Ichinoseki Bliss

The streets of this quaint town are completely deserted as I explore the small alleys and store fronts. Picture perfect colors pop with Japanese kanji, leaving me dumbfounded and lost in translation. The country air is crisp and the temperature is just the right kind of cool. I venture into the supermarket stimulated with branding and sushi grade fish, I stock up on snacks I can barely make out.
I ended up finding a gem of ebi sashimi that melts in your mouth like butter.
Cherry blossom trees line the local river but have yet to blossom. My Japanese host Sayumi San takes me to Genbikei Gorge, a breathtaking valley close by to the town center. A restaurant up the stream shoots down a basket where you can place money to order Kakko Dango, a mochi skewer covered with different flavors like red bean, sesame, and sweet soy sauce.
We then took a car ride an hour north to Hondera, where I saw my first snow. Rice patties cover the fields surrounding the highway. The temperature dropped a good ten degrees and the air was so clean! The past winter is still very visible as it spring begins to ease its way in.