After we finished setting up, we went to a nearby coffee shop where Wakamatsu Sensei bought us all coffee. This little guy was right in front of my seat.
We broke up the group and I started walking south. I still had an evening class and it was a 15 minute walk to the campus. Along the way I passed a shop that makes hanko, name stamps that are used on documents in place of signatures or even initials. The window display showed the materials that they are made from. Because of worldwide prohibitions on elephant tusks, plastic is now used as well as various stones.
These elephants were also in the window. I think this may have been made from an actual tusk, but quite a while ago.
I also passed a tattoo parlor. In the past only the yakuza, the gangsters, wore tattoos, but because of their popularity in the US, they are becoming more widespread.
In this area the buildings are mostly commercial, two-story concrete structures, but scatter around there are old wooden building. You can see one on the right.
This chimney is visible from many spots but I have been unable to find out why it is there. This area has some small factories. Sometime when I have time, I will have to find a backstreet that will allow me enough access to the area to determine what the company makes.
The second floor of this building, above a Lawson's convenience store, contains a hula dance school, according to the signs.
Scenic Sendai! One of the signs says "Five Bridge". I used to get up set at signs like this but my wife pointed out that, if this is the best that six years of school English can do, English teachers like me will always have jobs. It is interesting that there are many missing plurals as here, but they almost always use a plural form when a number proceeds a noun, for example, "a six miles road". One that is very common on signs is "Shoes Store".
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