In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Sendai
仙台
Give Sendai two nights as a Tohoku base: 90 min from Tokyo by Shinkansen, cheaper than Kyoto, and Matsushima is 40 min away.
Sendai is the largest city in Tohoku and the capital of Miyagi, about 1 million people, 90 minutes from Tokyo on the Tohoku Shinkansen. The centre was flattened in the war, so this is a green, walkable modern city rather than a temple town: covered arcades, a castle ruin on a hill, and easy day trips to the coast at Matsushima and Ishinomaki. Most travellers use it as a two-night base for Miyagi, not as a destination in itself.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 仙台
- Best months
- Apr–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Jul (rainy season), Aug (humid, typhoon season)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥7,000–11,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥11,000–18,000 excl. bed · High ¥18,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥400–700 |
| Gyutan teishoku (grilled beef tongue set) | ¥1,500–3,000 |
| Ramen or soba | ¥800–1,300 |
| Beer: draught in an izakaya / can at a konbini | ¥500–750 / ¥250–350 |
| Subway ride | ¥210–350 |
| Loople Sendai day ticket | ¥630 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥2,000–4,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SDJ · Sendai Airport
- Sendai Airport Access railway to JR Sendai Station, 17–25 min, about ¥650; trains every 20–30 min.
Typical fares
- Sendai Airport → JR Sendai Station, Airport Access
- about ¥650, 17–25 min
- Shinkansen Tokyo → Sendai, Hayabusa reserved
- about ¥11,200, 1 h 30 min
- Loople Sendai, one ride / one day
- ¥260 / ¥630
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Two subway lines (Namboku north–south, Tozai east–west) plus a bus network. The Loople Sendai loop bus reaches the main sights for ¥630 a day or ¥260 a ride, but runs one way only and stops by 17:00. The centre is compact and flat enough to walk using the covered arcades.Two subway lines (Namboku north–south, Tozai east–west) plus a bus network. The Loople Sendai loop bus reaches the main sights for ¥630 a day or ¥260 a ride, but runs one way only and stops by 5:00 PM. The centre is compact and flat enough to walk using the covered arcades.
See and do
Known for
- Aoba Castle ruins and the Date Masamune statue
- Matsushima bay day trips
- Gyutan (grilled beef tongue)
- Tree-lined avenues and covered arcades
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Matsushima | JR Senseki line from Sendai to Matsushima-Kaigan, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Shiroishi | JR Tohoku line south from Sendai, about 50 min to Shiroishi, then bus to the castle | 1.5–2 h |
| Ishinomaki | JR Senseki line from Sendai, about 1 h 10 min | 1.5 h |
| Tashirojima (cat island) | JR Senseki line to Ishinomaki, then ferry from Ajishima line | 2.5–3 h |
| Naruko | JR Rikuu East line to Naruko-Onsen, about 1 h 40 min | 2 h |
| Kesennuma | JR Kesennuma line from Sendai, about 2 h 30 min | 3 h |
Sleep
- Sendai Station area
- Shinkansen, subway and bus hub; best for one or two nights with bags and for early day trips.
- Ichibancho and Kotodai-koen
- Covered arcade shopping and nightlife; 2 subway stops or a 15-min walk from the station.
- Aoba-dori and Hirose-dori
- Quieter business district between the station and the arcades; mid-range hotels, easy walking.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| This one, please | これをくださいkore o kudasai |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- Loople Sendai buses are small and crowded at weekends and in summer, and the last loop is before 17:00.
- Some buses run only every 30 min outside the centre; check timetables before you commit.
- The Miyagi Museum of Art and Sendai City Museum have been closed for renovation at times: check the official sites.
- Typhoon season brings heavy rainstorms in late summer and autumn; build a wet-day plan.
One of Japan's safer big cities, including for solo and late-evening travel. The real risks are summer humidity, heavy rain in typhoon season, and infrequent buses outside the centre: check the last service before you go out.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Sendai yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Aoba Castle ruins and the Date Masamune statue
- Matsushima bay day trips
- Gyutan (grilled beef tongue)
- Tree-lined avenues and covered arcades
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Discover Sendai (official city tourism site): discoversendai.travel/
- Sendai City official site: www.city.sendai.jp/
- Sendai Area Pass and Marugoto Pass: sendaitravelpass.jp/1day/en/
- Sendai Tourism, Convention and International Association: www.sentia-sendai.jp/english-guide/
- Wikivoyage: Sendai, revision 5279006 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5279006
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/sendai). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.