On The Road Again, Sendai!
Who doesn't love to travel? See new places, eat strange, local foods, meet horribly rude people, as long as it's not 36,000 feet up in a tin can for hours I'm game.
I'm up in Sendai, Japan, 2 hours north of Tokyo on the shinkansen, bullet train.It takes 6 hours to get up here by car from my house, so the bullet train is pretty nice in comparison.
I'm up here for our gem and mineral show. It's actually the second time I've been up here for the show. The first was 2 years ago because last year's show was cancelled due to Corona.
This year we are in a bigger hall and Sendai is not under lock down like several of the other big cities in Japan, looking at you Tokyo & Osaka. That means you can still go out, enjoy a meal and a beer as long as it's before 8pm and you have your hazmat suit on! You see, even though the recent COVID spike hasn't hit Sendai, it's still a terror after 8pm. That's when it really comes out to get ya. Some of the cooler establishments are still open past 8pm though. I don't think the Emperor will be pleased.
Anyway, Sendai is fun. It's a big-little city where if you can't read and speak Japanese you are going to have a real hard time. I was surprised by the lack of English support up here. I mean every business's name is written in English, but that's it. No worries though, this is Japan and they love foreigners, some of the time.... definitely not during "pandemics".
As far as sightseeing goes, I haven't really had a chance to get around because I have been working. I did however go to SS30, the skyscraper with a free observation floor. If you come to Sendai or Tokyo look for these buildings. Every big city has them and they provide beautiful views of the city.
Our show runs for 3 days, Friday, Sat. & Sunday. Today was pretty good, cleared over $1K. Now, those are still rookie numbers, but Corona set us back a year or two and I've still got 2 more days. If I do that Sat. & Sun. I'll be in good shape. A high end dealer will do $2k - $3k a day. Of course the economy is crap so that hinders things too.
I'm looking forward to going out to eat somewhere tomorrow night. Not sure where, but no, I'm not trying the gyutan( cow tongue), I'm just not into eating those weird parts of animals unless it's in a sausage or hotdog, then throw it all in!
Tonight it's a glorious combini dinner. And just as I walk in the fun begins. I gotta get these for my kids!
I opted for a healthy dinner so tomorrow I can go wild.
仙台に来られたのですね。「ずんだもち」美味しいですよ。楽しんで行ってください。
ずんだ餅を探してみます!
I am interested in your rude horrible experiences in Japan ;p
Ah, I was just joking, but the dealer next to me is a little shit. He yells at his workers and complains all day. lol.
but like everyday, you dont get harassed or stared at or anything interesting?
I still get stared at all the time, especially when I am wearing my cowboy hats.
One time a few years back at around midnight some skaters flipped me off in downtown Hachioji, so I walked over to them and laughed and said they were little shits and I used to skate with Pros like Danny Way, Tony Hawk, etc. They were nice after that, then the cops came over to harass all of us. I told the cops I was taking pictures for a skating website, but they still harassed me.
It's interesting you ask because I feel the prejudice, but not racism. Like I am gaijin and a lot of people won't sit next to me on the train, don't say good morning to me at the gem show, etc. It's ok though because I am comfortable, almost from a parental perspective. People just haven't had interactions with foreigners and would rather not deal with them. I get it.
Ah, I too love travelling, meeting new people, I feel like I am in there while seeing those pics, the tall buildings, the delicious food. I am wishing that at least once in my life I wanna go on a trip to Japan!!
#affable #india
Tokyo is very easy for non-Japanese speaking people. You need 2 weeks to really enjoy it though because the first week you are jet lagged and you are adjusting to a foreign city. After that first week you will have a great time!
Really? Non-Japanese speakers can easily get adjusted to the locals? It feels so happy reading such messages. Thank you so much @rt395