Discovering Sendai: Japan’s Hidden Eats & Adventures
[Music] this guy’s serious [Music] heat heat n [Music] this is Sai [Music] hello all and welcome back to Tim in Japan today we officially begin our journey through Tohoku the region north of Tokyo and south of Hokkaido our adventure begins in the spectacular underrated metropolis known as Sai the largest city in Tohoku and our base of operations going forward in this episode we begin by checking in and getting acquainted with the local area we grab a casual dinner at a family restaurant and do some gaming at the local arcade the next day follows with a mini tour of some of Sai’s amazing food and sightseeing opportunities capping the day off with some shopping and of course Kini dessert so join me on a fantastic trip to one of Japan’s lesserknown gems the marvelous city of Sai [Music] [Music] this is Sai woohoo oh [Music] thank you heat heat [Music] it’s like a little closet here heat heat n [Music] heat heat [Music] [Music] piano what [Music] [Music] i like this vibe so far i like sunburn it’s like a relaxed Tokyo really nice it’s quite nice [Music] wonder if this is like a department store
i don’t know maybe a grocery store yeah maybe [Music] [Music] and we’ve arrived at Caisedia the local branch of the national family restaurant chain after a lengthy travel day we just wanted something nice easy cheap and filling caedia fit the bill perfectly especially popular with students this Italian inspired chain is known for their wide variety of affordable yet tasty eats a low-key casual spot that’s got just about something for everybody ordering is easy too you simply fill out a form with the code that matches each item on menu and a staple of any family restaurant the affordable unlimited self-service drink bar here you can choose from a wide selection of beverages it’s something so simple yet strangely enticing it’s also great that it includes hot drinks like fresh coffees and teas all for the low price of about $1.50 [Music] looks good i think it might be better than all wa cheesy cut it yourself and they pass the savings on to you it’s good in like a kind of crappy pizza but comforting kind of way so all the food is actually really good it’s just like kind of kind of junky you know but like in a good way like a comforting way and it’s very cheap so it makes sense that’s so good [Music] heat [Applause] [Music] heat [Music] oh this guy’s serious heat heat [Music] [Music] heat [Music] heat here you go [Applause] wow wow double A level seven oh boy oh boy it’s hard already [Music] [Music] [Music] it’s only one harder right i don’t know [Music] oh my god [Music] yay [Music] time to wind things down after all the excitement and what better way than with some choice kini dessert [Music] oh [Music] our hotel is right here keep going [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] welcome to day two our first full day in Sai we decided to spend the day exploring the city seeing what it has to offer other than visiting Zui Hoden we didn’t really have a specific itinerary so off we went in the mood to explore [Music] wow first stop Mena Toashi for their signature shrimpbased zukmen we honestly just stumbled across this place since it was a well-rated ramen shop not too far from our hotel though immediately upon entering I could tell the vibes were immaculate a steady flow of a diverse assortment of customers screo music accompanied by a flame grilled pork belly we were in for something good we didn’t know it at the time but this may have genuinely been the greatest bowl of tukmen I’ve ever had deep rich flavorful broth wonderfully thick and chewy noodles beautifully tender and charred pork belly with a perfectly cooked egg absolutely marvelous 10 out of 10 no notes just come here [Music] [Music] it’s birthday night [Music] [Music] wow it’s beautiful [Music] oh [Music] a [Music] day [Music] oh heat heat [Music] heat [Music] [Music] [Applause] heat [Music] heat heat [Music] hey [Music] thank you [Music] heat heat [Music] really cool [Music] that’s it [Music] another [Music] [Music] soul jesus [Music] [Music] oh mystery [Music] [Music] so you have the son behind him was the grandson son then you have the great grandson and the great great grandson who had no son and who’s in that one
his uh daughter
oh he had a daughter oops
he didn’t leave a mail at ear
uh-oh and that’s why it’s the end [Music] feeling definitely worth the trip pretty cool place [Music] [Music] all right check this out a5 Sendai Nikkuma ooh super soft super tender skiyaki kind of flavor filling really good [Music] wow [Music] and now time for some shopping looking out at the city from Sai Station I wouldn’t blame you if you mistook it for Tokyo there is an excellent assortment of trendy shops boutiques and all the usual suspects except without the crowds [Music] yeah the thing is I already
Oh [Music] very [Music] good
wow it’s time [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] class 16 [Music] that’s insane [Music] [Music] [Applause] you know [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] One of the best parts of Sai it has all the conveniences of Tokyo but with about a third of the people and very few tourists seriously underrated gem [Music] [Music] you love me [Music] beautiful [Music] [Music] [Music] here [Music] [Music] m that’s good this is actually good
good you should get this if you come to KFC Japan m very very refreshing yuzu taste good one [Music] m [Music] this is a 7ele1 like fla cake combo thing pretty good it’s like what fla and cake [Music] a very dense filling um it’s like these other Asian desserts um I don’t know if you know you know but it tastes like that there’s two so you can share with a friend or yourself [Music] cheers [Music] tastes like um frozen yoooo with a slight coffee taste pretty good and that’s a wrap for this episode of Tim in Japan like I mentioned before Sai will be our home base going forward with our various trips around Tohoku so we’ll definitely see more of it in upcoming episodes as for the city itself it was love at first sight don’t get me wrong I still love Tokyo but Sendai’s more relaxed temperament combined with its still vibrant food and shopping scene it had me swooning plus the noticeable lack of tourists is a spectacular bonus sendai is a beautiful city that weaves the natural landscape in with the urban environment it’s incredible how it maintains all the conveniences of a large city yet still gives plenty of space to breathe and explore at your leisure plus it’s well connected you can get to most places in Tohoku or even head back to Tokyo all within a 1 to 2 hour Shinkansen ride i like to think of it as a Tokyo light super convenient accessible and abundant but less hectic and chaotic if you’ve never had a chance to visit before I’d absolutely recommend it by the way if you want to check out the full photo set for this trip or are keen on supporting the channel head on over to my Patreon and for more Tim in Japan be sure to check out my Instagram and drop on by the Discord but as always thank you so much for watching and I’ll catch you in the next one huh [Music]
Hello all! On this episode of Tim in Japan – we finally reach the fascinating, underrated, adventurous city of Sendai!
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Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region of Japan, and will become our base of operations going forward as we continue to explore all of Tohoku. Since we just arrived via shinkansen from kanazawa, we stop here for a bit to explore the city and discover all it has to offer!
As usual with Tim in Japan, this is an experiential, curated travel vlog that highlights all of the experiences and fun we had in Sendai. It truly is an underrated, under appreciated gem. Sendai has all of the conveniences – including shopping, food, and fun – as Tokyo, but with significantly less crowds and tourists.
It is only a short ride away from Tokyo, and I truly believe more people should come and visit when they get the chance!
Tohoku is a beautiful region in Japan, especially in the autumn season, which is when we visited.
In this vlog we do plenty of eating, sightseeing, and adventuring!
We start things off by checking in to our hotel, the Grand Bach Sendai. From there, we grab a quick dinner at family restaurant Saizeriya, before heading to the arcade next door for some fun. We finish the night off with some konbini (convenience store) desserts.
The next day, we head out to do some sightseeing and eating – starting the day off at Menya Togashi for some incredible shrimp based tsukemen (dipping style ramen). After that we head to sakuragaoka park to check out the fall leaves, before heading to zuihoden – the mausoleum of Date Masamune, Feudal lord and Sendai’s founder.
We finish off our trip with some shopping at Parco – Chiikawa Land, Pokemon Center, and Gundam store – then we grab a quick bite at Japan’s KFC for the first time.
I hope you all enjoy this fun, exciting adventure through the marvelous city of Sendai!
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Tim Explains Japan videos:
Why You’ll Love Japan’s Family Restaurants
Chiikawa: Meet Japan’s Cutest Obsession
KFC & Christmas in Japan
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00:00 Highlight Reel
00:57 Intro
01:48 Sendai Day 1
02:38 Grand Bach Hotel
03:46 Room Tour
05:38 Walking Around
06:27 Saizeriya
08:21 3rd Planet Arcade
12:07 Konbini Dessert p.1
13:34 Sendai Day 2
14:08 Tsukemen Menya Togashi
15:28 Exploring & Park Chilling
16:41 Sakuragaoka Shrine
17:40 Walking along the river
18:39 Zuihoden
22:42 Eating at Sendai Station
23:29 Shopping around Sendai
23:52 Chiikawa Land
25:06 Pokemon Center
25:33 The Gundam Base
26:23 Interesting Gachapon
27:43 KFC Japan
29:01 Konbini snack taste test
30:09 Favorite shots & Final Thoughts
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List of places visited:
Hotel Grand Bach Sendai
3-7-33 Tsutsujigaoka, Miyagino-ku, Sendai, JP 983-0852
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cjGgENf6xSXKJUVV8
THE 3RD PLANET BiVi仙台店 (arcade)
Japan, 〒983-0852 Miyagi, Sendai, Miyagino Ward, Tsutsujigaoka, 2 Chome−1−25 ＢｉＶｉ仙台駅東口
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KrWgiUqnwjjPGkVi8
Menya Togashi (tsukemen)
Japan, 〒984-0051 Miyagi, Sendai, Wakabayashi Ward, Shintera, 2 Chome−1−1 サンシャイン菊平ビル 1階
https://maps.app.goo.gl/iYukCfuRDR8SwSLHA
Sakuragaokakoen (park)
Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0823 Japan
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GV67AjKenG5wSPDL7
Sakuragaoka Shrine
1-1 Sakuragaokakoen, Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0823, Japan
https://maps.app.goo.gl/z7vgV6zxvxH5afV7A
Zuihoden (Grave of Date Masamune)
23-2 Otamayashita, Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0814, Japan
https://maps.app.goo.gl/hMk8dE2U9z3dKiZH8
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#Sendai #JapanTravel #JapanVlog #JapaneseFood #HiddenGem #TravelVlog #Tohoku #SendaiJapan #JapaneseCulture #ArcadeJapan #Tsukemen #JapanEats #TravelAdventures #CityExploration #TimThoughts
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