Arriving in Sendai
After a lovely few days in Japan strictly for adjusting to the time change, it was time to go to the conference. The Japanese Otolaryngology Conference had its 127th (!) conference in Sendai. My mentor and I had submitted abstracts and were selected for podium presentations. His wife traveled with him, while I was solo since SMS didn’t want to deal with wild time changes twice within one week.
I was excited to see a new-to-me city. The weather wasn’t the best, but it was a nice reminder that umbrellas are essential in Japan. It’s not the type of rain that will intermittently let up on a rainy day. It will drive into your soul. Unless you have an umbrella.
The Sendai Westin: A lovely hotel
I stayed in the Sendai Westin, which was an amazing hotel. Absolutely beautiful and within the upper half of one of the tallest buildings in the city. Even in the drizzle and rain, the view was spectacular. The bed was comfortable, the bathroom was excellent, and really, I get why people stay in high-end hotels. Through the conference, the rate was lower than I expected so it was covered within the academic allowance. Hooray!
I went to most of the sessions as I wanted to be a model international guest. My presentation went well, which I was very happy about. I definitely put in the work and practice but still, it’s nice when it’s over and done well!
Sendai food highlights
Sendai food highlights included trying a Zunda dessert, made up of sweetened soy beans and very green! I got it at the conference center cafe on the second floor of the conference center train station. They also served a nice curry lunch special. FYI, Reddit forums rave about the Zunda shake at the main Sendai train station, but one soybean dessert was enough for me. But FYI, there are some people who are diehard fans of the Zunda shake so keep it in mind.
I went out to dinner with Steve and Martha, which I paid for as a thank you! It was called Kotora, a yakiniku place, fitting in a city famous for gyūtan (beef tongue). We had gone to a gyūton place for our first lunch with a Japanese colleague/host, so this menu was a little broader but still beef-based with a few veggies. It was delicious although spoiler alert, the best beef was still to come one night in Yokohama.
I went out to a nice Izakaya with several colleagues from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. I went with a group so I don’t have any more details but it’s ok- it was nice, but not a must-eat. I did have a fun time the next night at a small bar in the corner of a parking lot that I went to with some new UPenn friends and a Turkish surgeon. We had so much fun and joined in on some karaoke that the couple sitting at the bar kicked off!
Imosen: Serving soba sets for breakfast
My UPenn friends were massive foodies and spent a few of their days having breakfast #1 and #2 and lunch #1 and #2. They recommended Imosen, an amazing soba place with a breakfast menu that I went to my last morning in Sendai. It was on the second floor and the food was served on low tables, requiring diners to sit on little floor pillows on the tatami floor. It was awesome. It looked like there were little stools for people who couldn’t manage, but I was pretty comfortable. The soba was excellent and I’m so glad I went.
After soba, I walked back to the hotel past (and under) the famous covered shopping street (Hirose dori) that had almost tempted SMS to come on the trip!
After stopping at the hotel to pick up my bag, I walked to the train station. The walk took me along the Sendai Asaichi (Sendai Morning Market) street. My new friends had second breakfast there the day prior, buying croquettes, uni, and sashimi. Unfortunately, I was really tight on time since I was trying to make the Yokohama Baystars game so I didn’t have time to wait. Another visit!