November 6, 2017: Sendai Japan trip--Part II

November 6th: This was our first hiking day in Sendai! We hiked up to the old Aoba/Sendai Castle ruins and enjoyed the sights along the way. The castle was built in 1601 and has very little of the original structure remaining.

One of many shrines in Sendai

Simplicity and beauty in Japanese landscaping. These are two apartment buildings

 Cute little fire trucks and fire gear at this Fire Station

 High rise apartment buildings everywhere

Garden plots near apartment complexes 

Brights spots along the way

Futon covers and pillows air out on the roof and balcony of a family home

 Little flower garden with seashells in the blue pot

The Hirose River we walked past

The overpass/bridge for the Hirose River

 Beautiful autumn colors

This old stone wall form the 1600's is part of the original Sendai Castle fortress structure

According to Wickipedia, the castle was "partially dismantled in the 1870s, and the grounds were     given over to the Imperial Japanese Army, who used it as the base for the Sendai Garrison (later the IJA 2nd Division. A large fire in 1882 destroyed many of the remaining structures of the castle."

".... and all else in the castle were destroyed completely on July 10, 1945 by the United States during the Bombing of Sendai during World War II."

"During the occupation of Japan, the castle site came under the control of the United States Army, which razed any remaining Edo period structures. It was returned to Japan in 1957. In 1961, the Sendai City Museum was built on the site of the San-no-Maru enclosure. Over the next decades, stone base, some walls, and some wooden structures, have been rebuilt to increase the tourist potential of the site, and in 2006, Aoba Castle was designated one of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan."

Castle drawings atop the original castle sight

This area is a small fraction of where the castle used to stand

These protected stones were original remnants 

  Views of the city from the castle grounds

A huge old Buddhist statue in the background

The Sendai Westin Hotel is the tallest building in this photo

Shrine on the castle grounds

Water feature on the castle grounds

 These painted gourds have special prayers written on them

Sweet red bean-filled "pancake" treat

The castle gate that was rebuilt for entrance to the castle grounds

Love these delicate Japanese Maple leaves

The (rebuilt) Watchtower for the Sendai Castle

We liked the big flapping fish on top of the pagoda roof

These photos were taken on our way back down from the castle sight

I thought this 3-story motorcycle and bicycle shop was cute

We stopped at a little yakiniku restaurant for a late lunch on our way back to the hotel
This was my favorite place, even though Mike ordered beef tongue!

  This was the fun part of the meal! Mike liked the "outer parts" more than the tongue

Wild but pretty landscape in the yard of a family home

Bridge that we crossed over the Hirose River

Cute "elderly crossing" sign

This place was tiny, and we had to wait a long time for a table for dinner

Mike was feeling run-down and was catching my yucky sore throat and head cold

Too much fried chicken, but everything else was great

Sendai is beautiful at night