Matsushima Light Up!

I was very sad to be away for Thanksgiving. It's an especially important holiday for my family because we're a uniquely large and close-knit bunch. Nevertheless, my Thanksgiving was far from depressing. For starters, I got to skype my family for a few minutes on their Thanksgiving evening before I went to work the following day (crazy, right?).

Next, I celebrated Japan's Labor Thanksgiving Day(Wednesday) by going to Matsushima. Matsushima Bay is known to be one of the three most scenic spots in Tohoku. It's made up of several islands which are especially picturesque in the summer, but obviously not too bad in late fall.









After window shopping a bit in Matsushima Town, we headed to the equally famous "Light Up": a zen garden whose trees in autumn are picturesquely lit. It is a famous destination for couples(which, by the way, did not apply to our group). We were lucky to see it this year as it was the last day.










Finally, Ben arranged for us to have a Thanksgiving potluck with the Northern Miyagi JETs. The event was held in Kurihara, a town that registered one of the highest if not the highest ratings of seismic activity during the March 11 earthquake(but unaffected by the tsunami and radioactivity from Fukushima Power Plant). I brought Livvy's signature grean beans. One guy prepared an entire roast pig; apple in the mouth and everything. And as novel as that dish was, I feel a bit bad for all of the non-Americans(a majority of atendees, actually) for whom this was their first Thanksgiving because there was no turkey. I'm no Thanksgiving purist or anything, but Thanksgiving without turkey just feels a bit odd.