More Sendai adventures / 仙台の冒険

My second day in Sendai started off with a breakfast buffet at the hotel I was staying at before another full day of business.

仙台二日目の始まりはホテルの朝食バイキング。

We all need a break sometime during the day.

休憩も必要です。

I'm always fascinated about classic cars.

クラシックカーに興味あり。

Before catching my train back to Aomori from Sendai, I had enough time to go to Tower Records (unfortunately, I didn't find any CDs that I wanted to buy). I also thought about eating at the Kua Aina burger shop but was rapidly running out of time. I decided to have dinner at a place called [Hachi] near the station.

帰りの新幹線までちょっと時間があったので、仙台店のタワーレコードに行き（残念ながら、買いたいCDの在庫はありませんでした）。クアイナのバーガーショップも見つかりましたけど、出発の時間まで考えると多分ギリギリになると思い諦めた。夕飯を食べに行ったは駅の近くにあった「ハチ」という店。

The restaurant's grand menu.

店のグランドメニュー。

I ordered their most popular menu item. Spaghetti topped with a hamburger steak.

注文したのは店の人気メニューのハンバーグ乗せのスパゲッティ。

A little dab of Parmesan cheese and it's time to eat.

パルメザンチーズをかけ、いただきます！

Back at Sendai Station waiting for my train to take me home.

夕飯を済まして、仙台駅に戻って電車を待つ。待ってる間に駅内を探索。

Welcome to Sendai Kokeshi doll.

ようこそ仙台へのこけしがありました。

Then my train came and it was back to Aomori for me.

そして電車が来て、青森に帰った。

My sister and I in Sendai / 妹と一緒に仙台に

My sister only spent two days in Aomori with us and as I had a business in Sendai the following day, I suggested she visit Sendai on her own during the day and we could meet up at night and have dinner together. My sister thought it was a great idea as well so we booked her a room in the same hotel that I was staying at. There was an izakaya located near the hotel which my colleagues and I decided to go to and they said to feel free to bring my sister along.

妹は青森に二日しかいなかったが、自分が仙台に出張があったため、妹に昼は仙台を探索して、夜は一緒に夕飯をたべようっと。妹の為に同じホテルに部屋を予約して、あとは夜で合流することになった。同業者たちと飲み行くことになって、みんなが妹も連れても良いと言われ、ホテルの近くの居酒屋に行きました。

I started off my day with a decent breakfast.

午前中からちゃんと朝食を食べた。

This is the hotel we stayed at. A reasonably priced business hotel. The hotel even has a nice large public bath.

仙台に泊まったホテル。お手頃の価格のビジネスホテル。大浴場もあり。

I was hanging out with this guy in the lobby while waiting for my sister.

ホテルのロビでこの人と妹を待ってた。

The izakaya we went to was right across the hotel parking lot. 

居酒屋で飲んで食べたのはホテルの駐車場の向かい側にありました。

The name of the place was [Hana no Yume] which translates to "A Flower's Dream".

居酒屋の店名は「はなの夢」。

Kaisen Dining [Hana no Yume] / 海鮮ダイニング「はなの夢」

My sister and I with my colleagues.

今夜の食べ・飲み仲間。

You can't go wrong with maguro and avocado.

アボカドとマグロが僕の大好物。

You also can't go wrong with an assortment of yakitori.

焼き鳥の盛り合わせももってこい一品ですね。

And more chicken!

鶏肉されに登場！

Seafood chijimi (often described as a Korean style vegetable pancake).

海鮮チヂミも食べた。

Everybody loves gyoza!

みんな餃子大好き！

Uh-oh, we switched from drinking beer to ordering a bottle of wine.

やばい。ビールから最初に飲んだけど、途中でワインのボトルに変わった。

My sister said she had such a great time and she laughed so much her face hurt!

妹が凄い楽しめたので、笑いすぎて、顔が痛いと言ってた！

Breakfast at the hotel. As my colleagues and I had another busy day, my sister took the shinkansen back to Tokyo and would be flying back home to the States today. Although it was a short visit, we made the most of it. Next week, my mother will be coming to visit.

同業者たちと今日も一日忙しいけど、妹はこれから新幹線に乗って東京へ。それから成田空港でアメリカ帰りだ。妹と一緒に居るのはちょっと短い時間だったが、たっぷり遊びました。来週は自分の母が青森に来る予定。

My Sister's Visit (Day 2 - Part 2) / 妹の訪問 （二日目 パート２）

Driving back into town from Sukayu Hot Spring. It was just about noon so we decided to go to a small Italian restaurant called Napoli no Kama. My wife and I had been there not too long ago and the food was great and the price was reasonable.

酸ヶ湯温泉から青森市に戻ったら丁度昼食の時間だった。「ナポリの窯」というレストランに行くことに決定した。以前僕と妻がそこでランチを食べたら、美味しくて値段もお手頃。

Napoli no Kama / ナポリの窯

The pizza and pasta sets are served with a green salad, a drink, and dessert. All for about 1,000yen.

ピザとパスタセットはサラダ、ドリンクとデザート付き。値段も１０００円くらい。

My mother-in-law was not particular to pizza or pasta and ordered the hayashi rice.

義理の母はピザやパスタはあんまり好きじゃないため、ハヤシライスを注文。

My choice this time around was the tomato and mozzarella cheese pizza with pesto.

今回自分が選んだピザはトマトとバシルモッツァレラチーズ。

We also ordered the sausage and mushroom pizza as well.

ほかにソーセージときのこのピザも頼みました。

And for dessert was a caramel cake.

デザートはキャラメルのケーキ。

My sister said she promised one of her friends back in the States to buy something "Sailor Moon" related so we went to a shop called Yorozuya which carries all sorts of items. While my sister looks for her friend's gift, I will of course browse the used CD section. on our way to the shop, I spotted Spider-Man at a dental clinic.

妹がアメリカの友達の一つの土産が頼まれたみたい。セイラームーンに関連するものが欲しいって。そこで、青森にあるリサイクルショップの萬屋に連れてあげた。萬屋行く途中に、スパイダーマンを歯科に発見した。

After browsing the recycle shop, we took my sister to a food discount store called [Big] which was also located nearby. She had to stock up on more Japanese snacks and gifts for friends and family, and for herself and her husband of course. We still had time to take her to one more site so we went to Seiryu-ji Temple, where the Showa Daibutsu is located.

萬屋の次はフードディスカウントショップの「ビッグ」に連れてあげた。そこで、大量の日本のお菓子やスナックを購入。妹が友達と家族ともちろん自分の為に買い物を楽しんでた。まだ時間があったので、昭和大仏があるお寺、青龍寺に行きました。

Seiryu-ji Temple / 青龍寺

Enma Daiou / 閻魔大王

Five-story Pagoda / 五重塔

Mizukake Jizo / 水掛地蔵

The Bokejo Kannon (Goddess to protect one from dementia). I joked to my mother-in-law to pray here.

ボケ除観音。義理の母に冗談でここにお参りするべきと言った。

My sister ringing the temple bell.

お寺の鐘を鳴らす妹。

And here we are at the Showa Daibutsu.

そして昭和大仏の前に来ました。

You can enter the Daibutsu and read and see pictures about suffering through the afterlife.

大仏の中で壁に展示されてる絵が亡くなったあとの世界を現れしてる。

Lovely picture isn't it?

素敵な絵でしょう？

I had business in Sendai the following two days so my wife and my sister saw me off at the shinkansen station. My sister would stay the night at my mother-in-law's house then would go to Sendai on her own. We planned to meet for dinner in the evening in Sendai.

自分が仙台に出張行くため、妻と妹は僕を新青森駅まで見送りしてくれた。妹は義理の母の家にもう一泊して、明日仙台でひとり冒険。また夜の仙台で一緒夕飯食べる約束した。

I think it was my wife who had the shijimi ramen at Shin Aomori station. My sister and I both at the miso kaiyaki which I could have sworn I had taken a picture of but seems to have disappeared. Or I must have deleted it by mistake.

新青森駅で夕飯をすました。妻はしじみラーメンを注文して、僕と妹は青森の郷土料理の貝焼き味噌セットを注文しました。たしか写真撮ってましたが、なぜかみつかりません。知らないあいだに削除したかも。

We had to try the apple gyoza. It was very interesting.

りんご水餃子を食べてみた。面白い味でした。

And we just had to have my sister try the Dakekimi (brand name corn) tempura.

妹にどうしても食べさせたかったのは獄きみの天ぷら。

And I'm off to Sendai. I will see my sister in Miyagi Prefecture tomorrow night.

そして僕は仙台行きに出発。明日は宮城県で妹と会う。