Tohoku Chopper Keychains! ♥ ご当地チョッパーマン: 東北

Part III of my gotouchi (ご当地, location limited) Chopper Keychains! ♥ Part I was Chubu, part II was Kantou (: Yes it's a collection, I do not think I can actually use up all of these keychains ^^

Akita limited, Namahage version

秋田限定:　なまはげ

Namahage is a festival/ritual/event unique to the Akita prefecture.

There's also a Kantou Festival version, but I couldn't find it :(

Yamagata limited, Cherry version 2

山形限定:　さくらんぼ2

Yamagata prefecture is famous for its cherries and cherry products.

Fukushima limited, Akabeko version

福島限定:　あかべこ2

Akabeko is a traditional red cow toy from the Aizu region in Fukushima.

Iwate limited, Wanko Soba version

岩手限定:　わんこそば

Iwate is famous for its soba.

Miyagi limited, Gyutan version

宮城限定:　牛タン

Miyagi is famous for its delicious gyutan.

There's also a Tanabata Festival version, but I couldn't find it! :(

Miyagi is the prefecture in which Sendai is located.

Fukushima limited, Byakkotai version

福島限定:　白虎隊

The Byakkotai was part of the Aizu forces, located in Fukushima.

I know that the Tochigi prefecture is part of the Kantou region and not Tohoku, but it borders Fukushima, which is part of Tohoku, and I went there while on the Tohoku trip, so I'm gonna lump the Tochigi Chopper keychains together with the Tohoku ones, since I got them together ~ (:

Tochigi limited, Sano Ramen version.

栃木限定:　佐野ラーマン

Tochigi is famous for Sano ramen.

It's famous for strawberries as well, but I couldn't find the strawberry version :(

Utsunomiya limited, Gyoza version 2

宇都宮限定:　餃子2

Utsunomiya is famous for its gyoza.

Utsunomiya is the capital of the Tochigi prefecture.

Nasu limited, eggplant version

那須限定:　茄子

A word-play on the name.

The word for eggplant in Japanese is "nasu" (茄子),

though a different kanji from the place "Nasu" (那須).

Nasu is a highland region located in the Tochigi prefecture.

The other Chopper Keychains I've collected are from the Chubu and Kantou regions~ ♥

Volunteering at Rikuzentakata 陸前高田

On our third day in Tohoku, we headed down to Rikuzentakata (陸前高田), one of the most badly affected areas during the 3.11 disaster. What used to be a populated coastal town was literally flattened, nothing could be seen in the distance except for piles of debris, crushed cars and buildings reduced to their steel supports. To get an idea of how much debris there was around, compare the size of this single pile with the size of the building nearby.

Really, the first word that came to my mind was...nothing. There really was nothing. Nothing to describe what I saw, nothing to describe the feelings you feel upon standing in the middle of nothing. In pictures and on TV you see the whole areas, but when you're actually there you feel so small in that vast area of land; the destruction and debris seem so much bigger, and the impact and scale of the destruction feels magnified. I can't imagine what the people living there must have felt.

Lands were barren; no greenery; no people. It was heartbreaking to witness. Though I had seen countless pictures and TV coverage of affected areas, seeing them with my own eyes was a different experience.

Think this is some autumn scenery of the changing colors of leaves? Wrong. The reddish leaves are leaves of pine trees that have died as a result of being hit by the tsunami.

All the free-standing trees in the town were uprooted and washed away by the tsunami, save for this single pine tree which they call the "Miracle Pine Tree" 奇跡の一本松 (kiseki no ippon matsu) or "Pine Tree of Hope" 希望の松 (kibou no matsu). This miracle tree survived the disaster and even saved the life of a man who clung onto it. It is now a symbol of hope for Rikuzentakata.

Even amidst the barren land and debris-filled water, this sunflower grows steadily. A sign that life continues and can grow even in the harshest of environments. I do believe that Rikuzentakata can do it. Bit by bit, one step at a time, it will happen: they will recover.

We were tasked with clearing drains which had been blocked and covered with debris and mud, hardened over time by the weather. Despite a collective effort over a few hours, all we could clear was a section of a single drain. It was a tad sad to know that our minute efforts did not make a significant impact, although it was nice to know that at least we were helping albeit in a small manner. Imagine all the time and effort needed to get the whole town back to recovery. Or all the affected towns.

We headed back to the volunteer center and met people from Uganda and the Red Cross who were also on their way to do some volunteering. It was really touching to see people from all over the world come to support Japan and participate in relief efforts; to show her that she is not alone. Alone, we might not seem to make a difference, but working together, we can make things happen.

*** Special thanks to group B for some of the photos!***

Sendai Airport ♥ 仙台空港

After the Sendai Tanabata Festival, we visited Sendai Airport, which was damaged and flooded by the tsunami, in which floodwaters reached a height of 3.02m.

It was heartwarming to see various messages of support and encouragement from all over the world and all over Japan, and they made the airport brighter and cheerier. Each and every petal of the sunflowers here is a message from a different individual. They are hoping that Sendai can be like sunflowers; bright and shining. This is from passengers and staff of ANA.

These messages are from visitors to Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

So are these.

This colorful one is from Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Osaka.

Miyagi's mascot with a message of encouragement. Sendai is located in the Miyagi Prefecture.

The blue line around the pillar shows the height the floodwaters reached when the tsunami hit, 3.02m.

Because the Tanabata Festival was underway, even the airport had some fukunagashi decorations, with words of encouragement on them. The board is promoting Hagi no Tsuki, a regional specialty confectionery of Sendai. It's really delicious!

More messages from all over Japan and the world, this time from JAL passengers and staff.

Cranes of well-wishes and support from Kyuushuu, the south of Japan.

Alongside the messages were photographs of when the tsunami hit, to serve as a reminder.

This was a photo from 17th March, about a week after the disaster.

This one is from 30th March, of the interior of the airport, almost 3 weeks after the incident.

Up till now the upper floors are still under going renovation.

We attended a short presentation on the airport and what happened when the tsunami hit. One of the speakers shared a story of how one of the airport staff, whose grandmother went missing during the earthquake, still showed up for work and greeted each and every passenger with a smile and tended to their needs. I felt my heart wrenching in sorrow for the staff, but at the same time it's really touching to know that such kindred souls exist.

In a mere 4 months, most of the damaged area has been rebuilt, and international flights resumed on 25th July 2011. The airport is now fully operational.

萩の月 ♥ Hagi no Tsuki

From the title, you can probably already tell that this will be about the lovely Hagi no Tsuki~ It literally translates into "Bush Clover Moon". Hagi, or bush clovers, are shrubby flowering plants grown usually for decorative purposes, a symbol of autumn. It is the official flower of the Miyagi prefecture, in which Sendai is located in.

Meant to resemble a harvest moon, Hagi no Tsuki is actually custard cream encased in a soft, fluffy sponge cake~ Despite the cream, it's very light and very delicious! ♥ It's a famous confectionery of Sendai, and is usually available only in Sendai. I kept seeing signboards of it while in Sendai, and wanted to try it, however I never got a chance to buy it :( However it is sold in Narita Airport, thankfully! ♥

Hagi no Tsuki is produced by Sanzen.

The shelf life of each box is only 2 weeks, so consume them quickly! Keeping this in mind, you'd probably want to get these right before you leave Japan, not right after you arrive^^

Unwrapping the paper reveals a beautiful yellow box with blue and white hagi prints.

Inside the box, you'll see that each and every piece comes in an individual box, making this good for souvenirs if you want to give many people. All the wrapping is however a tad wasteful!

Beautiful box ♥

Inside the box, the Hagi no Tsuki finally makes an appearance.

Inside this plastic is a packet of silica gel and another plastic wrapping the Hagi no Tsuki.

Extremely soft, fluffy sponge cake on the outside!

Yummy custard on the inside.

More information on Hagi no Tsuki in the enclosed brochures, which also feature the other products of the Sanzen. FYI there's a version with chocolate cream called Hagi no Shirabe (萩の調)

When I bought my box (from Narita Airport), I got a pretty Hagi no Tsuki shopping bag (:

So if you're ever in Sendai (they're available in most departments stores there) or pass through any airports in Japan, be sure to try this, it's really delicious! ☆

Mega Chopper UFO catcher doll~

Right after the Sendai Tanabata Matsuri, we went to the arcade to take purikura (at the basement) and right before the stairs down was this...machine full of big Choppers! We took purikura and on the way out I really wanted to try it though I've never played UFO catcher before and probably suck at it. So, Kazue got Kensei to try his hand at it!

With utmost concentration...he got it!

Crowd went wild after he managed the feat!

Happy camwhore time with Chopper on the bus #1~

Happy camwhore time with Chopper on the bus #2~

#3,4,5,6...and many more.

Shalln't post more cos I don't want to seem like a crazy person!^^

But anyways there's nothing to do on long bus rides so...

Taking pictures is the obvious thing to do! ♥

I hand-carried him everywhere - bus, train, plane, toilet; he was always in my (big) bag hahaha. (Partly because I didn't want to squish him in my luggage and partly because I wasn't sure if my luggage even had the space^^)

This was in the Shinkansen from Utsunomiya to Tokyo~

With the mini Chopper I was hanging on my big bag!

So yeah, I guess you can tell this is probably my favorite and best souvenir from the trip~♥