we drove through the mountains straddling the Yamagata

and Miyagi prefectural border

to Mount Zao to visit the Okama Crater

that sits at an altitude of 1,841 meters.

(gentle music)

Yesterday we were in Yamagata, it was 25 degrees,

it was like late spring.

I had like my chest out, we were like styling (laughs).

Well look, there's still snow up here,

that's crazy to me.

You're not allowed to approach the crater,

and the roads are closed in the winter due to the snow.

But with the drop in temperature

and the volcanic rock all over the ground,

visiting this crater feels like you're on another planet,

and it's really surreal.

If you're nearby, it is worth the trip to check it out.

Okay, so we have traveled for hours.

We have left Yamagata Prefecture,

and we have entered Miyagi

We are now at Kamasaki Onsen, and right behind me

is this amazing massive Ryokan called Yunushi Ichijo,

and it's actually registered

as a protected cultural heritage site.

It's a massive Ryokan, and a massive property,

it's really fascinating to walk up towards it.

Our car could barely make it through

some of the lower parts of the overpass,

overheads, over things, things.

So let's take a little walk and explore.

Located in a quiet mountainside,

Yunushi Ichijo seems like a time capsule,

a (indistinct) Showa era luxury Ryokan

that survived the test of time.

And although the large property

boasts a lot of authentic Japanese style construction,

they've updated some of the rooms

to be even more luxurious than they were before.

(gentle music)

Look at how big this one is.

Oh my God, it's massive.

The double beds behind me are big enough

for at least four people, total,

like you could have two per bed.

Over here, we've got the living room.

Very beautiful, let's go start with the inside bath.

The inside bath is really cozy,

you've got a nice little old shaped bath here.

From the bath you open a door,

you come out into this gorgeous, private, open air bath.

My absolute favorite part of staying in this Ryokan,

however, was definitely the kaiseki dinner.

It's a perfect balance of fresh seafood

and the renowned beef.

And again, we were left with full stomachs.

This further confirms my theory that in northern Japan,

they really, really like to feed you.

(gentle music)

The next morning we stopped by the nearby Shiroishi Castle.

A castle that dates back to the 12th century,

but has since been rebuilt.

Here you can try some genuine samurai armor,

and get a real feel for how the samurai used to live.

Not only is this a great photo experience,

but it shows you just how heavy layers of armor can be.

I definitely learned I wouldn't make a good useful samurai.

One thing you need to know about this outfit

is that it is very heavy, it is 15 kilos,

over 30 pounds of clothes.

(laughs) So walking up and down the stairs,

you gotta be ready to sweat a bit, okay.

For a coffee break we headed to Watari City,

a city in Miyagi that was heavily impacted

by the tsunami in 2011.

Here a company called Watari uses upcycled kimono fabric

to make brand new items.

And at Nakamachi Cafe, you can join in

a key chain-making session

using the upcycled kimono fabric yourself.

All right, so we're going to make

our own original key chain

from reused upcycled kimono fabric,

which personally I'm very excited for

because I think this is a great way

to make a nice unique Japanese souvenir

where there's only one.

I made this one, I think it turned out really cool,

I love the vibrant blue color.

I feel like it looks cool, it's super cute.

I can't wait to put some keys on it,

and use it with everything else I own.

Then it was time for lunch,

and we made our way further to Natori City,

a region that was heavily devastated

by the earthquake in Tsunami.

At Kawamachi Terrace, the aim is to revitalize the region

by providing outlets for local restaurants,

produce, and wares to be purchased by visitors.

So this is a great place for a pit stop, a rest,

and a bit of souvenir shopping.

So one of the foods that Sendai is known for is beef tongue.

And if you haven't had beef tongue in Japan,

you should 'cause it's delicious.

Down South we also have beef tongue restaurants,

and they're all from Sendai (laughs).

So since we are here in Miyagi,

we're definitely gonna have beef tongue for lunch.

And what better place to try it

than Kawamachi Terrace in Natori.

Finally, after a bit more driving

we arrived at our final stop for the day, Sendai City.

With a population of over a million,

this city is vibrant and energetic,

and nothing like I imagined it at all.

This is my first time in Sendai, and I've never,

I don't know, I like I didn't know anything about it,

I didn't know what to expect.

But I love the greenery down here,

it's so beautiful, lots of nature.

Tonight we're gonna just go walking around the city

and maybe do a little bit of bar hopping.

And it sounds like a great way

to just get acquainted with the area

and the vibe of the culture here, so let's go.

(upbeat music)

We waited for it to get dark

before embarking on our night tour

with our tour guide Riske, who showed us around.

So we're on the hunt for Zunda,

which is the name of the edamame paste

that is used in Japanese sweets here.

We don't see it so much down south,

and I'm excited to give it a try at the the spot

because like, I don't know if the stuff

that we can get in (indistinct)

is like as fresh or authentic.

My first Zunda shake with mochi in,

it looks very interesting.

Mm, I don't know what I expected,

I thought it was gonna taste less green,

but it has bits of muchi in it, very chewy.

If you like bubble tea or like tapioca in your drinks,

this is something you should definitely try.

(gentle music)

Riske took us through Sendai shopping arcades

and into the side streets of Iroha Yokocho

to deep dive into Sendai's bar culture.

Our first stop, an authentic

and exclusive yakitori restaurant,

with chicken skewers grilled right before our eyes.

(meat sizzling)

All right, first round, we're having hearts.

(gentle music)

(indistinct chatter)

Mm, mm.

After a few bites here,

we headed further down the alleyway

into a rock and roll bar frequented by celebrities

such as Cyndi Lauper and Chris Broad.

And this is where things started to get really exciting.

I've had yakitori before, but this restaurant was great

in that it served a lot of soul food and specialty items

that can really only be found in this particular area.

(speaking in foreign language)

The food culture all across Japan is really diverse,

and that's what makes it really exciting

when you go out to eat.

This time I tried Hoya or sea pineapple,

and trust me, that was an adventure.

(speaking in foreign language)

This was a great way to end the day,

and also my first and hopefully not last trip to Sendai.

(gentle music)

In the morning, we checked out of our hotel,

which was conveniently connected straight to Sendai Station.

We made our way down to the Shinkansen entrance

and hopped on the train to our next destination.

Where did we end up?

Stay tuned for our final video in the series.

(upbeat music)