Where to stay in Sendai

Main station: Sendai Station. You can pick Sendai as the city you stay in on this site.

Areas to stay

• Sendai Station
  Hotels near Sendai Station (Google Maps)
• Kokubuncho / Ichibancho
  Hotels near Kokubuncho / Ichibancho (Google Maps)

Day trips from Sendai

• Sendai Morning Market (Asaichi)Miyagi · within 20 kmA shopping street near Sendai Station with stalls selling local fish, vegetables and prepared food, open from morning.
• Jozenji-dori AvenueMiyagi · within 20 kmSendai's zelkova-lined central avenue with a walking path and bronze statues along its median. It hosts the Sendai Pageant of Starlight in December.
• Zuihoden (Sendai)Miyagi · within 20 kmThe mausoleum of Date Masamune, the warlord who founded the Sendai domain, a short bus ride from Sendai Station.
• Sendai Castle Ruins (Aobajo)Miyagi · within 20 kmThe hilltop site of Date Masamune's castle, with restored stone walls, his equestrian statue and a wide view over Sendai city.
• Rinnoji TempleMiyagi · within 20 kmA Zen temple linked to the Date family in north Sendai, with a stroll garden around a pond and a three-storey pagoda. Irises and other seasonal flowers bloom there.
• Osaki Hachimangu ShrineMiyagi · within 20 kmA shrine built by Date Masamune in Momoyama style, its lacquered, richly coloured hall is a National Treasure. The Dontosai fire festival is held on Jan 14.
• Shiogama ShrineMiyagi · within 20 kmThe head shrine of the old Mutsu province, on a hill above the port of Shiogama. A long steep stairway climbs to the main gate; its cherry tree is a natural monument.
• Akiu OnsenMiyagi · within 20 kmA hot-spring town about an hour by bus from Sendai, counted among Japan's three 'royal' baths and once the Date lords' spa. The Rairaikyo gorge runs through it.

Distance is a straight line from the station, not travel time.

See this month's day trips →

Onsen towns nearby

• Akiu Onsen Miyagi
  A hot-spring town about an hour by bus from Sendai, counted among Japan's three 'royal' baths and once the Date lords' spa. The Rairaikyo gorge runs through it.
• Sakunami Onsen Miyagi
  A hot-spring village in the mountains west of Sendai, said to date back to the Nara or Kamakura period. Its gentle water is called the 'beauty-making bath'; large hotels and inns line the valley.
• Togatta Onsen Miyagi
  A hot-spring town on the eastern foot of the Zao range, over 400 years old, with kokeshi-maker workshops. Two public bathhouses and a free footbath sit in the centre.

All onsen towns by month →

From the airport

• Sendai Airport (SDJ): Sendai Airport Access Line (train), about 25 min to Sendai Station.

Getting around

• Fukushima 20 min · Tohoku Shinkansen (Yamabiko)
• Morioka 40 min · Tohoku Shinkansen (Hayabusa)
• Yamagata 1 h 20 min · JR Senzan Line (Rapid)
• Tokyo 1 h 30 min · Tohoku Shinkansen (Hayabusa)
• Osaka 1 h 20 min · flight SDJ → ITM

Fastest regular service on the official timetable. A flight time is the scheduled time between the airports; add the trip to the airport.

Next city

• Sendai → Tokyo (1 h 30 min) → Nagoya (1 h 35 min) → Kyoto (35 min)
• Sendai → Fukushima (20 min) → Tokyo (1 h 20 min) → Nagano (1 h 15 min)

Example routes along these connections; the time of each leg is in brackets.

Use Sendai as your base →