The IEED (Div. International Education & Exchange, School of Engineering) organized on March 14 a one-day excursion to discover the Miyagi and Yamagata region. The excursion started first with the visit of Saihoji temple located 30 km North-West of Sendai city. The temple and its garden are a notorious destination among tourists visiting the Sendai region especially known for its tasty big triangular deep-fried tofu (Aburaage) and its large five-storied pagoda (gojunoto) overlooking the lush and traditional garden. The excursion moved to the neighboring Yamagata prefecture. There, in addition to draw their personal piece of Shogi (the well-known Japanese chess) participants could experience Japanese food, “hanagasa” dance (traditional local dance from Yamagata) and even enjoy a wide collection of Hina doll. The trip ended with the visit of the nation wide famous Ginzan hot spring, a secluded narrow village built around the Ginzan river and evoking the atmosphere of old Japan. The origin goes back 400 years when the hot spring were discovered by miners while excavating ore from the “silver mountain” literal translation of ginzan.