Setting out
It’s a 12 hour direct flight from DEN (Denver International) -> NRT (Tokyo Narita), which is both long and exhausting—but better than connecting I guess. Watched a bunch of movies on the flight, including Weapons (creepy, but cool) and also Bugonia (love Yorgos Lanthimos + Emma Stone).
Upon landing, we considered shipping our roll-on suitcase ahead of us to Sendai, but when the clerk told us it might take an extra day or two due to snow-related delays, we opted to carry it with us. Got our Suica welcome IC cards, loaded with 5,000JPY each, and then hopped on the train into central Tokyo, Asakusa station. Looking out the window of the cramped train I spotted a “Fun Spot”-looking mall + amusement park, watched tiny vans and cars ride alongside the train, and tried to begin absorbing the language being broadcast to me in huge symbols of varying fonts.
Also, there was at least one 7-11… incongruous in its familiarity.
We dragged our sleep-deprived bodies through cold quiet streets into a brightly lit, buzzing shopping arcade, past food stalls and drug stores to a quiet, well-organized and clean section of town (Taīto city, Ueno). After depositing a tired Nikki at the hostel into the mailbox-slot of a room which consisted of only a platform bed, I set back out alone into the night—drooling for some local cuisine after multiple in-flight meals. I ordered yakisoba and takoyaki from a small shop, and with 15 minutes to wait, I wandered into the Don Quijote we had passed by on the way to the hostel.
Ho. ly. Shit. I was not expecting the sensory explosion! Every single cramped aisle was saturated with knicknacks, prices, and screens with speakers screaming for attention. Pikachu suitcases, hundreds of types of fake eyelashes, candies, chips, earbuds, socks, camping equipment, coin purses, and chotchkies.
Completely braindead, I made my way back down the multiple flights of stairs to the street, collected my take-out, and slept(ish) for a few hours before our next leg.
Shinkansen 新幹線
Thanks to the significant and extremely thorough planning I did for this adventure, we had Japan Rail (JR) tickets pre-purchased for our bullet train. Actually, I did a quick slap-dash job of planning, and my cousin who’s been living on Hokkaido for 4 years was extremely kind and helpful in pre-booking all of our intercity rail travel with JR ❤️. We grabbed our paper tickets from the counter and sat in silent, slick luxury. Leg room, views out the window, polite passengers… ahh. Truly worth the ¥.
Sendai 仙台
Day 1
2026-02-07
Upon arriving in Sendai, my cousin greeted us with homemade tiramisu, veggie dip, and brownies! We checked into the Dormy Inn Sendaiekimae (…駅前 “ekimae” means “in front of … station”), then headed out into the city. It was nice to start the trip with my cousin, who has a decent command of Japanese after living in Hokkaido for 4 years, so I didn’t have to start acting as translator (yet). The shopping arcades were familiar from some Europe trips, but also extra. The script of kanji, hiragana, and katakana is so different that it appears like illustration or graffiti everywhere to my eyes—a lot to digest visually.
Cuz took us to the mausoleum of DATE Masamune, one of the most powerful feudal lords of the Edo Period (1603-1868). There was a lovely graveyard, and beautiful trees, paintings, and birds (which was exciting for my cousin’s camera).
Brain melting, jet lag setting in.
Cousin found a conveyor belt sushi for us, where I was surprised his palate had changed enough for him to enjoy “uni” (雲丹) “sea urchin”, a very fishy flavor and smooth texture.
We weren’t brave enough to try the onsen at the hotel on the first night.
Day 2
2026-02-08
Cold and crisp! We went to the Yagiyama zoological park Fujisaki no mori (八木山動物公園) because they had red pandas, tanooki, and polar bears (Nikki was very hype). It seemed quite cold for some of the African animals to be outside, and the pens were cramped and outdated compared to some other zoos we’ve visited. At least that’s the feeling that I got. My sister-in-law is a zookeeper in London and cares deeply about zoo animals and infrastructure, and has impressed those values onto me. The polar bear twins playing in their enclosure seemed so happy about the cold weather, which was the only highlight for me.
We got some below-average udon noodles at the train station, then spent the rest of the day chatting and catching up while grabbing small snacks and taking in the city by foot. Dinner at an incredibly tasty Indian restaurant and then crashed (early, jet lag’s a bitch).
Day 3
2026-02-09
Another chilly, windy day. Perfect to visit a seaside town called Matsushima (松島町, Matsushima-machi). Small, not very touristy, in the off-season, with a bunch of miniscule islands connected to the shore by aesthetically historical bridges. Our highlight was the Matsushima Tourist Association Oyster Grill, which Nikki found by pinch-to-zooming around Google Maps the night before our visit to the town. On a well-worn fishing dock which smelled like burned grease and ocean decay, there is a tiny shack adjacent to the long hut where farmed oysters are cleaned and prepared for sale. The telltale blue circle with a lowercase Latin “i” stands outside, indicating this shack’s status as a tourist information center. Nikki had made reservations online, and we were asked by one rubber-apron-clad worker to kindly wait in yet another shack with an iconic cardboard cutout of an anime girl. I guess she’s company for solo diners.
I bought a beer and half a lemon for cash, sat down around a communal grill pit, and we were then treated to two massive shovel-fulls of all-you-can-eat oysters that were farmed less than 150m away.
Fucking.
Awesome.
It was even worth the smell that would cling to our puffer jackets for the next three days.
Met back up with my non-carnivorous cousin and walked across the Fukuura bridge to Fukuurajima (福浦島), drawn by promise of a tea-house and a view of the bay. Large origami sculptures, shinto and buddhist shrines were everywhere, and the hike around the island kept us warm in the cold and humid coastal wind.
Oh, and there were some young Utah Mormons on a mission trip? …
Train back to Sendai, dinner… somewhere maybe? Then Nikki and I decided to try the Dormy Inn onsen (温泉) which my cousin had been raving about non-stop. We scandalized the front desk clerks by explaining our tatoos, and Nikki was given a couple large makeup patches to cover her thigh and rib tattoos. We used the caucasian-colored athletic tape we’d brought to Japan with us cover everything as best we could, then we bravely donned our too-small slippers and robes, and went up to the 9th floor onsens. Hard to know what to do at first, and I haven’t been around a lot of naked people besides Nikki in about 15 years, so… it was an adjustment to be naked with other dudes. But, to cousin’s credit, the onsen was really nice. There was a super-toasty sauna, many individual showering stations (low to the ground, with hand-held shower nozzles, bathing, and shaving supplies), and an cold plunge bath. I spent about 3-5 minutes in the cold plunge (whooo-ee), and overall left incredibly relaxed after four-plus days of non-stop travel and sightseeing.
Chatting with my cousin about the culture and language for days on end was starting to sink in, and certain phrases and symbols are starting to click for me. Body language is important. I am really glad that he was our first contact in-country, since he is curious, observant, and more than happy to share what he’s learned.
We packed our bags again, ready to crash and then prepare to say goodbye to Sendai the following afternoon.
じゃあまたね!
(Jā matane, see ya later!)