YOKOHAMA TO SENDAI

In planning this one week Japan Rail Pass itinerary, the primary requirement was maximization of Fall colors.  However, Sendai, I thought, would be a bit too north to be optimal.  However, the attraction was our favorite Japanese Wagyu Beef restaurant, named Iseya in the Sendai Station basement.

I had a minimal Sheraton breakfast:

Bullet train (Shinkansen)::

There wasn't much color from the train:

We arrived in Sendai and went for late lunch / early dinner at Iseya:

You can purchase these steaks for $93/pound.  Unfortunately, I mis-ordered and somehow got both the wagyu beef and wagyu tongue.  On a  trip to Sendai five years ago I mistakenly ate beef tongue and did not realize until the next day what I had.  It tasted almost like beef but was crunchy.  I still feel a blob of Sendai beef tongue above the pit of my stomach...five years later.

So, anyway the beef tongue is that plate at the top of the photo below, next to the pork tonkatsu, which was not quite as good as the Nagasaki variety:

On  the walk from the station to the Sendai Westin, I was surprised that Sendai still showed a lot of Fall color:

Gingko trees outside the Westin, and the hotel below:

One view from our room:

The Club Lounge at the Sendai Westin is more dignified than that of the Yokohama Bay Sheraton, but the food and drink offerings are not as generous.  Plus, I just had this wagyu meal a couple of hours ago.  But this was my final snack of the day.

The view from the Club is awesome.  While we somehow got the best table of the house, where I took the photo to the left, the place got filled by the time the drinks became available.  The food was pu-pu style...no real dishes of prominence, and the gin martini was totally dry.  That is, no white vermouth.  However the ambience, sights and discussion made this evening memorable.

Tomorrow, another 3-train itinerary, from Sendai to Matsumoto, where I hope to see Pearl's Gold Koi,

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