{"id":12509,"date":"2016-12-20T16:04:49","date_gmt":"2016-12-20T16:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/?p=12509"},"modified":"2016-12-21T10:25:21","modified_gmt":"2016-12-21T10:25:21","slug":"sendai-another-day-day-trip-sendai-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/20\/sendai-another-day-day-trip-sendai-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Sendai another day: A day trip from Sendai (part two)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p>In my last blog I talked about the first of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/09\/sendai\/\">my top two reasons to spend a couple of nights in Sendai<\/a>; a fascinating city on the Tohoku coast, often overlooked by foreign visitors to Japan. In this piece I\u2019ll be focusing on my second recommended day-trip from Sendai \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japanese-destinations\/matsushima\/\">Matsushima Bay<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12512\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12512\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"One of over 250 islands dotted around Matsushima Bay.\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-1-1.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-1-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-1-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-1-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-1-1-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-1-1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-1-1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-1-1-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-1-1-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-1-1-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12512\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of over 250 islands dotted around Matsushima Bay.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Matsushima Bay is renowned for being one of the <em>Nihon Sankei<\/em>, the three most scenic spots in Japan, alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japanese-destinations\/miyajima\/\">Miyajima Island<\/a> in Hiroshima Prefecture, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japanese-destinations\/amanohashidate\/\">Amanohashidate<\/a> sandbar in the northern part of Kyoto Prefecture. The bay is admired for the many small islands that pepper the surrounding seascape &#8211; around 260 of them in all.<\/p>\n<p>Matsushima literally means \u2018pine island(s)\u2019, and most of the tiny islets here are populated only by trees. It\u2019s said that Matsuo Basho, the most famous haiku poet in Japan, who lived in the seventeenth century, was so taken aback by the beauty of Matsushima Bay that the best poetic summation of his impressions that he could muster was:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Matsushima Bay,<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Ah! Matsushima Bay<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Matsushima Bay<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The attribution of this haiku to Basho is almost certainly apocryphal (his poems were usually much better!), but I hate to let historical fact detract from amusing anecdotes!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12515\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12515\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12515\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"The best way to see the bay!\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-2-1.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-2-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-2-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-2-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-2-1-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-2-1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-2-1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-2-1-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-2-1-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-2-1-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12515\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The best way to see the bay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The best way to admire the bay is to take one of the many sightseeing boats that sail around the area. Although you can take round-trip cruises from the central Matsushima area, I recommend taking the half-hour local train from Sendai to Shiogama and boarding one of the one-way boats from there. The boat cruise lasts for about an hour and drops you off at Matsushima town on the mainland, where there are some interesting sights to explore during the rest of the day.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12516\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12516\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12516\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-3-1.jpg\" alt=\"The Farmer Family all at sea\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-3-1.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-3-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-3-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-3-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-3-1-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-3-1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-3-1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-3-1-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-3-1-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-3-1-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12516\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Farmer Family all at sea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The pricing system of the cruises is a little cheeky! The boats from Shiogama have three class compartments: Second, Green, and First. The one-way trip in second class costs 1,500yen per person, green costs slightly more, and the fare for sailing in the first class compartment is just under 3,000yen per person. It might seem a little steep, but I highly recommend doing as my parents and I did, and splashing out on the first class tickets.<\/p>\n<p>The other compartments don\u2019t have any outdoor observation areas, and there\u2019s no question that the best views are from up on the top deck in the first-class section. However the best reason to upgrade is the fact that most other passengers don\u2019t! On the day we took the cruise, there wasn&#8217;t a single other soul on board in the first-class compartment, and we had the place to ourselves!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12518\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12518\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12518\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-4-1.jpg\" alt=\"Splashing out\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-4-1.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-4-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-4-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-4-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-4-1-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-4-1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-4-1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-4-1-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-4-1-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-4-1-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12518\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Splashing out<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After arriving back on dry land, I recommend heading over to Fukuura Island, one of just two islands in the bay that\u2019s accessible by bridge. There\u2019s a 200yen entrance fee to cross the red bridge onto the island, but it\u2019s well worth it, as the whole island is a botanical garden and makes for a very pleasant place to stroll around for an hour or so.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12521\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12521\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12521\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-5-1.jpg\" alt=\"Fukuura Island\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-5-1.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-5-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-5-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-5-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-5-1-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-5-1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-5-1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-5-1-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-5-1-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-5-1-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12521\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fukuura Island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you fancy a mid-afternoon pit stop I suggest hunting down Shokado Caf\u00e9, located close to the ferry pier. The caf\u00e9 is famous for its <em>castella<\/em>, a Japanese style sponge cake of Portuguese origin, but the standout menu item for me was the most wonderful <em>kakigori<\/em> I\u2019ve ever tasted.<\/p>\n<p><em>Kakigori<\/em> is thinly shaved ice with sugar syrup, usually with a fruity flavour added. The quality of <em>kakigori<\/em> varies a lot from shop to shop. In its more mediocre manifestations, the ice is shaved too coarsely and the fruit syrup tastes like pure sugar, but the <em>kakigori<\/em> at Shokado caf\u00e9 was sublime! The topping consisted of honey syrup and half a fresh lemon, which you juiced yourself and poured over the ice before digging in. Far more agreeable than the standard sickly-sweet synthetic concoction! The ice was shaved so finely it was like consuming a cooling gust of wind. Beware that this menu item is only available during the hot summer months!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12522\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12522\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-6-1.jpg\" alt=\"The best and most refreshing shaved ice I\u2019ve ever tasted\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-6-1.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-6-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-6-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-6-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-6-1-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-6-1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-6-1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-6-1-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-6-1-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-6-1-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12522\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The best and most refreshing shaved ice I\u2019ve ever tasted<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After a quick respite I recommend checking out a couple of the other interesting sights in the area, starting with Zuigan-ji, a Zen temple originally belonging to the Tendai school of Buddhism, founded in the 9<sup>th<\/sup> century. One particularly interesting aspect of this temple are the many caves that line the approach, which used to be used as venues for meditation practice.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12524\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12524\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12524 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-7-1.jpg\" alt=\"matsushima-picture-7\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-7-1.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-7-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-7-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-7-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-7-1-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-7-1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-7-1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-7-1-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-7-1-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-7-1-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12524\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A suitably austere venue for contemplation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I also recommend popping in to Entsu-in, a small temple next door to Zuigan-ji, and the site of the mausoleum of Date Mitsumune. The Date (pronounced <em>dah-tay<\/em>, to rhyme with Brussels pat\u00e9) clan were the rulers of the Sendai region during Japan\u2019s feudal period. The most famous member of the family is Date Masamune, who assumed power during the first half of the seventeenth century and founded the city of Sendai. Mitsumune was his grandson, who died at the young age of 19. His mausoleum is in a lovely quiet corner of this little temple, surrounded by a luscious moss garden.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12527\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12527\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12527\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-8-1.jpg\" alt=\"The mausoleum of Date Mitsumune at Entsu-in\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-8-1.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-8-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-8-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-8-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-8-1-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-8-1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-8-1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-8-1-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-8-1-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-8-1-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12527\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The mausoleum of Date Mitsumune at Entsu-in<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After taking the train back to Sendai, you\u2019ll probably want some refreshment after your busy day! I recommend hunting down the \u2018Standing Sake Bar\u2019 on Hirose-dori Street (opposite the \u2018Forus\u2019 department store and adjacent to the Disney store). The bar is inside a tobacconist and can only fit about half a dozen customers around the standing tables at a time, but it\u2019s a pretty quirky place to grab a quick beer while deciding where to head for dinner!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12528\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12528\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12528\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-9.jpg\" alt=\"Standing room only!\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-9.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-9-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-9-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-9-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-9-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-9-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-9-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-9-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-9-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-9-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12528\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Standing room only!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Although I\u2019ve focused on two recommended day trips from Sendai in this and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/09\/sendai\/\">my previous blog<\/a>, there are of course some interesting sights in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japanese-destinations\/sendai\/\">Sendai<\/a> itself. Before heading on to your next destination, it\u2019s worth checking out the Zuihoden Mausoleum, the final resting place of Lord Date Masamune. The mausoleum consists of a number of buildings, many of which are ornately decorated, all surrounded by majestic cedar trees.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12530\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12530\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12530\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-10.jpg\" alt=\"Fit for a lord\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-10.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-10-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-10-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-10-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-10-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-10-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-10-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-10-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-10-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Matsushima-Picture-10-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12530\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fit for a lord<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As the largest city in the Tohoku region, Sendai is a really vibrant and interesting place to stay for a couple of nights. As part of an itinerary heading up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japanese-regions\/hokkaido\/\">Hokkaido<\/a>, it makes for a particularly convenient place to break the journey north from Tokyo. But the real draws for me are the two great (and totally contrasting!) day trip options that can be easily embarked upon using Sendai as a base.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you would like to incorporate a stay in Sendai into a self-guided itinerary, please do <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/about-us\/contact-us\/\">give us a call<\/a> and start planning your trip with one of our expert travel consultants today!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F12509\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! In my last blog I talked about the first of my top two reasons to spend a couple of nights in Sendai; a fascinating city on the Tohoku coast, often overlooked by foreign visitors to Japan. In this piece I\u2019ll be focusing on my second recommended day-trip [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2362],"tags":[1858,2068,2678,2717,2901],"class_list":["post-12509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-places-and-where-to-stay-in-japan","tag-matsushima","tag-sendai","tag-richard-farmer","tag-matsushima-bay","tag-day-trip"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12509"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12539,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12509\/revisions\/12539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}