Miyagi in One Day: Godaido & Rest at Matsushima Rikyu — Guide Riko

Title: What Is a Private Autumn Foliage Tour of Matsushima Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The tour with a lively and cheerful group visiting from the Middle East was a bright and animated trip filled with laughter from beginning to end. During our prior discussion via a messaging app, I got the impression they were a little impatient, so it worked out well that we could take the special rapid train that runs only once a day for the outbound trip. They come to Japan frequently, and this time they were searching for autumn foliage. They mentioned that the day before, the foliage at Zao and at the lakeside park in the Michinoku region had been beautiful, and I said, "The foliage at Matsushima has really only just begun." I had hoped the morning cold would advance the colors, but it was not much different from the previous day. To spend plenty of time at Entsuin, their top choice, and because there were many group tours at Matsushima even though it was a Monday—making me worried we might not secure seats on the sightseeing boat—I switched the order of Godaido and Entsuin. Saying, "If we're going to ride, I'd rather have the nice-view green seats," they paid the extra fee on board and moved to the second-floor seats. However, as passengers kept boarding, I rushed to grab the last box seats, and they praised me, saying, "Well done!" On board, the group seemed to be talking in Arabic about the Oirase Gorge for the next day, and they asked me about English tours and access. I looked into it as much as I could and shared some links. Since talking about Matsushima itself would have become scattered, I gave them a quiz. Up until the day before I had received no answer regarding dietary restrictions, so I asked, "Might you be halal?" and they said, "It would help if there is halal food, but in case there isn't, we brought our own," munching away in the boat. When it comes to halal options in Matsushima, there are almost none, and the general stance is "let us know in advance." The guests said, "Don't worry about halal. Seafood is basically halal. For animals, when the neck is cut blood comes out, so it must be processed according to Muslim teachings. But there's no need to worry about fish, so it's fine," which put me at ease. For lunch, they looked at the menu of a restaurant located between Zuiganji and Entsuin and said, "It's a waste of time to travel elsewhere, so this is fine," ordering tempura rice bowls, fried oyster rice bowls, and so on. The one who ordered tempura udon said, "There should be at least three shrimp. Let's negotiate to add more," so I asked the restaurant staff and they added extra shrimp on a plate. When they said, "Alright, that was a tasty appetizer," I was startled, but then they burst into laughter saying, "Just kidding! Hahaha!" Indeed, Japanese meals tend to be on the small side. They told me the food was very delicious. Since their focus was searching for autumn foliage, I suggested they could see Zuiganji if there was time, and they paid the admission, but upon hearing they had to remove their shoes, they said, "We don't need to go inside." Ah, what a waste of the admission fee. They ended up only viewing the rock garden from the middle gate and the national-treasure kuri building from the outside. Thinking there might be trees with autumn colors in the inner garden of Matsushima Rikyu, we decided to stop by on the way back, but on the way we paused in front of an authentic specialty coffee shop and decided, "Let's have some coffee here." They seem to love coffee. Since it was authentic coffee, the prices were quite high, but they had lattes made and asked the English-speaking owner all sorts of questions. "How many grams of coffee do you use? Twenty grams? Great!" I had actually heard about this coffee stand at a prefectural guide training session, where the owner had mentioned wanting to serve authentic coffee in Matsushima. When we asked the owner where autumn foliage could be seen around here, he said, "The street around Tenrin'in has the most color, I'd say~ Matsushima Rikyu? Hmm, in the end it's an artificial thing, so…" After discussing with the guests, we decided to make a loop, and on the way back we checked through the hidden gap in the curtains at Matsushima Rikyu and concluded, "We don't really need to go in." For the return, they said, "We're heading to Aomori by JR bus in the evening, so let's just get on the train now," and we took a train one departure earlier than planned. They said, "We know Sendai Station from here, so you can get off somewhere nearby," and we parted ways on the train. It was my first time with halal guests, but I thought it might not be so difficult after all, and it turned out to be a delightful trip filled with laughter from start to finish.

Click here for more details: Sendai & Matsushima Customized Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Riko

Hello! I’m Riko, your local guide. During the week, I work at a local university, but on weekends, I love to guide visitors like you. This year(2024) marks my 6th year as a guide, and I’m thrilled to continue sharing the beauty of Japan with you.
I’m a certified Sake Navigator, so I have a wealth of knowledge about Japanese sake. Additionally, I’m well-versed in the gourmet scene of Sendai, Shiogama, and Matsushima, allowing me to tailor your tour to your culinary preferences!
I look forward to creating a memorable tour experience for you, full of fun and lasting memories of Japan. Thanks for choosing me as your guide!