History / Culture / Tour Spots in Miyagi Area

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Category

Travel / Tourism

History / Culture / Tour

Zuihoden Mausoleum

4.0

617 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Sendaishi Aoba-ku Otamayashita 23-2

Zuihoden, the mausoleum of Date Masamune who died in 1636 at the age of 70, was built at his request. It consists of the main shrine, hall of worship, place of mercy, and Nirvana gate, conveying to the present the characteristics of luxurious and elegant Momoyama culture. Although it was designated as a National Treasure in 1937, it was destroyed by fire during the war in 1945. It was rebuilt in 1979, and large renovation works were carried out in 2001, and the beautiful colors were restored.

Interesting architectural structure surrounded by a peaceful green surroundings. Very serene when I was there and there wasn’t a lot of people as well. This was where the late Date Masamune was...
Osaki Hachimangu Shrine

4.0

299 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Sendaishi Aoba-ku Hachiman 4-6-1

This is a shrine created in 1607 by the feudal lord Masamune Date. The shaden, comprised of the honden (or inner sanctuary), ainoma (which is also called ishinoma-zukuri) passageway, and haiden (or hall of worship) was designated as a National Treasure in 1952 for being the only remaining structure of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Worshippers deeply believe that the deity enshrined here wards off evil and calamities and invites good luck, as well as helps to gain victory or have easy childbirth. It is known for its Matsutaki Matsuri festival, the largest New Year’s event in all of Japan. New Year’s decorations and amulets are burned and the event is also called Dondo-yaki because of the intensity of the fire. The shrine is also famous for its “Hadaka Mairi” when half-naked worshippers form a procession to the shrine in the winter. Visitors can access the shrine by taking a bus that leaves from in front of Sendai Station, getting off at the Osaki Hachimangu-Mae stop and walking for five minutes.

Im a big fan of shrines and one year I went into every shrine I saw walking around Tokyo for a month. For some reason it felt like something was missing. It might be because they were setting up for...
Godaido Temple

4.0

336 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Miyagigunmatsushimamachi Matsushima Chounai

As a symbol of Matsushima, Godaido Temple is a Buddhist temple that was designated as an Important Cultural Property. It belongs to the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism headed by Myoushin-ji Temple and to which Zuiganji Temple also belongs. The temple takes its name Godaido because it houses images of the Five Wisdom Kings of Japanese Buddhism (Acala, Kundali, Trilokavijaya, Vajrayaksa, and Yamantaka). The images of the five great wisdom kings created in the middle of the Heian period are normally withheld from public view but are revealed once every 33 years.

Godaido Hall stands just northeast of the pier and is worth stopping by. A lovely (if somewhat precarious as the handrails are rotting away) bridge connects the small island to the shore. The hall...
Shiroishi Castle

4.0

168 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Shiroishishi Masuokachou 1-16

Shiroishi Castle is a flatland-style Japanese castle in the city of Shiroishi, just a 10-minute walk from Shiroishi Station. The castle was used by the Date clan of the Sendai Domain but then the Katakura clan were hereditary retainers of the castle for 260 years from after the battle of Sekigahara until the Meiji period. At the start of the Meiji period the castle was demolished by Ordinance for the Disposal of Castles but in remembrance of the achievements of Date Masamune’s senior retainer Katakura Kagetsuna, the three-story keep and two gates were faithfully restored in 1995. Shiroishi Castle has around 400 cherry trees (in Masuoka Park). It is a famous cherry blossom spot that attracts a lot of tourists around mid-April.

We went there to see the festival which is held every first Saturday of October. There were many different acts playing, singing or showing skills with samurai swords. When we arrived we had the...
Sendai City Museum

4.0

160 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Miyagi Pref. Sendaishi Aoba-ku Kawauchi 26 (Sendai castle Sannomaru trace)

This museum primarily displays items related to the history and culture of the Sendai Clan, based on materials donated from the Date family. The trademark golden crescent moon crested helmet is a piece of the black lacquer five-layered body armor (an important cultural property) used by Lord Masamune Date, which is housed here along with the 8-meter-wide large painting of the ''Tempo Kuniezu Mutsu-no-Kuni Sendai-ryo.'' Also on display are many treasured archives related to the national treasures of the envoys to Europe during the Keicho Era, which are UNESCO World Heritages. Special exhibits and other scheduled exhibits are also held 3-4 times a year.

This is a small but interesting museum, largely focusing on the history of Sendai and how it came to be. A lot of the displays have English translations which is handy. You can also get an audio...
Ishinomori Mangattan Museum

4.0

105 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Ishinomakishi Nakaze 2-7

Opened in 2001, the Ishinomori Mangattan Museum has eagerly adopted and employed the “Manga Declaration”, which represents the creative ideals of Shotaro Ishinomori regarding the expressive potential of manga (comics) as a media. In addition to entertaining and animated displays, standard exhibits, special exhibition rooms, and an original animation theater, this museum even offers you the opportunity to try animation for yourself. The plentiful content is overwhelming. About 10 minutes by car via Ishinomaki Kanan Interchange on the Sanriku Expressway.

I visited with my brother and a friend. I didnt know much about the particular mangas and anime shown in the museum but one caught by eye. This was Cyborg 009 (I am now obsessed). I now know much...
Johgi Nyorai (Saihoji Temple)

4.0

69 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Sendaishi Aoba-ku Okura Up / down 1

Ths temple is known for the hauntingly beautiful “Candle Festival” that takes place on August 15. It is said to have been founded by Taira no Sadayoshi, who protected a statue of Amitabha bequeathed to him by Taira no Shigemori and escaped the purge of the Minamoto Clan. In 1706, Hayasaka Genbei, a subordinate’s descendant, became a monk by the name of Kanrensha Ryonen and established the temple. It’s about a 45-minute drive from the Sendai-Miyagi Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway.

定義山の西方寺。仙台の山奥にあります。天皇塚は縁結びスポットらしいです。本堂は新しく、きれいでした。駐車場も十分にあります。
Rinno-ji Temple

4.5

83 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Sendaishi Aoba-ku Kitayama 1-14-1

Rinnoji Temple is located about 15 minutes by taxi from Sendai Station. It was first founded in Fukushima in 1441, but when the Date clan moved from the castle there to other places, it was reestablished in each location, but it was finally moved to its current site in Sendai in 1602. Its Zen garden, known as one of the many famous gardens in the Tohoku region, attracts many visitors from in and outside the city of Sendai, giving them an opportunity to appreciate seasonal blooms, such as cherry blossoms and hydrangeas. Its statue of Seated ShakaNyorai (an incarnation of the Buddha), Sendai City's Tangible Cultural Property, is exhibited on the 1st and 15th of every month. Every Saturday, the temple sponsors Zen meditation sessions that are open to the public.

Take the train from Sendai Station to Kitayama Station and walk downhill for about 15 minutes to the entrance to this temple . Well worth the visit with a beautiful garden area and pond to walk...
The Miyagi Museum of Art

4.0

97 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Miyagi Pref. Sendaishi Aoba-ku Kawauchimotohasekura 34-1

An art museum located in Kawauchi-Motohasekura, Aoba Ward, Sendai City. Opened in 1981, the museum was expanded in 1990 with the Churyo Sato Gallery thanks to pieces of works and collections donated by Churyo Sato, a sculptor from Miyagi Prefecture. The museum houses pieces of art which have a connection with Miyagi Prefecture and the Tohoku region of Japan, as well as contemporary art from the Meiji period and a collection of Western art with a focus on modern German art.

The Sendai Art Museum is located in a beautiful area and can be reached by bus or by subway. The museum has a great collection of wonderful works. The visitor to Sendai International Center has to go...
Site of Sendai Castle (Aoba Castle Ruins)

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Sendaishi Aoba-ku Kawauchi 1

This is a castle built by Date Masamune, the first feudal lord of Sendai. Located in the Aobayama Hills, Sendai Castle Honmaru was a natural fortress utilizing the natural terrain consisting of a cliff wall that looks over the Hirose River to the east, a mountain forest in the west called “the back woods”, and the Tachinokuchi valley on the south side. Most of the castle was destroyed by fire in 1882, and Ninomaru became the current site of Tohoku University and Sannomaru has since been transformed into the Sendai City Museum.
Michinoku Date Masamune Historical Museum

4.0

70 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Miyagigunmatsushimamachi Matsushima Fugendou 13-13

A history museum dedicated to the samurai Date Masamune. The museum's entrance, modeled after the Date clan crest, draws the eye. One of the museum's biggest draws is its lifelike wax models depicting epic moments from Date Masamune's life. Amazingly, Masamune's face as it appears in the museum's exhibits was reconstructed based on the remains of the samurai exhumed during work to rebuild the Date clan mausoleum. Visitors can also try on samurai armor and take a commemorative photo. In the museum cafe, you can enjoy sweets made with zunda mashed boiled green soybeans or a Masamune Parfait topped with a crescent moon-shaped cookie.

If you are a Date Masamune fan then you must visit I loved Sengoku Basara and this is the place to visit to learn his life plus aftermath There are also statues that are important to people of...
Kanahebisui-jinja Shrine (Golden Snake Shrine)

4.0

40 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Iwanumashi Miroyoshi Suijin 7

This shrine, located about 10 minutes by car from Iwanuma Station that worships the god of golden snakes. It has been introduced by the media as a power spot for good fortune, and has gathered faith since long ago as a god of business prosperity, good fortune with money, warding off evil and bringing luck, as well as maritime safety. In the precincts there is a historic peony garden with 1,500 bushes planted, in the season of colorful wisteria and azalea in the middle of May, the “Flower Festival” is held and the shrine is crowded with many visitors. Also, there is a soba kitchen using shrine underwater spring water to make freshly made soba noodles that visitors can enjoy in the rest area.

I stopped by here on my first visit to Sendai. To get there, train may not be the most convenient to get there from Sendai Station, so I decided to rent a car and get there 8:00 AM. There were...
Funaoka Joshi-koen

4.0

30 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Shibata-gun Shibatamachi Funaoka Tateyama

宮城で桜のキレイな場所はたくさんありますが、圧倒されるのは船岡城址公園から白石川の一目千本桜一帯です。行くなら朝早くがオススメで、混んでいない時間であれば、ゆっくり見ることが出来ます。難点は広いので歩く距離が多いことくらいですが、それでもウォーキングを兼ねてとすれば楽しく回れます。公園から見下すのもキレイだし、河畔に下りてもまた絶景です。ちょうど風が少しあって桜吹雪も見られて最高でした!
Sendai Toshogu Shrine

3.5

52 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Sendaishi Aoba-ku Toushougu 1-6-1

"This Shinto shrine, located next to Toshogu Station on the JR Senzan Line, is one of many Toshogu shrines dedicated to the great shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu built across the country. Established in 1654 by Date Tadamune, the second lord of the domain, the shrine is believed to grant worshippers better luck, protection from misfortune, familial tranquility, success in academic endeavors, business prosperity, and certain victory in competitions. Out of the many Toshogu shrines across the country, only the Sendai Toshogu Shrine and the Toshogu shrine in Nikko have main shrine buildings which are adorned with decorations made of the ""seven treasures"" - gold, silver, pearl, silver, agate, lapis lazuli, crystal, and coral. The main shrine building, along with several other structures on the grounds such as the Karamon gate which is only opened during the shrine's annual festival on April 17, are designated National Important Cultural Properties."

急に思い立って仙台東照宮の石鳥居と石段の石材を確認してきた。伊達家２代目忠宗の奥方が故郷備前の犬島の花崗岩をわざわざ船で運んできて石鳥居を建造したとのこと。芭蕉もここを訪れたことが「七日快晴。加衞門同道ニテ権現宮ヲ拝。」と『曽良旅日記』にある。権現宮とは東照宮のことで、新暦では元禄２年6月23日だった。
Takekoma-jinja Shrine

4.0

49 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Iwanumashi Inarichou 1-1

Inari Shrine in the center of Iwanuma City, is located about an 11 minute walk from Iwanuma Station. It is regarded as one of Japan’s three main Inari shrines, and is also known as “Takekoma Inari”. The shrine was established in 842, when Ono no Takamura was sent as the new lord of Mutsu who also wrote for the ogura hyakunin-isshu poems. It is a popular shrine with the first or second most visitors worshipping the god of food, clothing and shelter for the first prayer of the year every year. In addition, the “Hatsu Uma Festival” is held for seven days from the first Uma (horse) day (the seventh day of the twelve horary signs) of February (lunar calendar). The festival represents the first sign of spring and the shrine bustles with many visitors from both within and outside the prefecture.

We were in Iwanuma to celebrate our sons wedding at this shrine. Few words can describe the overall experience of celebrating a traditional Japanese wedding at one of the most stunning shrines in...
Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake Kesennuma City Memorial Museum

5.0

27 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Kesennuma-shi Hajikamisemukai 9-1

この震災遺構のある気仙沼という街を含めて訪れるべき所です。この震災遺構の周りは津波で流され何もなくあるのは歪なほど大きな堤防だけです。気仙沼自体津波で全て流されたのだろうというのが街を回っていると分かります。そういう意味でも訪れるべき所だと思いますあとカジキが美味しい笑見学時間はちょうど1時間ぐらいでした。
Sendai Daikannon

3.5

16 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Pref. Sendaishi Izumi-ku Sanezawa Naka Yangnan 31-3

This temple is about a ten-minute drive from Kunimi Station on the JR Senzan Line. It's also known popularly as Sendai Daikannon after the 100-meter-high statue with this name. Built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Sendai municipal system and to wish for prosperity in the 21st century, its foundation reaches 21 meters underground. Daikokudo with its red torii gates is also on the grounds. It honors Aburakake Daikokuten and is known as a matchmaking spot. Every month on the 18th, Kannon Bodhisattva's festival day, they hold lectures that expound the teachings of Buddhism in an easily accessible way. Anyone interested in Buddhism can participate for free. They also hold pet memorial services.

The statue is huge, the largest in the world when it was built but has since slipped down the rankings a bit. Its free to walk around it and there is a small entry fee when we went inside it. On the...
Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake: Sendai Arahama Elementary School

4.5

31 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Miyagi Sendai-shi Wakabayashi-ku Arahamashin Horihata 32-1

Whilst a little tricky to get to, Arahama school is definitely worth a visit. It’s possible to see the water level of the tsunami both outside and inside the building, which is pretty fascinating...
Sendai City Tomizawa Site Museum

4.0

53 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Miyagi Sendai-shi Taihaku-ku Nagamachiminami 4-3-1

A museum where you can experience the Paleolithic located a five minute walk from the subway Nagamachi-Minami Station. The museum conserves and displays the actual Tomizawa Site, an archeological site and one of only a few in the world dating back 20 thousand years to the Paleolithic. The museum also has exciting exhibits which recreate what life looked like for human beings at that time. In the basement gallery, visitors can view the remains for a bonfire and forest from 20 thousand years ago. In the outdoor ice age forest exhibit, visitors can view seasonal flowers and insects in a recreated ice age forest.

年代とともに何重にも積み重なった地層をていねいにはぎ取って、２万年前のたき火のあとを見せてくれています。当時のようすを再現した映像や、子供にもわかる説明もあってとても勉強になりました。長町南駅から５分ほどで歩けます。
Sendai Astronomical Observatory

4.5

40 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Miyagi Pref. Sendaishi Aoba-ku Nishikigaoka 9-29-32

10 minutes by car from the Sendai-Miyagi Interchange, this Sendai City municipal observatory is located in Nishikigaoka, Aoba Ward. It was relocated and rebuilt in the suburbs of Sendai City in 2008. It features a planetarium, 1.3 meter-diameter Hitomi telescope, and exhibits that let you observe the universe through models and videos. You can experience planetarium programs like “Kids Time” with notable children’s characters, enjoy excellent Saturday night entertainment in “Night Planetarium”, and participate in events like star-gazing or workshops.

夏休みの一日に、伺いました。子供さんが多くにぎやかではありました。目的はプラネタリウムだったのですが、常設展示もいろいろな方向から天体などをとらえており楽しめました。小さいお子さんにはムツカシイ内容かもしれませんが・・・・・プラネタリウムも、季節の夜空が楽しめ、普段は見えない自分の頭上の夜空が実はこんなに明るいものだと知ったものです

Miyagi

Central Sendai City Akiu / Sakunami Matsushima / Shiogama Sanriku Zao / Shiroishi Northern Area

Travel / Tourism History / Culture / Tour

Reference/Local/Exhibition/Literature Museum Shrine Castle / Ruins of Castle Historical Monument Temple Church Ruin / Grave / Ancient Tomb Memorial Hall Cultural Property Event Hall / Public Hall Art Museum Museum / Science Museum Other Historic Site/Building

Miyagi Areas

Lying along the northeastern coast of Japan, Miyagi prefecture is home to lashings of natural parks, oysters, and hot springs. While the bustling city of Sendai offers some simple city entertainment, it’s the Matsushima islands that deserve the most attention, having boosted the prefecture’s reputation as one of Japan’s most scenic views.