Justin Schultz

May. 14, 2023 (edited)
[Image1]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image2]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image3]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image4]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image5]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image6]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image7]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image8]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image9]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image10]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image11]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image12]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image13]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image14]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image15]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image16]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image17]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image18]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image19]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had
[Image20]Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had

Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.

On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had a great time looking at all the buildings and different shops. The negi soba (soba with a large leek) is famous there so my girlfriend ended up ordering that. She said it was a bit difficult to eat, but fun and tasted great. We also ended up trying a variety of different snacks in the area. The Age-Manju (deep fried manju) was really tasty and we actually ended up getting again later. I was able to take a photo from the famous photo spot at Ouchi-Juku as well (photo #4). I only have an iPhone camera, so the quality isn't the best, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

On the way back from Ouchi-Juku we returned via Yunokami Onsen Station and so we got to use the footbath that was attached to the station. It was a really great way to rest up after walking for so long.
The station itself was also really photogenic, so I snapped a couple photos from the platform and between the railroad tracks.

The hotel we were staying at for the night was in Aizu-Wakamatsu and on the way we found a nice little shop with a large akabeko cow outside and the staff was kind enough to take a photo of us with it.

For dinner, we went to a place called Sassa (左雨) and had a really great time. We ended up talking to the owners for a bit and they were super nice. It was also the best tonkatsu I've eaten in my entire life. It was cooked tp perfection, and the dressing that came with the salad and cabbage matched perfectly with it. We probably ended up eating way too many fried foods but it was all really tasty.

The next day we visited Tsuruga Castle.
The castle was quite cool, but it was a bit more crowded than Ouchi-Juku. Considering it was Golden Week, it wasn't much of a surprise.

Either way we had a great time. We started off going for a boat ride around the moat (I got my daily exercise in, as I was rowing the whole time lol). After that we went up into the castle and were able to see a view of the city from the top which was pretty cool. There were also live performances going on in the field in front of the castle which were fun to watch.

At that point it was about lunch time so we went over to the row of food stalls (photo #16) and grabbed a bite to eat. There were shops selling all sorts of goods as well, so we spent some time window shopping. After Tsuruga Castle, we went to Oyakuen Garden (御薬園). We ended up sharing a green tea by the pond and relaxing for a bit which was nice.

There were a lot of koi inside the pond and a variety of birds flying around as well, so the atmosphere was very relaxing. Photo #20 is supposedly the best view in the garden (it was written on a sign) so I snapped a photo of it. The photo doesn't do it justice, but it was a really incredible view.

All in all, we had a really amazing time in Fukushima, but we definitely would like to visit again, as there's a lot we didn't get to do still. I really wanted to try an akabeko workshop but we didn't get the chance, which was a bit disappointing, but we still had a lot of fun, so I can't complain.

I definitely recommend visiting Aizu-Wakamatsu if you have the chance!

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Apr. 9, 2023
Went on a trip to Sendai last weekend and had an awesome time. We were only there for 2 days and 1 night, but we managed to do everything we wanted to. On the first day we arrived at Sendai Station (the beautiful stained glass in photo #1) and had lunch, after which we headed over to our hotel, dropped off our bags, and then headed off to do some sightseeing. Our first stop was Funaoka Castle Park. The cherry blossoms were really nice and there was a cherry blossom festival or something like that taking place and there were some food stalls as wells, so we picked up some snacks and relaxed for a bit. We were able to see the large Kannon statue from a distance but opted not to go all the way to the top because we had some other stuff planned. After Funaoka Castle Park we made our way towards Shiroishi Castle. On the way to the castle from Funaoka Castle Park there’s the famous Hitome Senbon-Zakura, which we were able to enjoy for the entire walk to the castle. The cherry blossoms along the river were quite the treat. During our walk to the castle, we came across another cherry blossom festival with more food stalls. We had a couple more snacks and enjoyed the views before heading towards the station to get to Shiroishi Castle. As we were walking to the castle I found some cool art on some shop shutters. The path leading up to the castle was dotted with lanterns and was really pretty, especially as it was nearing sunset. We arrived at the castle with just a bit of sunlight left and we were just lucky enough to take some nice photos. After the castle, we had some dinner at a nice Izakaya and headed back to Sendai Station where our hotel was. The first day was all about seeing the beautiful views of cherry blossoms, but the second day we decided to enjoy the history and culture of the area. We started off by visiting Zuihoden, the mausoleum for Date Masamune. On the approach to the complex, we saw some interesting buildings where we stopped to take pictures and check out the architecture. The row of trees lining the steps to Zuihoden reminded me of the famous row of trees at Togakushi Shrine in Nagano. There were a lot of different structures, and learning about the history and what they were all built for was really interesting. Unfortunately I have too many photos and can’t post them all here. After we finished up at Zuihoden, which took a while because I wanted to read every single sign that we came across, we headed over to Sendai Castle (Aoba Castle). Again, I have too many photos to post, so I’ll just leave it to the famous statue of Date Masamune. The view from the top of the castle was quite nice and the other structures around the castle grounds were really interesting to learn about as well. After the castle, we were running out of time, and so we decided to start making our way back to Sendai Station. We ended up getting off a few stations early because my girlfriend had read that there was an event at Nishi Park. I can’t post all of the photos, but it was a really big cherry blossom festival with food stalls, etc. I highly recommend visiting Sendai during spring, as it’s definitely worth the trip. Most of the places we visited were not crowded at all, and we had an awesome trip.