Sendai
JapanDfa
© OpenStreetMap, CARTO
杜の都 | The City of Trees
Why visit
The Sendai Tanabata Festival in early August is one of Japan's three great Tanabata events, with elaborate paper streamers filling shopping arcades. The reconstructed Sendai Castle on Aoba-yama Hill offers a Date Masamune statue and city views. The Zuihoden mausoleum is gorgeous Momoyama architecture. Beef tongue (gyutan) is the local specialty, try Rikyu or smaller back-alley spots. Day-trip to Matsushima, one of Japan's three classic visual views with pine-clad islands, or to the Yamadera mountain temple. Use Sendai as a base for exploring Tohoku and reaching the rebuilt tsunami coast.
When to avoid
The 2011 earthquake/tsunami devastated coastal Sendai and the wider Tohoku region. Some coastal memorials (Arahama, the elementary school site) are emotionally heavy. Snow can briefly disrupt city transport in deep winter. Pollen season (March to April) can be intense. Tanabata week sees crowded arcades and full hotels. Book ahead. Tohoku tourism is less English-supported than Tokyo or Kyoto. Avoid the Pacific coast immediately during typhoon warnings (peak August to October).
