Today we crossed Honshu. I'm not sure how many people can say they have been from the east coast to the west coast of Honshu in one day. The day started with an Onsen at 6am in our hotel in Kesennuma. This place was hugely affected by the tsunami 8 years ago. We went for a tour of the fishing port, which was quite an eye opener. Kesennuma is one of Japan's three biggest ports. In a country known for its seafood, that's saying something. This tour was pretty fun, if you're in town I'd recommend it, or at least I'd recommend meeting the host. Search Airbnb experiences for it.

Then our host kindly took us for a coffee in the middle of nowhere. There was a cafe in the middle of the rice terraces, a brand new building. Needless to say, it was awesome. I love the pioneering spirit of people who do these kinds of crazy things. I wish them success in their business too.

Then our host took us back to our hotel in time to check out 🙂 it was a pretty awesome tour! Then on his recommendation we checked out a school that had been completely gutted by the Tsunami, but had been turned into a museum/ memorial centre. That was an extremely solemn experience, up there with the Hiroshima museum. If you're in town and have the heart, check out the ruins of Koyo high school.

After that, we did a bit of shopping and went for coffees and snacks before heading back to sakata. It took us about 4 hours all up, including a few stops. The drive was of course amazing. Japan's countryside is probably one of the best places to drive.

Well, we got home a bit earlier, and now are relaxing after a long and successful holiday. 10/10 would do it again.