Things to do in Sendai

Neighborhood · Aoba ward, central

A broad central boulevard with a planted pedestrian median under mature zelkova trees, running a few blocks parallel to the main shopping arcades.

Local tip: This is where the phrase 'city of trees' comes from and where the city holds its two best events: the Jozenji Streetjazz Festival in September and the Pageant of Starlight, when the whole avenue is lit through December. The median is a genuine park rather than a strip — people sit and eat lunch on it. In August, note that Tanabata takes over the arcades one street south, not this one.

Landmark · Aoba ward, on Mount Aoba and across the river

The hilltop site of Date Masamune's castle, founded in 1601, with the best view over the city, and his lacquered mausoleum in a cedar grove on the opposite bank.

Local tip: The castle itself is gone — what you go for is the stone walls, the view and the equestrian statue. Zuihōden is the better of the two: a small, intensely decorated Momoyama-style mausoleum rebuilt after 1945, up a long flight of steps through old cedars. Do them in one afternoon; they are a short bus ride apart and both are near Tohoku University's Kawauchi campus.

Culture · Wakabayashi ward, on the coast

A four-storey school building left standing where the tsunami of 11 March 2011 reached its second floor, preserved by the city and open to the public as a memorial and record.

Local tip: It is free, it takes about an hour, and it is the clearest single explanation of what happened on this coast — the water line is marked on the walls and the ground floor is left as it was. Around 320 people sheltered on the upper floors and roof and were rescued by helicopter. The surrounding land is inside the designated hazard zone and is now open ground, which is itself part of what the site shows you. Go on a clear day and walk out to the coastal levee afterwards.

Nightlife · Aoba ward, central

The largest entertainment district north of Tokyo — a dense grid of izakaya, standing bars, snack bars and gyūtan restaurants a few minutes from Sendai Station.

Local tip: Start with gyūtan, which is a Sendai invention and best in a specialist shop rather than a general izakaya — it comes as a set with barley rice and oxtail soup and you order by thickness. Then work outward from the main street; the small counters on the side alleys are better and cheaper. Sendai drinks on weeknights in a way regional Japanese cities often do not, because of the university and the branch offices.

Nature · Taihaku ward, 30–40 minutes west by bus or car

A thousand-year-old hot spring town in a river valley, with a short gorge walk of sculpted rock and a large waterfall further upstream — and still inside the city boundary.

Local tip: This is the thing residents use and visitors miss. The Rairaikyō gorge walk takes forty minutes and is genuinely beautiful in late October; Akiu Ōtaki waterfall is a separate trip further up the valley. Several ryokan open their baths to day visitors for a small fee, which makes a Sunday afternoon here one of the best value things you can do in Sendai.

Nature · Miyagi Prefecture, ~40 minutes by JR

A bay of hundreds of pine-covered islets, counted among the classical three great views of Japan, with Zuiganji temple's cedar avenue behind the waterfront.

Local tip: Take the JR Senseki Line rather than driving, get off at Matsushima-Kaigan, and go to Zuiganji and Entsūin before the boat trip — the temples are the substantial part and the cruise is twenty minutes of pines. Godaidō, the small hall on the rocks, is reached by a bridge with gaps in the planking, which was deliberate. The islands absorbed much of the 2011 wave, which is why the waterfront survived comparatively well.