Sendai or Onagawa?

Old Aug 29th, 2006, 07:58 PM
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Sendai or Onagawa?

Have reservations at Holiday Inn in Sendai and at a hotel with a hot spring called Hanayubi in Onagawa for the same day....don't know which one to cancel...has anyone been to either of these places and what do you suggest?
Hotel says there is a shuttle from Sendai to the Onagawa but doesn't say how long is the bus ride? anyone know...?
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Old Aug 29th, 2006, 11:16 PM
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Well, hyperdia shows that going from Sendai(Miyagi) to the town of Onagawa takes 96 minutes (if you get the right train, e.g. at 11:08) with a transfer at Ishinomaki. Get the wrong train and you have awfully long connection times and longer distance making the trip 3 hours.

I found a picture of a hotel called Hanayubi, owned by a Chinese company. Looked like it had a nice bath.

Maybe what you read is that there is a shuttle from Onagawa station to the Hanayubi?
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Old Aug 30th, 2006, 01:52 AM
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Sendai is a major city located in inland, on the main JR shinaknsen line so access is easy and Onagawa is on the coast, as mrwunrfl stated a bit complicated to get, either by train or by your own car. Inland big city or coastal small town, that's a choice you have to make.
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Old Aug 30th, 2006, 02:06 AM
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Bonjour Melen,

Sendai is a big city, but a rather pleasant one, with among other things a very nice central covered shopping arcade, a few good museums, and excellent access to the Pacific ocean coast.

I don't know Onagawa, but I've been to Matsushima, and the bay there is really spectacular, and the fish fresh and delicious.

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Old Aug 30th, 2006, 03:46 AM
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I forgot to mention. Onagawa is also known for its nuclear power plant. It might influence your decision or it might not.
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Old Aug 30th, 2006, 03:48 AM
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Florence gives a good suggestion. If you prefer sea side location, Matsushima (Island of pines), you might like to consider Matsushima as well.
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Old Aug 30th, 2006, 08:40 AM
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If the choice is between a Holiday Inn in a city (I agree that Sendai is a nice city) or an onsen hotel, I would choose the latter. I was underwhelmed by the boat tour at Matsushima, so I must have missed something.
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Old Aug 30th, 2006, 10:14 AM
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Thanks for the info....we are going to be in Japan for 3 weeks. this is our 3rd visit in 3 years. Jimmy is going to go motorcycle riding with a friend for a few days and then we head up north as far as Morioka. Matsushima is a place we will hit on the way up and Sendai/Onagawa on the way down. Then its off to Fukui to visit a classmate and will get to go to Hakone and stay at Ichinoyu and then to Fuji. There is an inn there called Fujitomita. Run by a gentleman named Dave. He went to UH and was cook/chef for John Wayne before moving back to Japan. My girlfriend has climbed Fuji 3x and uses his ryokan as her stay. She loves it there food is good, conversation and ambience. Will let you know if we agree.Does anyone know how the Odakyu works to get from Hakone to Fujitomita instead of taking 3+ hours on the JR? Use hyperdia all the time to chart our trip but instructions on how to use the Hakone Free Pass is always how to go from Fuji to Hakone and sorting it all out is confusing.
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Old Aug 30th, 2006, 10:24 AM
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> I was underwhelmed by the boat tour ...

I sort of agree. The bay cruise is not a spectacular attraction. Nor I don't consider Matsushima in general one of the top places to visit in Japan. But if melen will be in the area, I think that's actually "better" than Onagawa. One thing I did find beautiful was the view from my Hotel Taikan-son up on the hill over the Matsushima-bay with all those small islands with pine trees. Around sun set and sun rise, the bay showed diffrent faces with different colors.
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Old Aug 30th, 2006, 10:29 AM
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would you suggest the boat tour from Sendai to Matsushima? Or just the one from Matsushima around the bay? We have hotel booked in Matsushima overnight so time isn't a factor.
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Old Aug 30th, 2006, 11:20 AM
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As I said Sendai is well in inland so there is no water route there. You have to take JR Senseki line to Matsushima - Kaigan Station. You could get off the train at Shiogama on the way and take a boat to Matsushima but I have never done this so I cannot tell if it's worth. Yes, you can do 1 hout boat tour when you are already in Matsushima.

I thought you had hotel reservations in Sendai and Onagawa. Which one in Matsushima?
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Old Aug 30th, 2006, 12:16 PM
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Found a few photos of Matsushima I took about 5 years ago including seagulls following the cruise boat, view of the bay from my hotel room.

http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...03/Matsushima/
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Old Aug 31st, 2006, 11:15 PM
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We have been to Sendai several times and we really like it. The train system is convenient. The airport is organized and convenient. The people are very helpful. There is shopping galore (arcades). It's a big city. For cheap eats, try the Yoshinoya chain (beef bowls). They have a 'Sendai Loople Tour' which is an independent loop tour on a bus. You can get on and off at any of the attraction stops. It's done at your leisurely pace which is nice. Another cheap eat is to grab a meal at the local university.
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Old Sep 3rd, 2006, 12:20 PM
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Thank you for all your input but our travel plans have to be changed as our host to take Jimmy motorcycle riding in the beginning of our trip now wants to take him fishing in Tokyo Bay etc, etc so we are committed to a whole week in Chiba which leaves us two days to travel north. Probably to Matsushima and then back to Tokyo. We'll do daytrips out of Narita instead. Oh well there is always another time and when will we get to go fishing in Japan? Arigato for the advice.
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Old Oct 20th, 2006, 05:19 PM
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WE are just back from our trip to Japan. Got into Matsushima and got steered wrong by the lady in the info desk....she was not Japanese and did not like being interrupted..she was talking with a friend. We decided to stay in Matsushima for two nights. It is beautiful...good thing we did not go to Onagawa....Typhoon 16 and 17 hit the area overnight. A 15ton fishing boat disappeared trying to get to Onagawa! We were stuck in Matsushima no trains to get us to Sendai to Tokyo.
This time a really nice Japanese lady helped us out and the man in the coffee shop who only knew Ala Moana and Ko Olina gave us cups of coffee and charged us for one. We took a cab to Shiogama and got the train to Sendai. Altho the wind was sooooo strong we all waited huddled in the steps to the platform because the gusts of wind was so strong.
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