仙台ー　Business Trip
This past Sunday I went on a business trip to the Miyagi prefecture.  I rode the shinkansen from Tokyo to Sendai, but this time I was in a huge double decker train.  I was in the lower deck though so the view was mostly obscured by a wall so I caught up on my reading on the way over.  Once in Sendai, we spent our afternoon on sight-seeing.  We started by going to the Aoba castle ruins which were built by the Date family over 400 years ago.  There is no castle left, just the pillars from a wall.  But the site is marked by a museum, shrine, and statue of Masamune Date, the first of the Date rulers.

While we were there, some local dance groups performed an exhibition of the traditional dances that were done when the castle was built.  We watched one dance that was supposed to represent the wings of birds- in honor of the Date family crest which features bamboo limbs and two birds.

Next we went to Zuihoden which is a mausoleum for the Date family.  Masamune, his son and grandson each have a beautiful building dedicated to them (and once held their remains).  They are black with lots of gold and multi-colored decorative work.  Very beautiful to see.  To get to the mausoleum we first had to climb a massive stone staircase.

Our last sight-seeing stop was Rinnoji, a temple built which houses a pagoda and gorgeous garden complete with a pond stocked full of coy. 

石巻魚市場ー The Fish Market in Ishinomaki
On Monday, business began.  We left the hotel at 3:45 a.m. to get to the fish market by 4:00 to observe the process they use to bring fish in, sort them, sell them to buyers, and test samples to ensure that they do not have radioactive material.  It was very interesting to see how this whole process works.

女川の発電賞ー Nuclear Power Plant
In the afternoon we went to the nuclear power plant in Onagawa for a tour of the facilities.  The power plant has extremely strict requirements for entrance of visitors, to protect from terrorists.  We had to change clothes and wear protective gear to go in as well as verify our identities and privilege to enter several times.  I was able to see the reactor vessel, spent fuel pool, suppression chamber and control room.  It was an incredible experience, and furthered my knowledge of the nuclear power industry.  I have read information on nuclear power equipment and plants and after this trip I have concrete mental images to increase my understanding.  While at the power plant, the manager told us stories from the disaster last year.  Apparently all three access roads to the plant were blocked due to damage from the earthquake for five days. The crews on duty at the time had to continue working without relief, and food and water was flown in by helicopter. 
The Miyagi prefecture where we were was hit incredibly hard by last year's natural disaster.  In Ishinomaki, we saw miles of land that used to be covered in houses and development but was completely wiped away by the tsunami.  Also, there were enormous piles of crushed cars and debris, all left over from the disaster.  Many of the buildings that were left standing are empty and windowless and look gutted and forlorn.  While we were in Ishinomaki, we went to a hill overlooking the coast that the people ran up to in order to escape the waters coming in.  I couldn't help but imagine how awful it must have been to run up that hill and then turn around and watch your home being swept away by the sea.