I returned to Sendai to see my good friend Stephanie. We traveled together loads. She was my rock; she listened to me moan about how home sick I was and my cultural frustrations- she helped move them from polemic to pragmatic.

Stephanie is an architect by trade but is very passionate about teaching English as a Foreign Language.

We were study buddies- and would spend hours in funky kissatens (Japanese style coffee shops) eating cake, drinking iced lattes whilst learning kanji and sharing phrases.

Easter weekend, we caught a bullet train to Sendai. We stayed with Stephanie and she made us a lovely breakfast! Japanese people don’t do breakie culture well- they normally eat the previous evening meal’s leftovers.