Apologies for the two weeks of no-show, I had a really silly deadline at University I had to make amongst other things. But never mind that, as this week we'll be heading to lands once trodden by the One-Eyed Dragon himself. It's another place outside of Tokyo, and very much a place to visit if you fancy learning a little about Date Masamune's influence during the Sengoku period. The rest of you can ride around the place on a motor-horse, just don't tell them I sent you. 

After receiving permission from Tokugawa Ieyasu, Date Masamune had a new castle built on Mount Aoba in Sendai, and it's at this point that Sendai began to grow. Why did he want to build a new castle? He just really didn't like his current one! The surrounding city was built soon afterwards, and it continues to flourish to this day. Sendai has become famous for its extravagant festivals, as well as gaining the nickname 'gakuto', or 'academic city', due to the number of colleges and universities they have. 

Sendai is also particularly famous for it's scenic views, especially around the Akiu and Sakunami hot springs. You can also find the Matsushima here, which are 260 pine tree covered islands that are hailed as one of the 'three views of Japan'. Unfortunately, Sendai was devastated in the 2011 earthquakes, though it didn't take them long to get to work restoring the area. 

Fun Fact Time!

Did you know that Sendai has popularised a few different foods? One of these is 'gyutan', which you can try out for yourselves when you go for lunch! Oh, it's cow tongue, usually served grilled. You never know, it may taste great!

It's back to the bullet train again, so you'll want to head over to Tokyo station to catch it. If you have the Japan Rail Pass, you'll want the 'Hayate' train, but if you're paying for the trains individually, you're mad you may as well take the 'Hayabusa'. Those with the Rail Pass can't use it, but it's only three hundred yen more expensive than a regular 'Hayate' train fare (¥10,890 instead of ¥10,590), and will get you there a little quicker. You'll want to do the following:

• From Tokyo Station, take the 'Hayate' shinkansen (if you have a Rail Pass) or the 'Hayabusa' (if you don't) to Sendai station. This should take about an hour and a half (Hayabusa) or a little under two hours (Hayate). 

Remember to carry your Japan Rail Pass and your Passport at all times! Luckily this is one of the shorter trips outside of Tokyo, but I'd still recommend bringing along a few games or something. My DS saw a lot of play time, I'll tell you that. A short walk from the station you will find the 'Loople Sendai' bus service. Using this, you can pay a mere ¥600 for unlimited travel on it's route, which will take you to many of Sendai's significant historical locations. You'll need to buy a ticket at the bus station from a small booth, and you'll notice the buses from afar, as they have a very old-fashioned look. 

One place definitely worth checking out is the Date mausoleum, known as the Zuihoden. Date Masamune himself ordered that it built upon his death, and it was finally completed in 1637, after under a year in construction. Many of the Date clan are buried here, including some members of the family that did not necessarily become daimyo. It's a beautiful place to visit, as it contains many elaborate stone statues and ornate buildings. A lot of the structures were damaged or destroyed in 1945 during the Second World War, but have since been restored. There is also a small museum here, containing items that were excavated after the 1945 bombings during reconstruction of the Zuihoden. You will also find a guest book here, which you can sign and leave messages in. If you get the chance to visit, see if you can find my entry!

Fun fact time!

Did you know that, contrary to popular opinion, Date Masamune didn't wear an eyepatch to prevent accidental laser-related accidents? He lost the sight in one of his eyes to smallpox, which caused his mother to try and get his younger brother made heir to the Date clan instead. In response, Date killed his brother, thus preventing future arguments on the matter. Some people claim that Date removed the eyeball himself, where others say he had Katakura Kojuro do it for him. Regardless, he didn't let the eye hamper his reign as daimyo, though it is the reason behind his 'One-Eyed Dragon' nickname. 

Of course, it would be silly to visit Sendai and not visit Aoba Castle. If you survive the climb up the hill to get to it (tip: take the bus) you'll be treated to one of the best views in the whole of Japan. Of course, this is my own opinion, but I went up enough towers to give a pretty good opinion, I think! It's from up here that you will see the towering statue of Date Masamune on a horse (seen in the header image). On good days, there will also be people dressed up as Sengoku era warriors, who I imagine will talk a little bit about the history of the place. If you can't understand Japanese like myself, it at least makes for an awesome photo opportunity. The majority of the castle is still in ruin, both from being dismantled in part in the 1870s, as well as the 1945 bombings, but there are some beautiful sights to see and I would strongly recommend going along with a camera. 

The Sendai Loople will also take you past the Sendai City Museum, which houses well over 90,000 items of interest. It has a ¥400 entry and has a wide range of different exhibits, not necessarily limited to the Sengoku era. There is certainly a fair amount of it though, including full suits of armour (replica and originals) and weaponry, letters from one daimyo to another and all sorts of other cool things. Some of the one-off exhibits they like to run may have an additional entry fee, but to be honest, the main museum will certainly hold your interest. Even if history isn't your thing, you may want to consider coming so that you can try on a replica of Date Masamune's helmet. I certainly had a good laugh messing around with it, but here's a picture of a friend of mine wearing it instead. Sold yet?

Fun fact time!

Did you know that the 'City of Lights' festival in Riverside, California was an idea taken from Sendai? Every December it holds the 'Sendai Pageant of Starlight', which involves adorning the trees in Aoba-dōri and Jōzenji-dōri with over a million tiny orange lights. Apparently the light it casts on the harsh, cold weather is very pleasant, and no doubt a sight to see if you are in Japan at the time.

Chances are that you've seen something related to Tanabata in manga/anime. This particular festival is hugely celebrated in Sendai, where they will hang intricate decorations and hold parades at the beginning of August. People will often write a wish on a 'tanzaku', which are small strips of paper, and tie them to bamboo. Food stalls and carnival games can also be seen, and the Sendai festival in particular hosts a huge fireworks display. This is held every August 5th, so you may want to consider renting a hotel room overnight so that you can enjoy it. Unfortunately, the shinkansen doesn't run at late hours. 

That brings us to a close, so I hope you enjoyed this look into the land of never-ending parties. If you want to write about your own experiences, have any further questions or even have some tips of your own, leave them in the comments below!