#matsushima bay

[geek-fashionista]

One Summer's Day

Ulquihime Week Day 6: Cruise. Not exactly Tell Yourself universe, but it could be if it felt like it.

~*~

Late one summer, Ulquiorra developed an interest in Japan: its geography, its history, its culture, its landmarks. And so, before her break from school ended, Orihime decided to take Ulquiorra up north to see one of Japan's three most scenic spots.

Matsushima and its 260 barrier islands were best experienced by boat. After a morning of exploring the town's shops and sampling the local seafood, Orihime and Ulquiorra boarded a cruise headed around the bay---but not before grabbing some ice cream near Zuiganji Temple.

Ulquiorra, who had chosen a black sesame ice cream, leaned on the boat's railing as it cut through the serene blue water. It had been oppressively humid so far. His hair stuck to the back of his neck, but the salty smell of the air and the sea breeze tugging at his clothes revived him a little.

"Delicious!" Orihime cried as she came to stand beside him, holding her own ice cream cone. "Ulquiorra-kun, you should try this. I think you'll like it."

He gave the bright green ice cream a wary glance. "What is it?"

"Zunda! It's the local flavor." She held it towards him. "You're a fan of beans, right?"

He was indeed, and it surprised him that she remembered. But perhaps it shouldn't have. The woman had always been hyper-attentive to his likes and dislikes. It stirred up strange feelings in his chest. He leaned forward and took a swipe of the ice cream with his tongue. "It is good," he decided after separating the flavor from the black sesame.

Orihime beamed with pleasure. "We should get you one as soon as we're back on land." She leaned against the rail, and Ulquiorra watched her as she licked her way around the ice cream to keep it from melting onto her fingers. The sea breeze made the ends of her long pleated skirt billow out, and the bright sun brought out streaks of red in her brown hair. She caught him staring and tucked a few loose strands behind her ear. "What?"

A hint of a smile touched the corners of Ulquiorra's mouth. "Nothing," he murmured.

Then they contemplated the pine-wooded islands in silence, each enjoying their own ice cream, the scenic views, and the other's company.

[riversidewings]

"Living Ghosts" #17: "Splitting Rock"

From my reparenting series “Living Ghosts.” In which a trans lesbian combat doll named River, reunited with and reparenting her younger self now named Emi, visits Shiogama Shrine for a picnic under the cherry blossoms, and reflects on how far she and her daughter by choice have come.

(If you've enjoyed these stories, please consider supporting my work by subbing at komaneko.gay)

A story:

East of the City of Immortals, in the city to which it gave its name, its head in forest, its feet in Matsushima Bay, Shiogama Shrine sat amidst a sea of pink-white double-cherry trees in bloom. The flowers, of which shrine and city alike were very proud, had become the shrine's crest, and thus the basis of the crest that River and Emi wore on the crested overcoats that surmounted their kimono.

Twofold blossoms, with a central fan of three blades. Sharpness and softness in balance, with flowers that bloomed late but twice as full.

High above the shrine hall's eaves, corvids wheeled in a dark wave.

River smiled wistfully. When she'd first come here, all those years ago, she'd been a little bit intimidated by them, but now, it felt comforting, every time she heard the cawing and caught the flap of dark wings marked on her heads-up projection. They really were ever-present.

Mother and daughter made their offering of coin together, before the ancient shrine hall. It was not their home shrine, in the riverbend back in the city, but they cherished it all the same for its beauty and for the weight of shared history it carried, as one of the region's oldest and most storied places of worship.

They said silent prayers. The wind in the blooming trees came as if in reply.

Afterward, Emi turned to her mother, then looked out around the shrine grounds, eyes wide in awe.

"It's…so quiet." Her voice was hushed. "It's like, inside my head…"

"…the anxiety doesn't have any room," the older woman murmured, nodding slowly in recognition. "It's like my headspace is calm but flowing, like a…"

"…like a mirror-smooth river reflecting the sky," the girl echoed. "Yeah."

River smiled knowingly, her voice just as hushed. "I call it capital-S Stillness, but it comes in many different names and forms. This is just one of them." Then she gestured over her shoulder. "Walk with me a bit?"

So they walked for awhile, under the trees drifting in the breeze that rose from the sea. They ambled from the main shrine to the adjoining Shiwahiko Shrine and back again before finding a seat in the shadow of one of the cherry trees.

"Underrated," Emi murmured, gesturing broadly. "Everybody's so busy going to the same dozen spots they miss out on shit like this. This really is underrated."

"Severely underrated, but then so much about this corner of the country is." River smoothly shrugged off her messenger bag and retrieved a pair of neatly rubber-banded cypress magewappa bento, handing one to her daughter. "Here you go, honey. Gyutan onigiri, all yours."

"Mm, thanks."

Hanami-- flower-viewing-- was a centuries old custom, as were shrine visits. Sometimes they got very loud and lively, and that had its place and its pluses. But it was this sort of quieter observance with the people who mattered most, that mother and daughter, one soul at two times, loved the most.

"Hey, Emi?"

"Yeah?"

"Gonna be two years soon, since we first bumped into each other." She took another bite of her own meal, a foil-wrapped onigirazu. "And look at how far you've come."

The girl blushed, her gaze momentarily falling. "Thanks. Feels like longer, sometimes. I'm just happy we get to be together, now."

"You're like these Shiogama cherries." Her mother gestured with outstretched synthetic fingertip at one of the cherry tree's broad branches. "It took awhile, but you've split rocks and weathered the cold to finally bloom."

Emi thought it over for a moment. A flash of mischief passed over her expression. "Hey, we've got both sides of Shiogama covered, Mom. I've got the cherry trees and you've got the salt."

River sputtered in her surprise, and laughed. "Ooh, touché, kid, touché. I am pretty salty."

"You taught me," the girl replied, as she finished her last onigiri. "Salt is important. It clears things away and sets things right."

Salt was a purifier in shrine ritual, but here specifically, it was more than that. The story went that once, ages ago, the local gods had taught the humans how to reclaim salt from the ocean in salt kettles-- shiogama, in Japanese. Those kettles were believed to still be the divine vessels of Shiogama Shrine, hidden away in the inner sanctum, in the shrine to which they gave their name, which in turn gave its name to the city.

"Am I really doing that good, honey?" asked the unlikely mother to her daughter by choice.

"You've come a long way too," said the girl. "And you're doing just fine."

The sword looked on in pride at her daughter.

"Thanks."

pictured: the twofold cherries of Shiogama Shrine in full bloom

[lagycart]

tokyo tohoku trip - day 5.

woke up early morning after a good night sleep for another great day out, my sleeping schedule was so good during this trip for some reason, haha... XD i went to the morning market nearby the hotel to have a look but they mostly sell fresh food and stuff for cooking, so i decided to get some breakfast from convenient store which i really want to eat.

after enjoying my breakfast at my hotel room, i decided to just pack and check out first, and leave my luggage with the hotel receptionist so that i don’t have to come back until i am ready to leave sendai tonight.

my first place to visit is the sendai castle ruins/aoba castle ruins 仙台城跡, which is up a hill. i went to the nearest train station and started to walk, it didn’t occur to me that i would need to hike up the hill until i reach there and saw the walking path. also, the shorter route was closed off because some trees fall on the road, so i had to hike up a longer route, it was totally unexpected and quite tiring. it’s a good thing that the weather is chilly and i just walk up slowly and take rests in between, and since there’s no car or not crowded at all, i had the whole path to myself.

the city view at the top of the hill is beautiful, as it is a sunny day, you can really see very far away and there’s also a group of people filming some dance video there, which is interesting to watch. while this place used to be the castle, you don’t get to see any castle as it was destroyed and was never rebuilt. there’s VR service available for tourist who is interested to see what it used to be like though.

i walked around a bit and found a shrine, which is always nice to visit. miyagiken gokoku shrine 宮城縣護國神社 is not huge, but a decent size and it also look quite nice, i bought some souvenirs for my friend and myself too. after exploring around for a while, i found out that there’s a bus service to take me back to town, so of course i took that and went back to sendai station for lunch.

as beef tongue is a specialty in sendai, i found that there’s a whole row of restaurants dedicated to gyutan at the station, i chose a restaurant that has good review and queued up for it as all restaurants there are packed and super crowded during lunch time. zenjirou たんや善治郎 has quite a simple menu with different cuts and quantity for their set meal, you also get white rice, yam and beef soup with the meal which is very nice. i ordered 4 pieces of thick cut gyutan and it was really really good, i like the simple flavor, the charcoaled taste and the chewy texture of the beef tongue, it goes very well with rice and the soup is quite li8ght and refreshing to complete the meal.

after a satisfying meal, i stop by the zunda saryo ずんだ茶寮 to get the edamame shake. this is also a popular item from sendai, it is very refreshing, sort of like fruit smoothie, but the bean taste is light and refreshing, i really do enjoyed this very much. they also sell some snacks and souvenir which you can buy and bring home.

for the afternoon, i took the local train to matsushima for a boat ride to check out the beautiful islands around matsushima bay 松島湾. apparently, this view is one of the most beautiful and highly recommended. i booked the boat ride ahead so there’s a discount, however, you can also buy tickets on the spot as well.

the boat has huge windows so you can sit inside and look out to enjoy the view while listening to the narration (in japanese), which is a very relaxing thing to do. there’s also a special cabin on the upper floor which require extra fees, so i didn’t go there. the other option is to go outside and enjoy the sea breeze which is fun and great for photos. the view is already very nice, and adding sunset to it make it even better as the water color just changes over time. it is definitely worth checking this out as it was beautiful and such a relaxing activity.

once we are back from the boat ride, i decided to visit a cafe before leaving, as i do still have time until my dinner appointment. shokado cafe 松華堂菓子店 is just by the seaside and they sell various kind of rice crackers, snacks and dessert as souvenir. i ordered hojicha with  a kinako sandwich (soybean flour puff) きなこサンド to enjoy while looking at the sea and sunset. the cafe is not busy hence it is the perfect place to just chill and have a good time.

for dinner, shiogama is a nearby town where it is known to have the most sushi restaurants in whole of japan. and the fish here is super fresh and not being frozen because it is so close by to the sea. my friend helped me make a reservation at sushi shirahata 鮨 しらはた, and i reached there slightly earlier and the staff are super nice and friendly.

with my limited japanese, i managed to ask the chef for some recommendations and what is fresh and good for the day and picked out the food i want to eat. i ordered hotate and shirako (fish semen) for appetizer, sashimi and a sushi platter. the appetizer is actually amazing, there’s a difference in texture for the hotate (scallops) between the ones i enjoyed in aomori and this one. both of them is very good and there’s no fishy taste at all, in fact this is very refreshing with the sauce. shirako is a weird dish, but i quite like it as the texture is so smooth and soft.

sashimi is made of out three type of fish that the chef recommended, all of them have different texture and taste, which is very enjoyable, some lighter taste and some heavier, it’s just so so satisfying to have good sashimi that just give you a different sensation every bite.

sushi platter has 10 piece of sushi with a slice of tamagoyaki. each piece is made so beautifully the whole plate is like an art itself. there’s different type of tuna, local fish, hotate, uni, anago and more. during the whole meal, i had a good time chatting with the chef while he is preparing my food, i’m glad that i get to use my japanese, while it is no where near perfect, at least he did understand what i said.

the service here is really awesome, the restaurant was quiet and the ambiance was really comfortable. the meal also included a bowl of hot shrimp soup and pear sorbet at the end to complete the meal. the whole experience is amazing and definitely highly recommended as i do feel the quality of fresh fish is better  here than in tokyo, and i do believe it is less pricey as well. i would love to be back again if there’s chance in the future.

heading back to sendai, i picked up my luggage from the hotel and also bought some souvenir from zunda saryo before boarding the shinkansen back to tokyo, which also marks the end of my tohoku exploration using my 5 days jr east pass. this pass is so worth it as i got to visit so many amazing places, i do love all the smaller towns and the scenery is just amazing. being able to see snow and play with snow is wonderful as well. there’s definitely so much more to explore as tohoku area is huge, so i would definitely like to visit again in the future.

for next day onwards, it’s gonna be tokyo and places around tokyo, to be continued...

[friedenjapan2024]

All you can eat grilled oysters in Matsushima Bay. Fun!

[japanicus-nerdus]

Monkish Musings from Japan: Matsushima and Sendai

FYI, the second to last video is NSFW. I shot it at a popular store that had and “over 18” section. Ah the joys of Japan. And just so you know how my brain works, the islands in the bay reminded me of this internet meme. Nothing to do with Japan.

[janewilsonrva]

The art of Japanese woodblock prints continued into the 20th century. As the final weeks of Summer are upon us, this moonlit image of Matsushima (Pine Islands) seems appropriate. There is a historic Japanese haiku that evokes the awe of this scenic bay in minimalist fashion:

Matsushima!

Oh Matsushima!

Matsushima!

-Sagami no Tawarabo

Shiro Kasamatsu - Moon at Matsushima, color woodblock print.

[trivia-jp]

松島（まつしま） 宮城野名所

松島（まつしま）は、宮城県に位置する日本三景の一つであり、美しい景観が広がる観光地です。以下に松島の特徴と魅力を詳しく紹介します。 1. 多島美 松島は260以上もの小さな島々からなる景勝地で、美しい海と緑豊かな島々が特徴です。日本三景の中でも特に絶景の一つとされています。 2. 松島湾クルーズ クルーズ船に乗って島々を巡ることができ、数々の島々や海岸線の景色を眺めながら、松島の美しさを満喫できます。 3. 歴史的建造物 島々には多くの歴史的建造物があり、中でも「神宮寺」と呼ばれる松島周辺の寺院は、歴史的な価値が高く、風情��醸し出しています。 4. 松島温泉 松島には歴史ある温泉地もあり、湯量が豊富で泉質も良好な温泉が数多くあります。 5. 四季折々の風景 春は桜、夏は緑、秋は紅葉、冬は雪景色と、四季折々の美しい風景が楽しめる場所です。

♪♫♬🎤🎹🎶♪♫♬🎤🎹🎶♪♫♬🎤🎹🎶♪♫♬🎤🎹🎶

Matsushima Miyagino famous place

Matsushima, located in Miyagi Prefecture, is one of the three most scenic spots in Japan and is a tourist destination with beautiful scenery. Below, we will introduce Matsushima's characteristics and charms in detail. 1. The beauty of the islands Matsushima is a scenic spot made up of more than 260 small islands, and is characterized by its beautiful sea and lush green islands. It is considered one of the most spectacular views among Japan's three scenic views. 2. Matsushima Bay Cruise You can cruise around the islands on a cruise ship and enjoy the beauty of Matsushima while admiring the views of the numerous islands and coastline. 3. Historic building There are many historical buildings on the islands, and among them, the temples around Matsushima called ``Jinguji'' have high historical value and exude an atmosphere. 4. Matsushima Onsen Matsushima has a long history of hot springs, and there are many hot springs with an abundant amount of water and good quality. 5. Scenery of the four seasons It is a place where you can enjoy beautiful scenery in each season: cherry blossoms in spring, greenery in summer, red leaves in autumn, and snowy scenery in winter.

[fivefootbelowtheocean]

Matsushima Bay, seen from Fukuura Island

[etuwmission]

MATSUSHIMA BAY

Matsushima (松島) adalah sebutan untuk sekitar 260 buah pulau besar dan kecil yang berada di Teluk Matsushima, Prefektur Miyagi, Jepang. Pulau-pulau (shima) di Teluk Matsushima ditumbuhi pohon tusam (matsu) sehingga disebut Matsushima. Istilah Matsushima juga dipakai untuk menyebut pemandangan di kawasan Teluk Matsushima beserta perbukitan di sekelilingnya.

[totheendofthisroad]

Matsushima Shota 5 Mar 2023 Online Individual Talk

So, with covid has been going on for years, some on-site events have been switched to online platform. Before, when releasing a calendar you can have a slot of having small talk (like meet & greet) and now it's like that but online. I bought 2 slots for Matsushima Shota this time.

1/

(before the time, I entered the chat room (video room?) waiting 5 mins, the the clock was counting down, when it was around 30 sec left, Shota appeared)

Me: ohh, Shota-kun, ohayou, eh, eh

Shota: (calling my real name)

Me: uwaa (showing 2021 calendar with my name on it)

Shota: how nostalgic!

Me: uhm, thank you for writing my name like this, can you see it clearly

Shota: yes, thank you

(time running out)

Me: ahh, time, see you later

2/

Shota: (calling my real name again)

Me: Shota is back!

Me: 2 weeks later it's my birthday, it's a bit early but can you say "otanjoubi omedetou" for me?

Shota: otanjoubi emedetou!!

Me: uwa,, I'm so happy, thank you!!

Shota: your glasses are cute

Me: eh, eh, thank you. Ah, time again!

Shota: Thank you!

Me: Thank you Shota, see you again, bai bai

*/

sometimes I feel so stupid with my convos *~*

[jetsettermac]

matsushima, miyagi | september 22, 2022

oshima, matsushima bay, zuiganji, godaido

>> read about it here << >> see all silver week 2022 posts <<

[notdefinedbystars]

Miyagi in Summer Looking to get out of the big city this summer? Miyagi is the perfect prefecture for you.

[tobimawaru]

Spring Break 2014 - Yokohama —> Miyagi

March 23 - Matsushima Bay, from Fukuura Island

[goodmorningglow]

stars and matsushima bay

1

[toratabi]

熊本、松島 . 📍Matsushima,Kumamoto prefecture,Japan . Hello world🐅 Tag Japanophile😀 . Follow @toratabix For your Japanese trip someday. . #熊本 #熊本旅行 #松島 #港 #Kumamoto #Matsushima #bay #寅旅 #旅行 #写真撮ってる人と繋がりたい #ファインダー越しの私の世界 #写真好きな人と繋がりたい #カメラ好きな人と繋がりたい #旅行好きな人と繋がりたい #カメラ女子 #カメラ #一眼レフ #キャノン #散歩 #絶景 #風景写真 #ひとり旅 #男はつらいよ #toratabi #instaphoto #travelgram #instatravel #photooftheday #instadaily #photography (松島港) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx4XGjPgf4B/?igshid=19it7f6rqasuy

[evasionsrebelles]

🇨🇵 La baie de Matsushima est connue pour sa beauté pittoresque comme l’un des « trois sites les plus pittoresques du Japon ». 260 petites îles couvertes de pins flottent dans les eaux émeraude de la baie, une vue qui reste inchangée depuis des siècles 🇬🇧 Matsushima Bay is known for its scenic beauty as one of "Japan's Three Most Scenic Spots". 260 tiny pine-covered islands float in the emerald waters of the bay, a sight that has remained unchanged for centuries 🇯🇵 松島湾は、「日本三景景スポット」のひとつとして、その景観の美しさで知られています。 260の小さな松に覆われた島々が湾のエメラルド色の海に浮かんでいます。こ��光景は何世紀にもわたって変わっていません。 ------------------------------------------------------------- 🔶️ https://evasionsrebelles.com/ ➡️ FB Evasions Rebelles ➡️ Tw Erebelles #japon #japan #tourisme #voyage #travel  #photo #matsushima #baie #bay #visitjapanfr #visitjapan #sendai (à Matsushima Bay) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdSvgpLs-U-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=