April 26, 2025, Japan. We left Yamagata around 9:30 after enjoying a latte and pastry at a Starbucks in the train station. I had wanted to see the old hospital building in the castle park before leaving, but there wasn’t enough time. We took the train to Matsushima, and I followed the recommended route to the ryokan—which turned out to be circuitous. We arrived 20 minutes later, but there was no answer. Eventually someone responded, and we were able to drop off our bags before each heading off toward the sea.

On the way to the main part of town, I stopped at a bakery and picked up the largest croissant I’ve ever seen. Very un-Japanese, as most Japanese pastries were bite size. From there I visited the spectacular temples I’d read about: Zuiganji, the temple of the Date clan in Matsushima; the serene rock garden of Entsuin, dedicated to Date Tadamune, Masamune’s 19-year-old son who died of poisoning; and Kanrantei, an ancient tea house overlooking the sea. I learned that Kanrantei is the only serving building from the Date clan mansion complex. It had been moved from Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Fushimi Castle to Edo by Date Masamune, and finally brought to Matsushima by his son Date Tadamune.

I also visited two shrines, Ojimagasaki Inari Shrine and Ningyo-cho, Otori-Jinja Shrine. Some say the Otori-Jinja was surrounded by the sea in centuries past, until a Shinto priest moved it to an island full of pines and built a shrine inviting Inari-no-kami. The shrine kept a fire lit for the safety of sailors.

I was intrigued by Fukuurajima, an island just offshore, connected by a beautiful traditional Japanese style bridge. I had seen the bridge from afar and wanted to walk across it. I made my way to the bridge around 5 p.m., not realizing it might be closed. Upon my arrival I saw a locked gate, but noticed a few people walking around the gate to another entrance, and followed suit. When I reached the island, I found that many visitors had also walked through the gate. I was surprised as I think of Japanese as very law abiding.

Fukuurajima was beautiful and peaceful. I stayed until sunset, taking tons of photos and looking at the shrines, entranced by the lovely birdsong. It felt incredibly remote—no car noise, just nature. As it got darker, I walked back to the mainland, exploring the coastline in the other direction. This is how I discovered the tiny island of Oshima, a place that was sacred to many Buddhists, including Bashō, who carved haiku there. It was quiet and atmospheric, and I felt cocooned in its beauty and solitude.

I was getting hungry, and found a restaurant online. Shawn agreed to meet me there, and we ended up sitting with an Israeli couple, Nimrod and Noa, who invited us to join their table for dinner. We had a lively conversation about politics, Trump, and the direction both our countries are headed. They were on their way to meet their son in Tokyo the next day. It was a lovely evening—we had plum wine on ice, and Noa and I became Facebook friends.