Visiting Sendai/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Sendai/Carlos Pueblo

Northeast Shinkansen bullet train driving out of Tokyo station, it was still

snowing outside. Winter Japan is very different from my previous two years

spring and autumn tour, snowing scenery is even more beautiful, snow is

accumulating and pilling up on the roof top, on the rice field, in the mountain

valley, along both side of the river, pure and clean, like American calendar, yet

no worry of the risk of driving through. I arrived at Sendai Station in less than 2

hours, I first got two tickets for the trip to Hakodate, Hokkaido two days later,

then walked toward the information center for the direction of my hostel. A

senior speaking good English came forward to help me and walked with me

toward Hirose Avenue and across the street, soon I was on my way to my first

visit of the city. I have visited Doi Bansui’s tatami house memorial, the ruins of

Aoba Castle, Tohoku University Katahira campus, Zui Ho Den the mausoleum

of the first feudal lord of Sendai-Han, and Sendai morning market.

One of the most famous poem which Doi produces is The moon over a ruined

Castle and I think he talks about Aoba Castle. He was from Sendai and the Castle

was ruined. Bansui sensei was an English major at Tohoku Imperial University and

taught at old Sendai senior high school then the imperial university. A little bit of

more than 10 years ago, I was learning Japanese at Houston Taiwanese Association,

Watanabe sensei translated the song in plain English and I therefore translated into

a classical Chinese poem and was very proud of it. I was not prepared and could not

present it to the memorial for memory.

I then walked again toward the ruins of Aoba Castle 2.2 Km away. Aoba Castle was builded

by Date Masamunue, the first feudal lord of Sendai-Han, a domain. He was awarded the

domain and annul stipend of 435,750 metric tons of rice. He hired a Sake Master from Nara

to build a Sake factory right on the foot of Aoba Castle using the spring water from the hill.

Japanese are very founded  of Sake and very determined to make their rivers clean without

any pollution. The Hirose river is one of the top clean rivers in Japan.

On the next day, I walked to Tohoku University Katahira campus. I had had two professors

at Taiwan Normal were graduated from Tohoku and used to be the third imperial university.

I was lost and finally got out and entered to Zui Ho Den, a very beautiful temple and graveyard

for Date family and some commoners including some prisoners from Satsumo on Saigo

incident. I eventually went to Kagosima at the end of my trip. I then walked back to the city

morning market to get my lunch and two bags of Nara pickle cucumber.

I must mention a very friendly Japanese Chinese restaurant and its owner Takahasi family.

Their friendship is always in my mind, in two days three meals I get to know all the family,

Father, mother, son and daughter in law.