JP · Miyagi Prefecture · 38.27°N 140.87°E

sendai

Gateway to Tohoku, with grilled beef tongue, zunda mochi and leafy avenues.

Best time
Spring and autumn are mild. Early August brings the Tanabata Festival, when the shopping arcades fill with huge paper streamers, and in December the avenues are lit up for the Pageant of Starlight.
How long
2 days, 1 night
Getting there
Fly from KL to Tokyo, about 7 hours, then take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Sendai in about 1.5 hours.
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JP · Miyagi Prefecturesendai38.27°N 140.87°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Gateway to Tohoku, with grilled beef tongue, zunda mochi and leafy avenues.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingSendaiJP, Miyagi Prefecture
KLsendai
≈ 5,570 km from KL, as the crow flies
SendaiCity Skylines

Photo: Nryate · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

The biggest city in Tohoku, northeast Japan, and an easy shinkansen ride from Tokyo. It's a green, relaxed city of tree-lined avenues, built by the samurai lord Date Masamune, and a good base for Matsushima Bay and the cliffside temple of Yamadera.

Makan

  1. GyutanThick-cut grilled beef tongue, Sendai's signature dish, usually with barley rice and oxtail soup.Map ↗
  2. Zunda mochiRice cakes topped with sweet, bright-green mashed edamame. Try a zunda shake too.Map ↗
  3. Sasa kamabokoGrilled fish cake shaped like a bamboo leaf, a common snack and souvenir.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Matsushima BayPine-covered islets scattered across the bay, ranked one of Japan's three most scenic views. About 40 minutes by train, with sightseeing boats.Map ↗
  2. ZuihodenDate Masamune's ornate, colourful mausoleum, set among tall cedars on a hill.Map ↗
  3. Aoba Castle siteOnly the walls remain, but the hilltop has city views and the well-known statue of Date Masamune on horseback.Map ↗
  4. YamaderaA temple complex clinging to a cliff, reached by about 1,000 stone steps. About an hour by train.Map ↗
  5. Arahama Elementary SchoolKept as it was after the 2011 tsunami, a sobering look at what the coast went through.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Book early for Tanabata in early August, when rooms fill up fast.
  • If you're combining Sendai with Tokyo and other Tohoku stops, compare a JR East rail pass with buying single tickets.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.