Rinnō-ji Temple — a very well-restored temple from the 15th century — seems pretty unassuming at first.
I’m not sure where I just ate. I was trying to eat at Taimeshi Kotobukiya, a Michelin-rated restaurant that serves Japanese cuisine, and that has an affordable lunch special.
When you think of whisky, the first thing that comes to mind is probably either Scotch whisky, or American bourbon. But I think more and more people are starting to realize that Japan is putting out some whiskies that easily rival anything coming out of Scotland.
There’s a temple on top of a mountain called Yamadera — it’s about an hour’s train ride outside of Sendai, and it’s easily a must-visit if you’re in the city.
Though I think most of us promptly forgot that Pokemon Go even existed after the initial fervor died down, that’s clearly not the case in Japan.
There are about a million Choco Cro locations in Sendai (or is that St. Marc Cafe? The sign says both, but “Choco Cro” is clearly bigger). Eventually, after passing one for twentieth time and seeing the display of chocolate croissants outside of the store, my curiosity got the better of me. I had to check it out.
I had a bit of an ordering hiccup at Tonkatsu Katsusei, a Michelin-rated tonkatsu restaurant in Sendai. The Michelin connection made me think they’d either have an English menu, or photos I could point at. They had neither.
Conveniently enough, three must-see Sendai sightseeing spots are all clustered together (they’re each about a fifteen minute walk apart), so it’s pretty easy to see them all in one shot.
I’m currently in Sendai, the largest city in the Tohoku region in Northern Tokyo. There are a couple of dishes that they’re known for here, but the most popular by far is gyutan — grilled beef tongue.
Since I actually managed to go to all of the restaurants featured in Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman, I figured I’d rank them. Everybody loves a list, right?