The Beauty of Matsushima
& Zao Fox Village
Every tourist, including myself, gets very excited when seeing a fox for the first time. I was snapping photos nonstop from the moment I entered the village.
I especially fell in love with the sight of foxes curled up sleeping. But even so, these are wild foxes, so you have to be careful not to get bit and refrain from reaching out to them or touching them.
They are adorable while sleeping
Tourists happy to meet a fox
A tourist from Taiwan
If you want to feed the foxes or take a lot of photos of them, you can go to the designated feeding area. Fox food can be purchased at the ticket booth.
Feeding foxes
A lot of foreign tourists visit Fox Village. This time, I made some new friends too. Talking with others about the interesting things you’ve experienced on your trip to Japan is one of the great pleasures of travel.
There are no other tourist attractions near the Fox Village. Two hours is more than enough time to see the village and take photos.
If you would rather not wait for a bus back, all you can do is take a taxi. At around ¥4,000 back to JR Shiroishi Station, it’s not cheap, but you can alleviate the cost by getting four people in the taxi together.
I myself shared a taxi with some exchange students I met at the Fox Village to get back to JR Shiroishi Station.
Fox Village location: 11-3 Kawarago, Fukuokayatsumiya, Shiroishi-shi, Miyagi
Access: “Castle-kun” bus, Tuesdays and Fridays (not available on holidays or during the New Year vacation)
Fox Village official website
Official website on increased holiday buses
Rikyu beef tongue meal
A staff member devotedly grilling beef tongue
Local Gourmet
The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to must-try gourmet food in Sendai is beef tongue. Sendai’s beef tongue is said to have been thought up after World War II by Chef Keishiro Sano.
In addition to the central beef tongue, a beef tongue set meal also includes the specific side dishes: tail soup, rice with barley, asazuke pickles, and chili miso nanban. The beef tongue is commonly flavored with salt, soy sauce or miso.
Since I wasn’t staying long in Sendai this time, I went into the most popular restaurant, Rikyu. Rikyu has branches all over Japan. It always tastes the same and is cheaper than most other restaurants, so it is loved by tourists and locals alike.
Writer Lin Yifeng
Living in Japan for 10 years, this graduate of Ritsumeikan Graduate School enjoys include visiting old temples, admiring Japanese gardens, and photography. After passing the second grade of the Kyoto Sightseeing and Culture Test, Lin is now engaged in work relating to inbound promotion, with roles including manager of the Facebook group 京都旅人(Kyoto Traveler), overseas publicity advisor for Kyoto by the Sea DMO, as well as being in charge of supervising the Chinese website for Kyoto Sightseeing Association etc. Published a book entitled “北近畿・最道地的日本,” which introduces the northern part of the Kansai region.
