The notebook of Sendai et Matsushima
Choose the detours that give character.
Large treed city, bay sown with islets, mausoleums and temples serve as a cultural gateway to northeastern Japan.
At your own pace
Identity summary
3 to 6 days
Spring · Summer · Autumn · Winter
Possible without car depending on area
Metropolis area · Coast · Heritage · Forest
Good accessibility
Sweet rhythm
General presentation
Sendai et Matsushima
Large treed city, bay sown with islets, mausoleums and temples serve as a cultural gateway to northeastern Japan.
The discovery of Sendai and Matsushima is centred around Mausoleum Zuihōden, Matsushima Bay and Yamadera Temple. The stay thus alternates between the big city, the coastline, the heritage and the forests, which gives a concrete picture of the destination beyond its only best known site.
See all
For a stay of 3 to 6 days, a quiet rhythm works well. Also to be anticipated: variable influx depending on the season. The trip can be organised without a car if the drop point and local connections are selected in advance. The main sites are generally easy to access.
Strengths and constraints
Strengths
- Mausolée Zuihōden
- Matsushima Bay
- Yamadera Temple
Before you choose
- Variable frequency depending on season
- Parking to anticipate in the center
Places worth visiting
A selection to start dreaming and organizing the stay — not an exhaustive list of everything there is to see.
World Heritage
Hiraizumi – Temples, jardins et sites archéologiques représentant la Terre Pure bouddhiste
Hiraizumi wanted to give shape on earth to the Buddhist ideal of Pure Earth, with temples, gardens, ponds and aristocratic vestiges. The golden Konjikidō of Chūson-ji and the gardens of Mōtsū-ji reveal a spirituality very related to the water, reflections and composition of the landscapes.
Place indismissible
Mausolée Zuihōden
Zuihōden houses the mausoleum of Date Masamune on a wooded hill of Sendai. Colourful decorations, cedars and family steles create a compact but dense visit, linked to the history of the estate that made the region lasting.
Place indismissible
Baie de Matsushima
Matsushima consists of hundreds of pine-covered islands in a quiet bay of the Pacific. Cruises, small bridges and gazebos give several ways to read this maritime landscape, whose shapes change with mist, light and tide.
Temple
Temple Yamadera
Yamadera climbs a cliff wooded by a long staircase between doors, rocks and small temples. From the upper terraces, the view opens onto a rural valley, rewarding a sustained but regular climb about an hour from Sendai.
Practical tips
This information helps know if the destination matches the planned trip before starting a fuller search.
To go further
More activities
Restaurants, walks, culture, leisure and outings to search without leaving the destination card.
The nearest destinations
The closest ideas on the map, to extend your trip.
Similar destinations
Same landscapes and the same pace of travel, elsewhere in the world.
