Dwelling in Sendai

Dwelling in Sendai

I’ve started living in Sendai again after a long time away.

Sendai is the prefectural capital of Miyagi, a city in the Tohoku region of Japan. A river runs through it, and it has long been known as the City of Trees.

I spent my years here through graduate school.

Now I commute along the river by bicycle – listening for birdsong and the sound of flowing water, the rush of wind past my ears, the soft rustle of leaves brushing together, drawing in the earthy scent of the soil as I pedal.

The familiar roads keep changing. It looks like a major new street is being built, and the stretches that used to be dark at night will likely brighten up considerably.

When I lived in Tokyo, I rode packed trains every day. Strangers’ shoulders and arms right in my face. I really hated that.

Now I commute wrapped in warm sunlight, a still-slightly-cool breeze, and a chorus of gentle sounds.

Tokyo has plenty of beautiful parks – but there was nowhere quite like this, where an utterly ordinary riverside simply appears in the middle of the city.

I love it here.