Sendai

Sendai is a city that feels alive in every season. Tucked into the northern part of Japan’s main island, it is famous for its broad avenues shaded by tall zelkova trees, giving the whole city a cool, green feeling even on the busiest days. Walk down Jozenji Street on a summer evening and you might catch the sound of live jazz drifting through the leaves — that is just the kind of place Sendai is.

The city has a rich and dramatic past, shaped by a legendary samurai lord named Date Masamune. You can visit the ruins of his hilltop castle and look up at his powerful bronze statue on horseback, then head across the city to see his dazzlingly decorated mausoleum. Ancient shrines gleaming in black and gold hide quietly among the trees too.

Every August, Sendai transforms completely. Millions of enormous handmade paper streamers burst out across every street in an explosion of color, turning the entire city into something that looks almost too beautiful to be real.

Sendai Puzzle Set

City illustration + map puzzle, shipped to your door.

Available in 110, 252, 520 and 1,014 pcs

From $44.99

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Quick fact

Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu and is nicknamed 'the City of Trees' for its wide, zelkova-lined boulevards.

Fun fact

Sendai's Tanabata Festival, held every August, is one of Japan's most spectacular — the city hangs millions of enormous, colorful paper streamers from every street, making the whole city look like it is dressed up in a giant costume!

Landmarks

Sendai Castle Ruins (Aoba Castle)

Perched on a wooded hill above the city, these castle ruins offer sweeping views and are watched over by a dramatic bronze statue of the powerful lord Date Masamune on horseback.

Zuihoden Mausoleum

This brilliantly colorful and intricately decorated mausoleum is the final resting place of Date Masamune, the legendary one-eyed samurai lord of Sendai.

Osaki Hachimangu Shrine

Gleaming black and gold in the forest, this beautiful shrine is a National Treasure of Japan and a masterpiece of early 17th-century shrine architecture.