Japan / Tohoku (the North) / Sendai & MatsushimaSendai & Matsushima
Pine Islands of Matsushima and the Date Lords' City
Tohoku's largest city, 90 minutes from Tokyo by the Hayabusa shinkansen: the ornate mausoleum of the warlord Date Masamune at Zuihoden, grilled beef tongue (gyutan), and the Tanabata paper streamers of 6-8 August. Forty minutes away, Matsushima Bay's 260 pine-covered islands are one of Japan's three classic views, best from a cruise boat and the Zen temple of Zuigan-ji. The mountain temple of Yamadera is an hour inland; the coast here was struck by the 2011 tsunami, remembered at Arahama school.
Highlights
- Matsushima Bay cruise among the pine islands
- Zuigan-ji Zen temple
- Godaido on its island
- Zuihoden mausoleum
- Gyutan beef tongue dinner
- Sendai Tanabata streamers (6-8 August)
- Yamadera's 1,000 steps
- Akiu hot springs
Things to do
- Matsushima Bay cruise & Zuigan-jiMorning · 4h
- Zuihoden mausoleum & Aoba Castle ruinsAfternoon · 2h 30m
- Yamadera mountain temple climbMorning · 4h
- Gyutan dinner in IchibanchoEvening · 1h 30m
- Arahama Elementary School tsunami memorialAfternoon · 1h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: April – June, September – November
Heads up
Rainy Season (Tsuyu)
From early June to mid or late July it rains most days, often all day, on Honshu and Kyushu: carry an umbrella, keep outdoor plans flexible, and expect landslide warnings to close mountain roads and some railways after heavy downpours. Hydrangeas are in flower and the crowds are thinner.
- Cherry blossom (hanami) — Cherry trees flower for about a week, from late March in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka to mid-April in the Alps towns and late April in Sendai; Okinawa's come in January and Hokkaido's in early May. Parks fill with picnics under the trees. It is the dearest and most crowded time of year: book hotels four to six months ahead, and expect Kyoto rooms at two or three times the usual price.
- Sendai Tanabata — Sendai's shopping arcades are hung with thousands of huge paper streamers for the star festival, with fireworks the evening before. Hotels in Sendai fill weeks ahead.