Matsushima "Pine Island"

We were so happy to spend the day at Matsushima with some new friends from one of the two churches we serve. Their names are Christina and Masari Goto. Christina is originally from Singapore and Masari is Japanese. They both speak English, so it's very easy to spend time together and talk. Mr. Goto works for a large hotel near Matsushima and was able to use some of his connections to give us a really wonderful experience at Matsushima. We took a ferry ride around the islands and got to sit in the luxury seats. SO COOL!! We got to feed the seagulls as they followed the ferry, which was really fun and a bit scary when they got so close. We had gratis oysters during our tour and learned that there are more than 260 islands in Matsushima. We finished off the morning with a beautiful lunch at his hotel and the best part was not only was the lunch gratis, but so was the ice cream!! I was thrilled! We also learned the meaning for Matsushima. Matsu means "Pine" and Shima means "Island". Now it all makes a lot more sense to me! We really had a great day.