2 days in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
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Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture is a great weekend or two-day getaway from Tokyo in Japan.
Despite spending a little less than 36 hours in the city and surrounds, I wish I had more time there. But it’s still worth the trip if you’re limited on time!
Sendai offers natural beauty, history, culture and local craftsmanship. Everything you could want for the perfect weekend away in Japan.
Where is Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
Sendai is the largest city in Japan’s Tohoku region with roughly 1 million population and is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture.
Sendai was founded around 1600 by the powerful Feudal Lord Date Masumune.
Masamune is recognised by his crescent moon-shaped helmet and missing eye. There are various theories surrounding how he lost it, from smallpox, to plucking it out himself to prove a point.
Masamune became a supporter and loyalist of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu who granted him extra land in the Tohoku Region.
Masamune is credited with creating the prosperous city of Sendai and increasing trade in the Tohoku region.
How to get to Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
Sendai is an easy trip from Tokyo. It’s just 100 minutes by Shinkansen, direct from Tokyo Station to Sendai Station.
The JR Tohoku Shinkansen line travels between Tokyo and Sendai many times a day. The Hayabusa, Hayate and Komachi bullet trains are the fastest at 100 minutes and require seat reservations.
Yamabiko trains are a little slower at 2 hours and don’t require reserved seating.
All these options are covered by JR Pass, or individual tickets cost around 11,000 yen one way.
It is possible to take a highway bus to Sendai for a cheaper option. The highway bus will take around 5.5 hours. The cost is between 3000 – 7000 yen. Book through Japan Highway Bus.
2 Days in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture Itinerary overview
- Day 1: Morning market, winery tasting, oyster show dinner
- Day 2: Date Masamune Mausoleum, Aoba Castle site, Osaki Hachimangu Shrine, Sendai Daikannon
Day 1: Morning market, winery tasting, oyster show dinner
8am: Make your way to Sendai
Sendai is a quick 1 hour and 55 minutes (or less) shinkansen ride from Tokyo Station.
Disney shinkansen
The Magical Journey Shinkansen features Disney characters such as Rapunzel and Peter Pan and travels from Tokyo to Sendai a few times a day.
For more details on the Magical Journey Shinkansen and the timetable visit the JR website (Japanese only) – enable translation if required.
10am: Drop your bags at your hotel
We stayed at the Sendai Washington Hotel which was conveniently located right next to the station and offered good value for money and a yummy breakfast.
11am: Eat your way through the morning market – Sendai Asaichi
Sendai Asaichi is Sendai’s incredible fish market and it is just a few minutes walk from Sendai Station.
Despite being called a morning market, it’s open all day and into the evening.
Try some of the freshest and most delicious seafood and other treats such as hot croquettes. Yum.
12:00pm: Take a bus to Akiu Winery (50 minutes)
Walk back to Sendai Station ( a few minutes walk) and then catch the Sendai Seibu Liner bus from the front of the station.
*Always check Google Maps for the latest information on transport options.
Ride the bus for 50 minutes to the Akiu Sato Centre.
1:00pm: Walk along the beautiful Rairaikyo Gorge
Take in the stunning scenery of Akiu and the beautiful Rairaikyo Gorge. There is a 1km path along the rocky gorge that takes around 40 – 50 minutes to walk.
There are plenty of benches and picnic spots along the way, so consider bringing a Bento for a divine, relaxing lunch.
2:00pm: Visit Akiu Winery for a tasting
Please make sure you book wine-tasting ahead of time.
This wine tasting was one of my favourite moments on my Sendai adventure. I learnt a lot and was inspired by the resilience of the local people after the 2011 earthquake.
The wine-tasting includes a tour of the distillation room and tasting of three different (delicious) wines including appetisers. The owner, who speaks perfect English said they also tour the vineyards except in cold months when the vines are bare.
The wine-tasting is 4,000 yen per person and must be booked in advance. They offer 10am and 2pm sessions on weekdays except Tuesdays.
4:30pm: Visit Great Dane Brewery
The owner at Akiu Winery suggested we also visit Great Dane Brewery just a short walk along the same road. It was great!
Great Dane Brewery began in Wisconsin, USA and now has a branch in the Akiu area of Miyagi after they were invited by Miyagi officials.
The brewery offers a float of delicious beers and also some really tasty American food like Wisconsin cheese curds, buffalo wings and filling sandwiches.
Conveniently, they serve food all day long, which was perfect for us. It was just what we needed after wine tasting, then beer tasting!
6:15pm: Take the bus back to Sendai Station (30-50 mins)
There is a bus stop right outside Great Dane Brewing. The bus comes infrequently, so make sure to check the timetable and double-check with Google Maps.
7:30pm: Dinner and oyster show
Enjoy a traditional Miyagi Prefecture meal at the famous Date-han Nagaya Sakaba. You must reserve this restaurant in advance.
This wonderful restaurant, with a tiny door, showcases the best of food from Miyagi, especially oysters. You can watch the oyster cooking show on the large fire pit.
The food here was amazing and the decor was also incredible. You feel as though you are in a secret, traditional Japanese cavern.
After dinner, visit jazz bars
In the Kotodaiken area of Sendai there are a few jazz bars and nightlife options. If you have any energy left!
Day 2: Zuihoden Musoleum, Castle ruins, Osaki Hachimangu Shrine & Sendai Daikannon
9am: Take the Loople bus to Zuihoden
Sendai provides a very affordable sightseeing bus option starting at Sendai Station. The Loople bus costs 630 yen per adult and 320 yen per child for a full-day pass.
Buy the bus ticket from the West Exit Bus Terminal Stop 16, right opposite where the bus departs.
9:15am: Explore Zuihoden
Zuihoden is the mausoleum of Feudal Lord Date Masumune.
This mausoleum was one of my highlights in Japan. The atmosphere and beauty of the area reminded me of Nikko and the very beautiful Toshogu Shrine.
Zuihoden is located in a beautiful forest. You enter by walking up a large hill surrounded by towering cedar trees which represent the Date clan’s long rule.
We visited in November and enjoyed the gorgeous colours of the Autumn trees.
The design of the mausoleum is of the Momoyama period which showcases intricate designs and vivid colours.
The cost is 570 yen to enter or 460 yen if you show your Loople pass.
10:33am: Take the Loople bus to the Castle ruins
Arrive at the Aoba Castle Ruins at around 10:46am.
Although there is not much of the castle left due to a giant fire in 1882 and bombing in 1945, the view is spectacular.
Date Masumune built the castle on Mount Aoba due to its height of 100 metres above the town below.
There is also a museum on site showcasing models of the castle and a movie in Japanese.
11:45am: Take a scenic walk across the Hirose River to Gengo Chaya (15 mins)
Enjoy some zunda mochi, a famous food of Sendai at the cute cafe Gengo Chaya.
Zunda is a sweet paste made from edamame beans then combined with sugar and salt.
Zunda traces back to the Date clan where is it said they ate this before battle for energy and health!
Chengo Chaya also offers substantial lunch options if you have your hunger on.
12:46pm: Take Loople to Osaki Hachimangu
Arrive at Osaki Hachimangu at 1:03pm.
Osaki Hachimangu Shrine is a National Treasure of Japan and the family shrine for the Date family.
The shrine’s deity is Hachimangu, the God of War.
Date Musumune ordered the construction of this shrine in 1607, and it’s painted uniquely in black lacquer and gold leaf.
Some shrine fortunes (omukuji) found here are in black to represent the shrine’s unique details.
2:15pm: Take a taxi to Sendai Daikannon (15 mins)
The last entry to Daikannon for the day is 3pm.
The Loople bus does not go to the Sendai Daikannon, so instead we took a taxi from the Osaki Hachimangu Shrine there. It took around 15 minutes.
Sendai Daikannon is the tallest statue of a goddess in Japan and the 10th largest in the world.
The statue is 100 metres tall and at the time of completion in 1991, it was the tallest statue in the world.
You can enter the statue and climb the stairs to the top or take the elevator. Usually, people take the elevator to the top and walk down all the stairs to the bottom.
The ground floor has the 33 forms of Kannon statues, while opposite are some intricate wood carvings of fierce-looking replicas of each of the Chinese astrology.
At the top, there is a wonderful view out across Sendai, if only the windows weren’t quite so small!
Walk down the stairs to view the 108 Buddha statues.
Entry costs 500 yen each.
4:30pm Take a taxi back to Sendai Station for shopping
You can also get a local bus back to Sendai Station (approx 30 mins). Use Google Maps to navigate.
As Sendai is the home of Zunda, you can buy many Zunda (edamame) flavoured gifts.
Try Zunda Pretz, Jagabee, Kit Kat shakes and the original Zunda Mochi.
Sendai is also famous for Gyutan or beef tongue and if you want to take the flavour home, you can do so in the form of potato chips/crisps.
6:00pm: Eat Sendai beef
Sendai Beef is deliciously scrumptious.
We were looking for a quick bite at Sendai Station before our shinkansen and found Steak House Iseya.
The steak plate was delectable and something I will crave for a long time! YUM.
7:30pm: Take your shinkansen back to Tokyo
What a whirlwind, but amazing trip!
Where to stay in Sendai
We stayed at the Washington Hotel in Sendai right by the train station and it was convenient, clean and had a great breakfast.
Round up of 2 days in Sendai, Miyagi
I had a wonderful time in Sendai over 36 hours. However, I do wish I’d spent an extra night there and stretched it out to three days.
Afterwards, I realised a wonderful option would be to spend a night in Akiu at one of the onsen hotels and then another night in Sendai city itself.
A wonderful option in Akiu would be the Taoya Akiu hotel with onsen and delightful food options.
There’s always a next time!
