Things to do in Sendai and places to see

Shopping

Kogensha
Traditional handcrafted goods. Lots of great things for souvenirs and gifts.

Yodobashi Camera
Huge store selling electronics stuff and lots more.

Chuo-doori Shopping Arcade
Sendai's main shopping street. Extends from Sendai Station to Ichibancho, which is another shopping pedestrian mall which runs at right angles to Chuo-doori and goes all the way to Jozenji-doori.

Ichibancho Shopping Mall
A long pedestrian only mall filled with lots of interesting shops.

Aeon Store and Supermarket
A department store with a supermarket in the basement.

Don Quijote Variety Store
Huge variety store. Worth a look.

Asaichi Market
Sendai's main retail vegetable market. Not really so great as markets go.

Maruzen Book Store
On the 1st floor of the Aeru building. Has the best selection of English and other foreign language books in Sendai.

Mitsukoshi Department Store
Sendai store of the famous Mitsukoshi department store chain. Great food in the basement.

Gyomu Supa (Supermarket)
Cheap supermarket with a wide variety of items.

The Mall Shopping Center
Lots of shops, restaurants and movie theaters. Take the Nanboku Sen subway line to Nagamachi Minami Station.

Shimanuki Souvenir Shop
A large variety of souvenirs and Japanese handicrafts to choose from.

Temples and shrines

Shintera
This area has lots of temples and shrines. Great to stroll around, especially in autumn.

Zuihoden
A buddhist temple which enshrines Date Masamune, the famous Sendai warlord from the Edo period. Nice Nikko style architecture. Take the Loople bus to get here.　

Atago Jinja (Shrine)
One of Sendai's most important shrines. Built in 1650 by Date Masamune. Also has great views of Sendai City. Take a Nanboku Line subway train to Atagobashi station.

Toshogu (Shrine)
Sendai's Toshogu Shrine was built in 1654 by Date Tadamune, who succeeded Date Masamune, the first lord of the Sendai domain. More than 15 shrine buildings, including the main hall, Karamon gate, Zuishinmon gate, and Bettoji Sengakuin temple, were built over a period of five years. Take a train on the Senzan Line from Sendai station to Toshogu station.

Osaki Hachiman Jinja (Shinto shrine)
One of Sendai's main shrines. This is where many people go on New Years eve and New Years day to make their wishes for the new year. Lots of food stalls here at that time.

Restaurants and eating in Sendai

Quil-fait-bon cake shop
Fantastic cakes here. Gorge to your hearts content.

Ishibashiya Traditional Japanese Sweets
This shop is housed in a beautiful old building and sells Sendai traditional Japanese sweets. The interior of the shop is worth a visit even if you don't buy anything. In spring a beautiful sakura tree blossoms right next to it. Take the Nanboku subway line and get off at Kawaramachi station.

Ramen Jiro
Popular ramen noodle shop. Be prepared to line up.

Da Gennaro
Great Italian restaurant.

Shishiochido
Great soba noodle restaurant with nice views.

Ohisamaya Vegetarian Restaurant
Nice vegetarian restaurant. Good healthy Japanese food.

Kokubuncho Night Life Area
Tohoku region's largest night-life area. Lots of restaurants and bars.

Taj-2 Indian Restaurant
Good Indian food at reasonable prices.

Blair House Italian Restaurant
Good, reasonably priced Italian restaurant. In the basement.

ThaChange Thai Restaurant
Authentic Thai food, reasonably priced.

Sabai Sabai Thai Restaurant
Good Thai food. Staffed entirely by Thais.

Banks and Money Services

MUFG Bank
Foreign exchange services

Sumitomo Mitsui Bank
Foreign exchange services

Wells Fargo
International money services

Museums and Art

War Reconstruction Memorial Hall
Exhibits explaining the devastating air raid on Sendai by the USA air force in 1945. Free admission. Sendai Mediatheque
Library and arts center. Interesting architecture.

Miyagi Museum of Art
Sometimes they have really good special exhibitions but the regular collection is fairly mediocre, unless you like bronze female statues.

The Sendai City Museum of History and Folk Lore
The regular exhibits are divided into three major themes: "Agricultural tools and farm life in the Sendai region", "Sendai town life", and "The former 4th Infantry Regiment". There is also a hands-on learning room where you can watch videos and play with toys from previous eras. From Sendai Station take the Senseki Sen (Line) to Tsutsujigaoka Station.

Sendai Anpanman Children's Museum & Mall
A fun museum for young kids dedicated to the anime character Anpan Man. There is a fantastic bread shop which is well worth the visit even if you don't have kids.

Sendai City Museum
Fairly interesting if you are into musuems.

Sankyozawa Denki Hyakunenkan
The first hydro-electric generation plant to operate in Japan, with a small museum dedicated to the history of electricity generation in the Tohoku region.

Transport

Sendai Station
A very large and bustling station. Catch bullet trains north and south as well as local trains to Matushima, Sendai Airport, Ishinomaki, Yamagata and many other places. There is also a subway station here. Lots of shops and places to eat in and around the station. City buses and long distance buses also leave from here.

Eco Car Rental
Super cheap car rental company.

Other Places to See

Joozenji-Doori
Beautiful tree lined avenue

Tsutsujigaoka Koen (Park)
Great spot for viewing cherry blossoms in the spring. Early April is usually the best time.

Nishi Koen (Park)
Nice cherry blossom viewing spot. This is the best place to see Japanese enjoying their cherry blossom parties at night, where the object is usually to get as drunk as possible.

SS 30 Building
Great observation deck on the top floor gives wonderful views of Sendai in all directions.

Tohoku University Katahira Campus
The original campus of the now world famous Tohoku University. Some interesting old buildings here.

Ryu no Kuchi Keikok
The name means mouth of the dragon canyon. An interesting hike but a bit rugged. If you walk into the canyon until you reach a spot under a bridge high above you, you will notice flowers that have been placed here and there. These are for people who jumped from the bridge.

Hirosegawa View Point
Nice views to the center of Sendai looking up the Hirose River.

Ginko Trees in the Autumn
This street is lined with ginko trees which turn a vibrant yellow in the autumn, creating a beautiful scene.

Sendai Kannon Statue
A huge statue of the goddess Kannon overlooking Sendai. At over 100 meters high it is reported to be the 6th highest statue in the world. You can enter the statue for a fee and climb up to the chest level (or take an elevator) for some great views. You can see the statue from central Sendai and it can be reached by bus from Sendai Station.

Aer Observation Deck
On the top floor of the Aer building near Sendai Station. Use the entrance for offices (not the shops) and go to the top floor.

Sendai Castle Ruins
The once magnificent Sendai Castle was destroyed in a bombing raid during World War II. The impressive stone walls remain however, and there is an interesting model of the castle as well as a film which provides a computer graphic tour. There also the statue of Date Masamune, the famous lord of Sendai Castle. The statue is often used as the symbol of Sendai. The view over Sendai is also worth the trip. You can get there on the Loople Bus.

Koyo Grand Hotel
Check out the kitsch lobby. It's really great.

Famous Sightseeing Spots in Miyagi Prefecture

See the Miyagi map for more details and other spots to visit in Miyagi Prefecture

Matsushima
Said to be one of the three great scenic spots of Japan. Islands covered in pine trees (matsu means pine tree and shima means island) dot the bay creating a very picturesque scene.

Ishinomaki Magattan Museum
The museum features the works of manga artist, Shotaro Ishinomori, who is known for Kamen Rider, and other characters.

Jogi
A nice five level pagoda and a large Buddhist temple. Lots of shops and some restaurants.

Hotels in Sendai

Sendai offers a huge range of hotels to stay in, from very cheap ones (usually starting from 5,000 yen per night) aimed at the budget conscious to five star class hotels. We recommend that you check the large number of booking sites available in order to get information on the latest prices and availability. Many hotels offer free breakfasts as well.
Although somewhere near Sendai station is the most convenient place to stay, you can find cheaper hotels further out, and if the hotel is within walking distance of a subway station you won't find it too inconvenient.
There is also a youth hostel in Sendai which offers accommodation for under 3,000 yen per night for Youth Hostel members. It is called the Maple Sendai Youth Hostel and you get more information in English from the link below.

http://www.jyh.or.jp/info_e.php?jyhno=1309


Ayashi Budda


Ishibashiya Sweet Shop


Funaoka Cherry Blossoms


Yubikan


Nakahama Junior High School