I did my laundry yesterday, so I had had a free day in front of me. It was also going to be hot as hell so I didn’t want to do too much. Nevertheless, I knew I had to get out and about at least while the room was being cleaned.
I had the exact same breakfast as yesterday but I figure I might even get it a third time since I don’t know when I’m making it back to Sendai to eat at this place again. Weirder things have happened.
I went to the train ticket counter (a very tiny train ticket counter with only two windows) and got my train tickets for the next week or so. After that I went to the tourist counter and what they would suggest and besides all the places I’d already been they said Shiroishi Castle. Checked google but it didn’t show that much more around the castle other than a fox “museum” which I’m guessing is a zoo, and zoos make me sad. Plus, castles don’t have air conditioning. So I decided to just walk down the main shopping street of Sendai. I didn’t really go into any shops besides a Starbucks, but that was because I realized I hadn’t taken my medicine and I needed a glass of water and it would be much easier just to order a coffee and a tiny, tiny water than to try to swallow a bunch of pills while standing on a street corner.
The jazz festival was starting up about halfway through my walk, and the first group I saw had more performers than audience members. They weren’t hitting the high notes and when I confirmed they were singing gospel I kept moving.
I headed back soon after that and after a stop at the bookstore I went back to the hotel. I bought a book on Japanese phrases for the N1 JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) because I figured more phrases would improve my conversation skills. Plus it would give me something to do if I just wanted to sit in the room or in a coffee shop.
About 1300 I started getting hungry and decided to try Hosoya’s Sandwich which I heard might be the oldest hamburger restaurant in Japan. It was a new adventure, in any case and I decided to brave the heat because I had a goal.
It didn’t take too long, and I got on a bus hoping it would take me to the right spot (google is awful with Japanese buses right now and thinks they run on the right-hand side of the road) and made it about 2PM. It looked suspiciously closed.
Sure enough, there was a sign on the door giving me the bad news.
Turns out they ran out around 1PM because of an unexpected order. At that point I was hangry and needed something. Since I had hamburger on the brain I went to the closest Mos Burger.
I guess the better jazz bands had much larger audiences. I saw tiny crowds for Dixieland, a band doing a cover of Earth, Wind, and Fire, a woman singing the king of inoffensive songs they play in boutiques, and an odd band with a shamisen player. This band was doing a cover of “Birdland” which annoyed me because:
- 1) I was hangry, and
- 2) I’d rather listen to a proper recording of it on my iPhone.
I had to walk between the crowd and the band to get to Mos Burger, and I didn’t care. The only other thing I really wanted was a lot more air conditioning in Mos Burger.
Next I decided I needed a sun hat (my mom was always telling me to wear a hat in the sun), a quick-drying towel to mop my sweaty brow, and a non-leather belt since my belt was staining my light-colored khaki shorts. Oh, and a non-leather wristband for my watch because the cheap leather one I had was staining my wrist and smelled funny. Stupid humid heat.
Back to the hotel with some snacks. I’m not sure what I did besides sit around for a while. By the way, those sweet corn sticks tasted just like sweet corn. I have to get that again.
I gave the front desk another chance to make a dinner suggestion. They gave me a coupon for a nearby fish place which was great, but it turned out to be a Japanese drinking restaurant where I expected all the plates to be small and expensive and I’d have to pay at least $50-80 to get out of there. I paced in front of the place for a while before I finally gave in and went in. The only part I was wrong about was the the plates were not small. I only spent about $50 and about halfway through I questioned whether I was going to be able to power through, but I did it.
Oysters steaming in the can. She said they were too small to fry, so I expected them to be tiny. Ha. Too small my ass. At least she came back to open the oysters for me.
It’s hard to see in this picture but I think there was enough salad for three or more people.
And that’s not all of it.
And this is the damage at the end, plus two beers.
Well, that’s it for another day. I’m supposed to be going to Ishinomaki tomorrow and I’m going to try to score a tour of a sake and beer factory. I met the president at the Oregon Beer Festival. I also found Rick and Morty is on Japanese Netflix so I should probably stop typing and start finally watching that. No more beer for the night.
