Sendai
5 – 10 NOV · 5 NIGHTS · BASE 3 OF 5
Sendai is the capital of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tohoku region, founded as a castle town in 1600 by the daimyo Date Masamune. Its wide, tree-lined streets earned it the nickname "Mori no Miyako" (City of Trees). It's the trip's longest single stop, used as a base for day trips to Naruko Gorge/Onsen, Matsushima Bay, and Yamadera, plus its own in-town sights.
Where you're staying
Hotel Vista Sendai ホテルビスタ仙台
- Address
- 1-7-3 Tsutsujigaoka, Miyagino-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi 983-0852
〒983-0852 宮城県仙台市宮城野区榴岡1丁目7番3 - Check-in
- from 1500
- Check-out
- by 1000
- Cost
- ¥64,602 (S$524.74, booked via Booking.com)
- Paid by
- UOB VS
- Phone
- +81 22-385-6222
- Luggage
- Main bags forwarded ahead to Tokyo from here — not carried through Aizu-Wakamatsu. The hotel can hold forwarded luggage if its shipping fee is prepaid (no refrigerated/frozen items) and also offers outbound shipping from the hotel itself.
- Note
- Breakfast isn't included in the room rate (¥1,980/person/night if added) — no breakfast stop is budgeted in the daily plan either.
- Map
- Open in Google Maps ↗
What to see
In order of the trip's own route: Naruko Gorge/Onsen, Kirin Beer Factory, Matsushima Bay, then Yamadera/Zuihoden/Sendai Castle, and AER on the way out. Mitsui Outlet Park, Ichibancho Arcade, and Asaichi are under "Where to shop."
See the full trip map ↗Naruko Gorge — Naruko
- ~2–2.5km gorge with a 100m-deep cliff; the classic view (Ofukazawa Bridge) is from the observation deck by Narukokyo Resthouse at the western end.
- A 2008 earthquake destroyed most of the original gorge-bottom trail — only short out-and-back sections remain open on each side (Nakayamadaira side ~350m, Naruko side ~230m).
- Peak autumn colors run late October–early November.
Narukokyo Resthouse — Naruko
- Shop and cafe (light meals, souvenirs) right beside the gorge's main observation deck — the classic Ofukazawa Bridge view.
- Also the start/end point of the Ofukazawa Walking Trail below, and the main parking access point for this end of the gorge.
Ofukazawa Walking Trail 大深沢遊歩道 — Naruko
- 2.2km loop, ~45 minutes, running from Narukokyo Resthouse to an entrance by Ofukazawa Bridge.
- A quieter, forested side-valley alternative to the gorge's own short viewing paths, with the river visible ~100m below.
- Confirmed via japan-guide.com as the correct name — makes a loop starting around Ofukazawa Bridge and ending at Narukokyo Resthouse.
Naruko Onsen — Naruko
- Called the "department store of hot springs" — 8–9 of Japan's 11 recognized hot-spring water types are found here, from roughly 400 springs and over 1,000 years of recorded history.
- Birthplace of Naruko kokeshi dolls (chrysanthemum-pattern painting, a squeak when the head is turned); the Japan Kokeshi Museum (~7,000 dolls) offers hands-on painting.
- Several free/paid public baths and foot baths are scattered through town, listed individually below.
- Local snack specialty: kuri dango (chestnut dumplings).
Taki no Yu 滝の湯 — Naruko
- Undiluted (kakenagashi), naturally cloudy, slightly acidic water straight from the source — ~1,000-year history, traditionally linked to Naruko Onsen Shrine below.
- Current building rebuilt 1974 in Taisho-era style; run by the Taki no Yu Preservation Society. No-frills — no soap, mirrors, or towels for sale.
- ~10 min walk from JR Naruko-Onsen Station.
Shimojigoku Gensen Foot Spa 足湯 下地獄源泉 — Naruko
- Free foot bath (ashiyu) fed by the "Shimojigoku" ("Lower Hell") spring source — white/cloudy, sulfur-scented water.
- Beside a free public parking lot, ~3–4 min walk from Naruko-Onsen Station.
- Popular for boiling your own onsen tamago (bring your own eggs).
Waseda Sajikiyu 早稲田桟敷湯 — Naruko
- Built by 7 Waseda University students in summer 1948, drilling as part of a practical training exercise, when they struck hot spring water.
- Rebuilt 1998, designed by Waseda University professor Osamu Ishiyama — modern architecture with rest areas, more amenity-rich than the rustic Taki no Yu.
- ~3 min walk from Naruko-Onsen Station.
Naruko Onsen Shrine 温泉神社 — Naruko
- Official name is Onsen Jinja (温泉神社); listed in the Engishiki, placing its origin at least in the Heian period.
- Enshrines Onamuchi-no-Mikoto and Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto, deities associated with hot springs and healing. Founded in response to an 837 CE volcanic eruption — volcanic rocks from that event remain on the grounds.
- Has a sumo ring tied to a Minamoto no Yoritomo legend; hosts an annual autumn festival with sumo dedication and a hot-spring offering ceremony.
- ~8 min uphill walk from Naruko-Onsen Station.
Kirin Ichiban Shibori Taste Experience Tour 一番搾りおいしさ実感ツアー · Kirin Beer Factory Sendai
- ~80 minutes total: a 55-minute factory tour with video presentations, then a 25-minute tasting of three beers — Kirin Ichiban Shibori draft, a black variety, and a premium option — served by certified specialists.
- Soft drinks are provided for anyone who can't drink alcohol (drivers, pregnant/nursing visitors, under-20s).
- Max 4 people per reservation group. Advance online reservation required via kirin.co.jp; the property may call to confirm the booking.
- Free shuttle bus for tour participants runs roughly hourly from Tagajo Station (JR Senseki Line). Closed Mondays and year-end/New Year.
Shiogama Shrine — Matsushima
- Believed founded 1,200+ years ago; enshrines deities associated with protecting fishermen, safe childbirth, and safe sea travel.
- 15 of its buildings date to the Edo period and are designated Important Cultural Properties.
- Main approach is a steep flight of 200+ stone steps up to vermillion gates and halls (gentler alternate routes also exist).
- Grounds hold 300+ cherry trees of 20+ varieties, including the shrine-unique "Shiogama-zakura."
Matsushima Bay Boat Tour — Basho Course — Matsushima
- Retraces the boat journey the haiku poet Matsuo Basho made from Shiogama to Matsushima, recorded in his travelogue "Oku no Hosomichi."
- Passes close to roughly 17 named islets — including Niojima (wind/wave-eroded into a guardian-statue-like shape) and Kanejima (cave-like tunnels) — through waters as shallow as ~2m.
- Departs from Marine Gate Shiogama, the passenger terminal at Shiogama Port (also a "Minato Oasis" rest facility with shops and an observation deck).
Godaido Hall — Matsushima
- Enshrines statues of the Five Great Wisdom Kings (Godai Myoo), shown to the public only once every 33 years — next scheduled viewing is 2039.
- Founded 807 as Bishamondo, renamed Godaido in 828; present structure rebuilt 1604 by Date Masamune.
- Reached via the vermillion Sukashi-bashi bridge, whose deck planks have gaps you can see the sea through by design.
- Survived the March 2011 earthquake/tsunami without major damage despite its exposed island position — regarded as a symbol of Matsushima.
Zuiganji Temple — Matsushima
- Founded 828 as a Tendai-sect temple, converted to Zen in the Kamakura period; rebuilt 1609 by Date Masamune as his family temple.
- An alternate approach path passes rock-cut caves historically used for monks' meditation, now containing statues.
- The Main Hall and its attached Kuri (Zen kitchen) are both designated National Treasures.
- The adjoining Seiryuden museum displays a life-sized armored wooden statue of Date Masamune and the temple's gold-leaf sliding-door paintings.
Entsuin — Matsushima
- Built 1647 next to Zuiganji to house the mausoleum of Date Mitsumune, Date Masamune's grandson, who died at 19.
- Mausoleum interior is gold-leafed and painted with Western motifs — suit symbols, crosses, and what's described as the oldest known Japanese depiction of a rose — reflecting the Date clan's contact with the West.
- Grounds include a Western-style Baroque rose garden, a moss/maple garden with a heart-shaped pond, and a dry-landscape rock garden.
Kanrantei Tea House — Matsushima
- A Momoyama-style teahouse said to have been built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at Fushimi Castle in Kyoto and given to Date Masamune, later relocated here by his son Date Tadamune — reputed to be the largest surviving Momoyama-style teahouse in Japan.
- Two rooms feature gold-leaf sliding doors that once hosted feudal lords' wives and shogunate envoys.
- Matcha tea service available for an extra ¥600–800, with a view over Matsushima Bay — the name means "place to view ripples on the water."
Oshima — Matsushima
- A small pine-covered island just off Matsushima's seaside park, connected to the mainland by a short vermillion footbridge.
- A historic training/retreat site for Zen and ascetic monks — dotted with hand-carved meditation caves and sutra-inscribed rock walls.
- The connecting bridge was destroyed in the March 2011 tsunami and rebuilt, reopening about two years later.
Yamadera 山寺 · Risshakuji Temple
- Founded 860 CE by the priest Jikaku Daishi (Ennin); official name is Risshakuji — "Yamadera" just means "mountain temple."
- Konponchudo Hall, the temple's oldest building, reportedly houses a flame transferred from Enryakuji in Kyoto and kept burning since the temple's founding.
- Poet Matsuo Basho visited in 1689 during his "Narrow Road to the Deep North" journey and composed a famous haiku about stillness here.
- ~1,000 stone steps to the summit, about a 30-minute climb. Visited in order: Niomon Gate, Kaisando Hall (dedicated to founder Jikaku Daishi), Nokyodo (a sutra-copying hall), and Godaido Hall — an early-1700s open platform cantilevered over the cliff, said to have the best view of the valley (a different building from the Matsushima Godaido above).
Zuihoden 瑞鳳殿
- Mausoleum of Date Masamune, the powerful Sendai-domain daimyo of the Edo period; his son and grandson are entombed in similarly ornate nearby mausolea.
- Built in the ornate Momoyama-period decorative style, with intricate woodwork and vivid multicolor painting.
- The original 1637 structure was destroyed in the July 1945 air raids on Sendai; the present building is a postwar reconstruction.
- An on-site museum displays Date family personal artifacts, including excavated items from the original tomb. Massive old cedar trees line the approach.
Sendai Castle 仙台城跡 · Aoba Castle Ruins
- Built 1600 by Date Masamune atop Mt. Aoba, ~100m above the city, chosen for defensive high ground.
- The castle building itself is gone — destroyed across the Meiji-era demolitions, an 1882 fire, and the 1945 firebombing of Sendai. What remains is sections of the original stone outer walls and a reconstructed guard turret, no reconstructed main keep.
- The armor-clad, horseback bronze statue of Date Masamune is the site's best-known photo spot.
- Panoramic view over central Sendai from the former castle grounds. Reached via Loople Sendai, ~20 min from Sendai Station.
AER Observation Deck
- Free observation floor on the 31st floor of the AER building, ~2-minute walk north of Sendai Station's west exit.
- Two terraces: west side overlooks Sendai's shopping streets with Mt. Izumigatake and Mt. Taihaku as backdrop; east side faces the Pacific and gives views of Shinkansen trains passing below.
- Genuinely free with no ticket required — unusual for a city-view deck at this height.
Where to eat
Sendai's two famous specialties — gyutan (grilled beef tongue) and zunda (sweetened edamame paste) — are largely off-limits: gyutan is meat by definition, and most gyutan-shop broths use beef stock. Zunda itself is plant-based and shows up in vegetarian-friendly sweets (zunda mochi, zunda shakes) at cafes and souvenir shops around the station and Ichibancho — a safer way to try the local flavor. The trip's own plan doesn't book specific restaurants for Sendai; dinners are open blocks, usually near Ichibancho.
See more food options on the trip map ↗Namaskar
Indian restaurant, B1F in the Ichibancho arcade itself (一番町2-2-11). Full vegetarian menu, and the kitchen can prepare dishes vegan on request — English-speaking staff. (A different Namaskar branch at Sendai Bivi has permanently closed — this Ichibancho location is unaffected.)
Open in Google Maps ↗Dashiro (Minamimachi-dori Honten)
Ramen shop, ~10 min walk from Sendai Station. Recommended: Konsaidashi Misopota, a vegetable-only miso ramen with broth made from 10+ root vegetables (no meat/fish dashi), served from 1500. Their vegetable-broth soba and a vegan-marked miso ramen are also listed on the menu.
Open in Google Maps ↗Ohisamaya
Organic/macrobiotic restaurant, brown rice, no chemical seasonings — plant-forward by concept. In business ~42 years, no closure signals found.
Open in Google Maps ↗Zunda Saryo
Zunda (mashed edamame) sweets specialist, 3F Sendai Station in the "Zunda Komichi" arcade. Zunda-based mochi and shakes are vegetarian-friendly (shakes likely contain dairy, which is fine for this diet) — the safest way to try Sendai's other famous flavor.
Open in Google Maps ↗MUKU
Cafe-restaurant with an animal-welfare/vegan-friendly concept, opened Nov 2024. Named vegan items include koji minestrone and vegan desserts (chocolate ice cream, pitaya chia pudding) — note the menu is mixed, also serving a pork bowl and a salmon dish, so it's not all-vegetarian.
Open in Google Maps ↗Soup Stock Tokyo
National soup chain, known for rotating vegetarian/vegan soups (corn potage, pumpkin, tomato) with allergens and vegan status marked on the in-store menu board. This branch offers 15 soup choices daily.
Open in Google Maps ↗Mos Burger Sendai Nishiguchi モスバーガー仙台西口店
Has offered a plant-based burger for years. The prior "Green Burger (Teriyaki)" was discontinued ~May 2026, replaced by a new rice-flour-bun avocado basil burger stated to use no animal-derived main ingredients — confirm the exact current item name in-store, since fast-food menus rotate.
Open in Google Maps ↗CoCo Ichibanya Sendai Sun Mall Ichibancho カレーハウスCoCo壱番屋 仙台サンモール一番町店
The regular curry roux is meat-based by default — order the dedicated "Coco Ichi Veggie Curry" roux instead, which the company states contains no animal-derived ingredients (shared factory lines may process dairy, which is fine for this diet).
Open in Google Maps ↗Darestore Coffee & Eatery
Specialty coffee roaster/cafe with an Italian-trained chef, スズキビル1F, 国分町1-1-11 — a newer 2nd location distinct from the original darestore Coffee Roastery shop. No confirmed vegetarian savory dish found — best treated as a coffee-and-dessert stop (pastries typically contain egg/dairy, fine for this diet) rather than a full meal, unless the current menu is checked first.
Open in Google Maps ↗Matsushima An 松島庵 — Matsushima
Soba restaurant near Matsushima Park. Standard soba dipping broth in Japan is almost always bonito-fish dashi unless a shop specifically advertises otherwise — this shop's broth isn't confirmed either way, so ask staff before ordering if the broth matters.
Open in Google Maps ↗Ungai 雲外 — Matsushima
Kaiseki restaurant on Entsuin's grounds, historically billed as "shojin" (Buddhist temple vegetarian) cuisine — but current course descriptions explicitly include seafood sashimi and grilled oysters, a "Date lord" gourmet reinterpretation rather than strict temple vegetarian food. Not vegetarian-safe as served by default; included here for map completeness, not as a vegetarian recommendation, unless you call ahead to request the seafood be excluded.
Open in Google Maps ↗Fumotoya (Tozanguchi branch) ふもとや登山口店 — Yamadera
Two Fumotoya locations exist near Yamadera — this is the one right by the mountain-trail entrance, not the Honten further down. The famous specialty, geso-ten soba (tempura squid-leg soba), is not vegetarian — the safe recommendation here is the cherry (sakuranbo) soft-serve, ¥350.
Open in Google Maps ↗Taimenseki 対面石 — Yamadera
Casual eatery near Yamadera, next to the Taimenseki rock formation by Hojubashi bridge. Menu includes mountain-vegetable soba and warabi-mochi/zunda-mochi — zunda mochi is a safely vegetarian, nameable item; the soba dishes carry the same unconfirmed-dashi caveat as Matsushima An above.
Open in Google Maps ↗Where to shop
See more shopping options on the trip map ↗Mitsui Outlet Park Sendai Port
- Largest outlet mall in the Tohoku region, 100+ stores at discounted prices.
- Food court serves regional Tohoku specialties — Sendai spicy miso ramen, Akita's Hinai-jidori chicken rice bowl, Morioka cold noodles — alongside standard mall dining.
- Part of the broader Sendai Port recreational redevelopment area, which also includes the Kirin Beer Factory (under "What to see").
- ~15–30 min on foot from Nakanosakae Station (JR Senseki Line).
Ichibancho Arcade 一番町商店街
- Established 1954 as the first arcade-style shopping street in Tohoku; today the largest covered arcade in the region, a T-shaped network along Ichibancho and Chuo-dori.
- Combines several connected arcades — Sun Mall Ichibancho, VLANDOME Ichibancho, Ichibancho 4-chome — plus feeder arcades Hapina Nakakecho, Clis Road, and Marble Road Omachi.
- Mix ranges from 100-yen shops to upscale fashion, plus restaurants, izakaya, and souvenir shops.
- Connects on foot to Sendai Station's west exit via the covered arcade route, roughly a 15-minute walk.
Asaichi 仙台朝市 · Sendai Morning Market
- Known locally as "Sendai's kitchen" — fresh seafood and produce from the Sanriku coast and surrounding Tohoku farms, plus prepared-food and flower stalls.
- A compact market street, only ~100m long, with an old-fashioned, lively atmosphere and long-standing family-run stalls.
- About a 5-minute walk from Sendai Station's west exit.
S-PAL Sendai
Large shopping complex (~330 stores) directly connected to JR Sendai Station — fashion, cosmetics, and Tohoku-region souvenir and specialty-food shops, useful for a last souvenir run without a special trip out.
Open in Google Maps ↗