Sendai仙台

A castle town called "The City of Trees." The Tanabata-matsuri Festival attracts thousands of spectators each year.

Sendai City, situated in the center of Miyagi Prefecture, is the largest city in the Tohoku region. It has prospered as the capital of the Dates' fief since Date Masamune reigned over this district and built Aoba Castle at the beginning of the 17th century. Explore the ruins of Aoba Castle or rest and relax in the neighborhood of Mt. Aoba-yama, which has been transformed into a gracious public park.

Sendai is known as "The City of Trees." The main streets, Aoba-dori and Jozenji-dori, are lined with rows of beautiful zelkova trees, The Christmas illumination, the "Sendai Pageant of Starlight" is spectacular, not to mention the beauty of fresh verdure in spring and the scarlet-tinged leaves in autumn. Ichiban-cho-dori Street, which crosses Chuo-dori Street and runs parallel to Aoba-dori Street, is a shopping area. A local market, with many smaller stores lining the side streets, make for a delightful shopping excursion. After shopping, relax and dine at your choice of 4,000 fancy restaurants, all clustered around Kokubun-cho, located on the west side of Ichiban-cho-dori Street.

The Tanabata-matsuri Festival, held every summer in Sendai, is considered one of the four greatest festivals in the Tohoku region. It is one of the most popular attractions, drawing crowds of over 2 million spectators every year. The festival is based on the Chinese seventh of July legend: The 'Kengyu' (a cowherd) represented by the star Altair, and the 'Orihime' (a weaver) represented by the star Vega, appear on either side of the Milky Way and cross the bridge of magpie's wings over the Milky Way for their one-time rendezvous a year.