in the country, MIyagi prefecture gives visitors an opportunity to experience both the beauty

of nature and taste the bounty of the sea all in the same trip.

Visiting these two places in tandem shows off the best of both coastal town and the

bustling city, and that's exactly what we're going to do today.

My name is Raina Ong, staff writer for japan-guide.com and today I'm on assignment in Matsushima

and Sendai.

I'll take the overnight bus from Narita International Airport to Matsushima, and from

there take the train to Shiogama where I'll have breakfast at the Shiogama Fish Market

and visit Shiogama Shrine.

After that, I'll take a sightseeing cruise from Shiogama back to Matsushima to get a

closer look at the islands in Matsushima Bay.

Once on land, I'll explore Zuiganji Temple, have lunch, and visit Godaido Hall and Fukuura

Island before calling it a day.

The next day, I'll head to Sendai by train and use the sightseeing loop bus to visit

the Zuihouden Mausoleum and Sendai Castle ruins before heading to downtown Sendai shopping

district where I'll sample some of Sendai's local specialties before returning to Sendai

Station.

So follow along as I go on a two day trip to Matsushima and Sendai.

Day 1

I'm now at Matsushima Kaigan Station.

I'm kind of hungry, so I'm going to look for food, but first I'm going to put this

in the locker over there.

I'm here at the Shiogama Fish Market which opens to

the public pretty early.

I'm going inside to have some fresh fish and have some breakfast.

One of the nice things about being at the fish market is being able to put together

your own breakfast.

I bought some seafood from the stalls behind me, and I'm going to create my own seafood bowl.

It's pretty fresh.

I'm now at the Shiogama Shrine, one of the most important shrines of the region and a

pretty popular sightseeing spot.

This place has over 1000 years of history, and some of buildings here were built

around the turn of the 18th century.

Next, we're going to head back to Matsushima from Shiogama via a scenic sightseeing cruise

which is also great way to see the famous pine tree covered islands that dot the bay.

Zuiganji Temple is one the area's most important and famous zen temples.

It was originally established in the 9th century, but the buildings that we can see today was

built in 1609 by the feudal lord Date Masamune.

There are lots of interesting things to see on the temple grounds including the main hall,

a museum, and some caves.

For lunch, I'm at a popular restaurant that serves two of Matsushima's seafood specialties,

anago and oysters.

The anago is served on top of rice and the oysters I ordered both grilled and raw.

Godaido Hall can be said to be the symbol of Matsushima Bay thanks to its prime location.

The small hall is a well-visited attraction and offers a nice view of the bay.

My next stop for today is Fukuura Island which you can see behind me.

It is one of the few islands which is connected to the mainland by bridge, and there are a

bunch of walking trails which you can follow.

Day 2

I'm in Sendai now and from Sendai Station I took the sightseeing Loople bus to my first

stop Zuihoden.

Zuihoden as you can see behind me is the mausoleum of Date Masamune, the first feudal lord of Sendai.

There are lots of other things to see around the spacious grounds including other buildings

and the tombs of Date Masamune's descendants who were also feudal lords of Sendai.

Next we're back on the loople bus and heading to the Sendai Castle ruins which are a great

place to enjoy a panoramic view of the city.

While there isn't a castle left to see, the foundations still remain and you walk

across where the castle once stood.

Sendai's downtown is really the heart of the city.

There's so many shopping streets around here, like the one I'm on now.

And together they form one of the largest shopping arcades in the Tohoku Region.

Zunda is a sweet edamame paste that is a specialty in Sendai.

You can have it in a few different ways but I'm going to have mine with mochi.

Gyutan, or grilled cow's tongue, is one of Sendai's most well known specialties.

This sliced beef dish is typically served with beef soup and a bowl of rice, and Sendai

Station is one of the most convenient places to find a gyutan restaurant.

And that concludes our trip to Matsushima and Sendai.

From here, you could continue your stay in Sendai, take the overnight bus back to Narita

Airport or take the train to explore other parts of Japan.

Thanks for joining me.

I hope this video has been enjoyable and perhaps even inspires some ideas should you decide

to plan a trip to Matsushima and Sendai.

For more information or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now, or head

over to Japan-Guide.com, your comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide, first-hand from Japan.

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about Japan.

Happy travels.