It was 3:40 in the morning and I woke up to trembling. Art was in the bathroom which might be another reason I got up. Maybe. Whatever the reason, I woke up to definitely feeling the earth move. Checking online, we saw that the epicenter of the earthquake was in Ichinoseki in the Miyagi Prefecture. Art fell right back asleep. I stayed awake feeling mild aftershocks. Art thinks I imagined it. He did say he saw water sloshing in the bathroom.
I asked tour friends if anybody had felt the earthquake.
Incredibly, the earthquake woke very few people. Sigh...
I wish I could be a sound sleeper.
Our first stop was Yokote's Furusato Village. I thought it was going to be an actual village, but it turned out to be a huge shopping area for more omiyage (gifts).
We bought some Inaniwa udon noodles for Art's sister and our children.
Tour guide Yoko told us that Japan's 3 most famous noodles are:
Inaniwa
Sanuki
Gumaken's Mizusawa
Then there was lunch at the Ogachi Restaurant in Uzawa City. Notice that the shape of the roof is like the headwear of Japanese women in days of old.
Art says my posts are going to make people think all we did was eat on this trip.
Well, I did gain a couple of pounds.
This was one of my favorite lunches. I loved the udon noodles and broth. Yum! Unlike other udon noodles I've had which were thicker and rounder, Inaniwa udon noodles are flatter and silkier.
Oyako donburi is a chicken and egg omelet over rice. It was awesome, but too much for me to finish. Oya means parent (chicken), ko means child (egg).
An hour after lunch we were at Naruko Gorge to admire more of the gorgeous fall colors. We first enjoyed the view from the bridge.
And then we walked to the other side to see the bridge where we'd taken a whole lot of photos.
We stopped at the Kokeshi Doll Museum next.
We weren't allowed to take photos, but we saw a craftsman making the beautiful wooden dolls. He carved the dolls in such a way that when you moved her head, it would squeak.
The museum displayed antique dolls exactly like those my grandmother gave my daughter, Tiffany over 20 years ago when we took the kids to meet her in Sendai.
A very sumptuous dinner with Wagyu beef awaited us that evening. We would be cooking our own food which was fun but required some concentration on my part.
This would be our last onsen night and I enjoyed soaking in the pleasure of the last few days of our tour with several other tour lady friends.
I asked tour friends if anybody had felt the earthquake.
Incredibly, the earthquake woke very few people. Sigh...
I wish I could be a sound sleeper.
Our first stop was Yokote's Furusato Village. I thought it was going to be an actual village, but it turned out to be a huge shopping area for more omiyage (gifts).
We bought some Inaniwa udon noodles for Art's sister and our children.
Tour guide Yoko told us that Japan's 3 most famous noodles are:
Inaniwa
Sanuki
Gumaken's Mizusawa
Then there was lunch at the Ogachi Restaurant in Uzawa City. Notice that the shape of the roof is like the headwear of Japanese women in days of old.
Art says my posts are going to make people think all we did was eat on this trip.
Well, I did gain a couple of pounds.
This was one of my favorite lunches. I loved the udon noodles and broth. Yum! Unlike other udon noodles I've had which were thicker and rounder, Inaniwa udon noodles are flatter and silkier.
Oyako donburi is a chicken and egg omelet over rice. It was awesome, but too much for me to finish. Oya means parent (chicken), ko means child (egg).
An hour after lunch we were at Naruko Gorge to admire more of the gorgeous fall colors. We first enjoyed the view from the bridge.
And then we walked to the other side to see the bridge where we'd taken a whole lot of photos.
We stopped at the Kokeshi Doll Museum next.
We weren't allowed to take photos, but we saw a craftsman making the beautiful wooden dolls. He carved the dolls in such a way that when you moved her head, it would squeak.
The museum displayed antique dolls exactly like those my grandmother gave my daughter, Tiffany over 20 years ago when we took the kids to meet her in Sendai.
A very sumptuous dinner with Wagyu beef awaited us that evening. We would be cooking our own food which was fun but required some concentration on my part.
This would be our last onsen night and I enjoyed soaking in the pleasure of the last few days of our tour with several other tour lady friends.
The food looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteOur area is very free of most earthquakes. Apparently a tiny one went off but I never felt it.
ReplyDeleteI would have been unable to sleep after an earthquake of any size! The food you showed here sure made me hungry again. And I love you all "dressed up" in that kimono. :-)
ReplyDeleteNever have felt an earthquake yet and really hope I never do. That had to be disconcerting to be the only one awake.
ReplyDeleteI like all the foods you show us. Thank you for showing us the menu. Tempura is one of my favorite foods. I don't mind earthquakes, but I hate them when the house grows cracks.
ReplyDeletewow cooking your own meal sounds challenging but fun and tasty!
ReplyDeleteI bet the earth quake was not on your itinary! That's a bonus!
ReplyDeleteAnglerfish? Did it taste like other fish? Amazing menus. Not sure I'd want my doll's head to squeak. Do the older dolls in your family still squeak? Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteWow! You are really observant. I didn’t even notice what kind of fish soup we were having. Since my taste buds are rather weak these days, it’s not surprising that I wouldln’t notice. I shall have to ask my daughter if her Kokeshi dolls’ heads are squeaking.
DeleteI would not have gone back to sleep either. I sleep poorly when I travel and then i would have been hypersensitive to any more trembling.
ReplyDeleteI really am not much of a traveler. It's better if I don't travel alone. I have had several events happening while flying and I always am nervous while trying to find the correct gate. On time, several years ago, they changed the gate three times and I did not hear the last change. They paged me and I went down on the tarmac to board the plane with steps up to the entrance.
ReplyDeleteI sleep badly all the time! Taking it easy today. You are amazing travelers.
ReplyDelete