about the legendary warrior before visiting his burial site was an integral part of being in Sendai.

<Zuihoden>
Zuihoden is the resting place for Date Masamune and his family and was a very sacred place to visit in Sendai. Zuihoden was impressive for me because I realized how rare the color black is on several of the other shrines, temples and mausoleum I've ever visited. As soon as you go up the hill you are met with a rich black door with gold trimmings. It was glorious and very kakoii for its time.

<Stroll around Ichibancho>
Walking through the malls of Sendai gave us an impression of the normal life of residents. We were able to enter a few shops, such as a tea shop that gave us hot samples of delicious mugi cha.

<Dinner：Tsuda-Sngyoten>
At night, we went to an amazing local izakaya which specializes in seafood and fish that you can cook on a small charcoal grill. This style of cooking is called robata-yaki or simply robata. All of the food was delicious, for me, the highlight was being able to scoop out fresh tuna directly from the ribs of the fish. I never knew that was possible actually and you just couldn't get fresher fish than that! It was incredible.

<Hotel Metropolitan Sendai>
Just like the Tokyo version, the hotel room in Sendai was very relaxing and comfortable.

<Sendai City Asaichi (Morning) market Ameyoko Marketplace>
In the morning, we made our way to Asaichi, the morning market. Asaichi seemed to be a very popular place for shopping as it was full of people when we arrived at 9am. I couldn't imagine the cost of a bunch of tomatoes on the vine, which were less than half the price of my local supermarket in Tokyo.

<NIKKA WHISKY Miyagikyo Distillery>
The Nikka Whisky Distillery was a really good spot for whiskey lovers as they could see how their favorite drink is created. The opportunity to smell the whiskey at different stages, to see the barrels and the tanks where they are made, and- of course- being able to taste the product and buy some at the end makes for a positive experience at the end of the tour.

<Akiu craft park>
I really enjoy painting and this was a relaxing experience. While the language might make some people nervous, she was incredibly patient and there was a guide on the wall that helps visually understand the steps. But, most importantly, she suggested not to worry about being perfect. I am looking forward to seeing my doll in a few years as the color becomes a richer brown color from age.

<Akiu winery>
We had an incredible opportunity to talk with the owner and founder of Akiu Winery about his mission to help with the area's recovery efforts one vine at a time. The wine is bottled as well as some of the grapes hanging to dry in the attic. It was truly a unique experience to see first-hand how hard they are working to make Sendai the next great area for Japanese wine.The flavor of the wine varied from fresh and fruit to more complex and bold, even with hints of fruit jam.

<Rairaikyou light up>
Fascinating was the Rairaikyo Gorge, the sight of the light up event. The gorge was also well lit and the scenery was simply stunning, drawing locals and travelers alike.