Sendai
Sendai is a beautiful city of about 1 million people located in the Miyagi
prefecture of the Tohoku region. Even though Fodor's calls Sendai a
"small, provincial farming town even by small, provincial farming town standards",
I loved living there. Of course, living in this farm town of 1
million, there were quite a few rice paddies. I had been told that the
last of the dance clubs had gone bust five years before, but there were fantastic
views, great public transportation, and lots of things to see.
Sendai was once the home of
Date Masamune, a man famous for throughout Japan, but most especially Sendai, for
his political strength and savvy during the late 1500s and early 1600s. Even today, visitors
can go to the Aoba Castle Site where the Date built his famous castle (famous
because it was on a hill and had no keep - according to NHK's TV show Musashi,
he built it this way to convince those in power he was not anticipating a fight
and was therefore no threat to the leader's power... of course later he was
accused of plotting with Spain to overthrow that same leader). Now, one should not go to Aoba-jo and actually expect to see the
castle. I, silly little American that I was, did and was very disappointed
after we left Aoba-jo without seeing the it. Turns out, there is no
castle. It is just the site where the castle had been built. The
wall that surrounded and protected the castle is still there, but the castle
itself was
destroyed in World War II by American bombing.
The castle is not the only thing destroyed in
World War II. Most of Sendai, especially the center of town, was destroyed. There are
no truly old buildings standing that were not rebuilt after the war. While not
the greatest of situations for the historical aspects of Sendai (though the city
itself only has about 400 years of history behind it, which, as any Japanese
will tell you, is really nothing for their country), it did enable the city to
rebuild on a modern grid structure, making it a more attractive city than others
of a similar size.
One of my favorite memories of Sendai (of all of Japan, really), is the day I
found a temple in the middle of the shopping district. I was actually only
able to find this temple twice, even though I looked for it several other times,
but it was so hidden that I just passed right by it. The entrance to the temple
was on the same street as the pedestrian mall which was the main shopping
strip. Shops line both sides of the large concrete walk-way and the temple
entrance is in between two shops. The entrance was only about 10
feet across, so in an area where there are thousands of people on any give day,
neon signs advertising pachinko, and a riot of colors in the form of signs and
banners, it was easy enough to walk by without noticing. Just a simple
little wooden opening, looking to be just part of the shadows.
I noticed the entrance one day and decided to venture into it. It
was like stepping into a different world. I went from a world of gray and
modern concrete and the noise of people, cars and shopkeepers yelling for
attention, into dark and ancient wooden world where none of the sounds from the
shopping area were able to penetrate. After the noise, it seemed like the
little hallway was filled with a strange hush, almost like I was now at a temple
in a quiet forest. I actually felt like I had stepped outside.
There was a narrow hallway, lined with little hut-like display stands,
selling charms and fortunes. At the end of this hallway, which was perhaps 15 or
20 feet long, there stood a large temple. The temple itself does not stand
out in my mind. By the time I had found this temple, I had seen so many
that I barely noticed more about it than the fact that it was there. The
only thing I can vividly recall about the temple aside from the old, unstained
color of the wood, was the large brass bell hanging at the top of the cord in
front of the temple, a large version of the kind of bell you can find on any cat
collar at the pet store. Bells and gongs are used to wake the gods of
shines and temples so they are awake to hear the prayers of the faithful.
I had seen just as many bells as I had temples, but for some reason, this one
struck me. For some reason, I can still remember this bell and the feeling
I had while in this little hidden corner of the world, but I cannot recall the
temple.
The strangest thing about the whole experience to me was the fact that I
never noticed a ceiling. Oh, I'm sure it was there. After all, the
entire pedestrian mall was covered and nowhere in it could you see sky except
for at a street crossing. But while logically I know it must have been
there, I don't remember seeing it. I just remember the silence. And
that bell.
I was able to find it once more after looking several times. I
purchased some charms for souvenirs. But I wanted to take my parents to it
during their visit and I wasn't able to find it. I will try again to find
it when I got back next year. I might even look for the ceiling. But
perhaps it would be best if I couldn't find it again. And I will forever
have the memory of that strangely quite outdoor place in the middle of the
busiest section of town.
On to Families
Back to Japan '96 - '97
Last Updated 2-Oct-03