Day 62: 1 June 2009

LOCATION: SENDAI
MOOD: TAKING IT SLOW
LISTENING TO: RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS – CALIFORNICATION

DON'T MIND ME:

In order to catch my ferry I had to get to Sendai, but the bus stop is pretty far from Henry's place and he could only drop me off in the morning before he went to work. This meant that I ended up in Sendai by midmorning with an entire day to kill before my ferry set sail at 8PM.

It was nice being back in Sendai and I had pleasant memories of the last time I had been there, but this time I elected to take it easy and relax for the day to conserve my energy for the rest of my trip. I passed the day sipping coffees, churning through yet more albums, working on song concepts and just watching the world go by.

Downtown Sendai. Underneath the 'BiVi' sign there's a giant TV screen that I was watching for a large part of the afternoon.

The view from the elevated walkway that runs in front of Sendai station.

This lot were trying to hawk something or other. Their megaphone was pretty awful so I couldn't make out exactly what.

CRUISE CONTROL:

Around 6 I took the train down to Sendai port and went to board my ferry. The M.S. Kiso was actually more of a cruise ship than a ferry, and although it wasn't quite on the same scale as the Queen Mary it still had its fair amount of creature comforts. I had booked a B-class bed, which was the next step up from straight second class. Those frugal minded souls in second class slept on futons in large dormitory style rooms, while those of us extravagant enough to fork out the extra 1000 yen got the equivalent of a capsule hotel bed. I hadn't stayed in a capsule hotel so far, so I was actually kind of excited to try it out.

All aboard the love boat.

All this can be yours, with a B-class ticket. You can pull down the blind and lock it for a little privacy in your capsule.

It didn't have a TV but it had enough room for me to fit my suitcase and stretch out my legs, so it was all good.

Apart from that I spent quite a bit of time out on the deck taking in the sea breeze and snapping photos, eventually returning below deck when it became too dark and too cold. The ship had the usual attractions including a TV lounge, bar, restaurant, gift shop, arcade and karaoke room. I chose to save my money and watch the free concert put on by the resident pianist and flautist who cycled through a list of crowd pleasing tunes from The Carpenters, The Beatles and classical numbers. I think I was the only person under forty in the room, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the performance.

Port Sendai.

There's nothing like a nice sunset to make your day.

I'm assuming this was an exhaust of some sort because there was a constant gust coming out of it.

The main lobby. Drinks on your right, arcade and karaoke on your left.

For those in search of a more demure way to spend the evening. Obviously the arcades and karaoke were more popular.

The ship had three floors, but there wasn't really all that much to explore. That being said, it had everything necessary for an excellent night's voyage.

By the time we finally got moving the sun had already set. The harbour is just as, if not even more beautiful at night.

I joined the superannuation brigade for a couple of golden oldies.

I woke up in the middle of the night for some reason and decided to play around with the camera. This is what it's like inside the capsule. Not as claustrophobic as a lot of people imagine.