Pining for Matsushima.

For the first time, I had a wedding in Matsushima so I took advantage of the lovely weather and wandered around. Here is the view of the islands from the hotel.

I parked alongside the very same beach that I helped tidy last year.

I decided to cross the little red bridge and explore one of the islands, named Oshima.

These handmade caves would fit right in on an episode of the Flintstones.

I met a polar bear along the way.

I was feeling peckish and on the way to Zuiganji Temple, I heard some soft jazz so I dropped into Oyster Bay for a snack.

Yaki-kaki (grilled oyster).

Gyutan (Beef tongue)

A Zunda shake. Normally I'm not a fan of the mushy bean paste known as zunda. This was much tastier than I expected.

The closest thing to Cherry Blossoms I've seen all season. Most of the trees are bereft of blossoms.

Best caves ever. They date back to the 1100s!

A final shot of the bay as I walk back to the car.

After all that nature, I needed a nerd-fix so I popped into Mandai in Tagajo. I scored a sweet Supergirl for only 800 yen!