Stand on Jōzenji Street under the zelkova trees and you are in the city Date Masamune laid out in 1600, in a grid whose main thoroughfares are still lined with the trees that earned Sendai the name City of Trees. In December those same trees carry thousands of lights for the Pageant of Starlight; in summer the streets fill for the Sendai Tanabata Festival.
Sendai suits travellers who want a calm, walkable city with a castle ruin, a mausoleum and a strong museum or two rather than a checklist of historic sights, and who are happy to ride a bus or subway out to the edges for the larger monuments. This guide covers the sights and experiences worth your time, then strings the best of them into a single day.
Top things to do in Sendai
1. Sendai (Aoba) Castle Ruins
The site of the castle Masamune began building in December 1600, on the hill above the Hirose River, which served as a natural moat. Locals often recommend it, though what remains is the old castle walls and a wide view over the modern city, plus a replica gate and a statue of Date Masamune. It is also the subject of Doi Bansui's poem "Kōjō no Tsuki" ("The Moon over the Ruined Castle"), which reflects on the impermanence of all life.
There is a food court and a small museum on-site. The Aoba Castle Honmaru Museum shows a 15-minute historical documentary on the castle and Masamune Date every hour, but the exhibition and film are exclusively in Japanese.
2. Zuihoden
The mausoleum of Date Masamune, first lord of Sendai Domain, designed in the ornate style of the Momoyama Period. The original complex was destroyed during World War II and has been rebuilt, set in dense forest that survived the war, with many trees over 300 years old. The intricate woodwork and vivid colours against the massive cedars are the reason to come.
A museum beside the main building shows personal artifacts of the Date family. To get there, take a Loople Sendai bus from the West Exit of JR Sendai Station and get off at the Zuihoden-mae bus stop.
3. Ōsaki Hachiman Shrine
Completed in 1607 and designated a national treasure. The metal ornaments and colourful designs displayed against the black lacquer woodwork are the especially attractive feature, and the shrine pairs naturally with the castle hill and Zuihoden on the same side of the city.
4. Statue of Kannon (Sendai Daikannon)
A 100-metre-high statue of Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, built facing the city with the aim of bringing peace and harmony to Sendai. For a small fee you can enter the statue and make offerings to the Buddhist statues and artifacts displayed throughout its 12 storeys.
From Sendai Station, take buses 815 or 825 (bound for Nishi-Nakayama) or X910 (bound for Shie Bus-Sanezawa-Eigyoshomae) and get off at Sendai-Daikonnon-mae.
5. Rinno-ji
An historic temple with ponds and a large traditional garden, especially attractive when the azaleas are in bloom. By bus, take the Kitayama-Shiheimachi line and get off at Rinno-ji mae.
6. Sendai Mediatheque
A building designed by Toyo Ito and an important piece of contemporary architecture. Look at the structure itself while visiting the design shop on the ground level. On the 5th and 6th floors there are free art galleries and studio spaces with temporary exhibitions, as well as photographs of the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.
7. SS30 Building Observation Lounge
An office tower with an observation deck on the 29th and 30th floors, open and free to the public. It sits at the intersection of Higashi Nibancho Street and Kitamenmachi Street, which makes it an easy stop while walking the central grid.
8. Miyagi Museum of Art
A reasonable collection of modern art, with a special room for Juryo Sato, a local sculptor who is nationally famous. There is a beautiful garden and a nice view of the river. Note that the museum has been closed for renovations since June 2023.
9. Sendai City Museum
Houses a range of items relating to the city's history. From JR Sendai Station, take a city bus for Dobutsukoen-junkan, Aobadai, Miyakyodai, Naritasan or via Aoba-dori Ave. from the bus terminal; the ride to the Museum/International Center stop takes about ten minutes and the museum is three minutes' walk from there. Note that it is closed for renovations until approximately April 2024.
10. Bansui Sōdō
The former residence of Bansui Doi, a poet and scholar of English literature in Japan who is generally unknown outside the country. He is best known for writing the lyrics to "Kōjō no Tsuki", the same poem associated with the castle ruins. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00–17:00.
11. Tohoku University Museum of Natural History
Showcases a wide array of specimens from the university's research in earth sciences, including complete skeletons of a Stegosaurus, a Fukuiraptor and a Sei whale, alongside fossils and minerals that illustrate two billion years of evolution and Earth's changes. Admission is free.
12. The Museum of the Forest of Depths of the Earth
A museum of the stone age, where the restoration of that period is carried out based on data from public presentation, and where the ruins of a 20,000-year-old Old Stone Age site unearthed from the Tomizawa ruins are on display. It is in Taihaku-ku, so plan it as a separate trip from the central sights.
13. Yagiyama Zoo
A zoo with elephants, lions, bears and tigers, where you can also mingle with the rabbits. Coin lockers are available on-site.
14. Tohoku University Botanical Gardens
A botanical garden with more than 800 species, with a focus on willows and alpine plants. It is open from Spring Equinox Day until November 30, so it is a seasonal rather than year-round stop.
15. Sankyozawa Electric Centennial Museum
The birthplace of hydroelectric power generation in Japan, with a functioning century-old hydroelectric plant that remains connected to the power grid in a demonstration capacity. You can view the turbines in operation, and there is a small museum and children's exploration area on-site, though in Japanese only. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–16:00, and is immediately adjacent to the Sankyozawa Traffic Park and a Shinto shrine. The museum frequently hosts visiting engineering delegations, so it can suddenly get crowded.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Sendai (Aoba) Castle Ruins for the old walls, the replica gate, the statue of Date Masamune and the view over the city, then walk or ride the short distance to Zuihoden to see the Momoyama-style mausoleum in its cedar forest and the museum of Date family artifacts beside it.
Afternoon: Continue to Ōsaki Hachiman Shrine for the metal ornaments and colourful designs against the black lacquer woodwork. Back in the centre, look in at Sendai Mediatheque for the Toyo Ito building, the ground-level design shop and the free galleries on the 5th and 6th floors, then finish the afternoon at the SS30 Building Observation Lounge for a free view from the 29th and 30th floors.
Evening: Walk Jōzenji Street under the zelkova trees. If you are there in December, this is where the Pageant of Starlight lights the trees through most of the month; in summer, the Sendai Tanabata Festival takes over the city instead.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to see the lights on the trees?
In winter, the trees are decorated with thousands of lights for the Pageant of Starlight, which lasts through most of December. The zelkova-lined streets such as Jōzenji Street and Aoba Street are the places to see them.
What festival should I plan around?
The Sendai Tanabata Festival is held in summer and is the largest Tanabata festival in Japan.
Which sights are closed for renovations?
The Miyagi Museum of Art has been closed for renovations since June 2023, and the Sendai City Museum is closed for renovations until approximately April 2024. Check before building either into your plans.
How do I reach the Statue of Kannon without a car?
From Sendai Station, take buses 815 or 825 (bound for Nishi-Nakayama) or X910 (bound for Shie Bus-Sanezawa-Eigyoshomae) and get off at Sendai-Daikonnon-mae.
Pick the season that suits you, check the renovation closures, and start mapping your days around the castle hill, the mausoleum and the tree-lined streets at the centre of it all.