Sendai & Matsushima, Go Deeper
The green capital of the north, built by the dashing one-eyed warlord Date Masamune — his gilded legacy still glints in the city's shrines. Just offshore lies Matsushima, a bay of 260 pine-clad islands counted among the three great views of Japan.
- Tap Open in Google Maps on any place for live directions, transit, hours & reviews.
- Get an ICOCA / Suica IC card — tap on/off trains, subways & buses, no ticket needed.
- Carry some cash (¥) — many small shops, shrines & old streets are cash-only.
- Go early: the famous spots are calm and beautiful before ~9am.
Zuihōden Mausoleum
The lavishly gilded and painted tomb of Date Masamune, set among cedars on a hillside. Its riot of colour and carving is the Momoyama swagger of a warlord who ruled the north outright.
Sendai Castle Ruins (Aoba)
Little of the castle survives, but Masamune's famous equestrian statue still surveys the city from the bluff — and the view over Sendai to the sea is the best in town, especially at dusk.
Ōsaki Hachimangū
A National Treasure shrine in glossy black lacquer and gold leaf, built by Masamune in 1607 — one of the oldest surviving examples of the ornate Momoyama style. January's Dontosai fire festival draws thousands.
Jōzenji-dōri Avenue
A boulevard roofed by great zelkova trees, the heart of the 'City of Trees.' It hosts the summer jazz festival and, each December, the Pageant of Starlight — 600,000 lights strung through the branches.
Sendai Gyūtan
Thick-sliced, charcoal-grilled beef tongue — a Sendai invention from the lean post-war years, now the city's proud specialty. Order it with barley rice and oxtail soup, the classic set.
Matsushima Bay
Some 260 pine-crowned islets scattered across a calm bay — one of the 'three great views of Japan,' and a scene that reduced the poet Bashō to near silence. See it by cruise boat or from the hilltop lookouts.
Zuigan-ji
The great Zen temple of the Date clan, approached through a cedar avenue past caves of carved Buddhas. Its gold-leaf and carved interiors are among the finest of the era — a National Treasure by the sea.
Godaidō
A small wooden hall on a rocky islet, reached by red 'sukashibashi' bridges slatted so pilgrims must watch their step and steady their minds. The emblem of Matsushima, open to the sea wind.
Akiu Great Falls
A 55-metre curtain of water in the hills west of the city, thundering hardest after the snowmelt and blazing with maples in autumn — paired with the hot springs of Akiu onsen just downstream.
Plan this trip
Curated experiences (tea ceremonies, guided walks) and places to stay for this route.
Coming soon