Gyutan (grilled beef tongue)牛たん
Thick-cut beef tongue grilled over charcoal, served in Sendai with barley rice and oxtail soup.
Tohoku
Miyagi Travel Guide
Local tips, regional food and places off the tourist trail
Tohoku’s gateway, centred on the city of Sendai, with the pine-covered islands of Matsushima, the Naruko hot springs and the Zao mountains.
Open Miyagi on the map51 places on the map · 12 local favourites
Local tips
- TipMatsushima is an easy half-day trip from Sendai on the JR Senseki Line; take a bay cruise to see the islands.
- DoUse the Loople Sendai sightseeing bus to loop between Zuihoden, the Aoba Castle site and the city centre.
- Heads upSendai Tanabata in early August draws huge crowds; book hotels early.
- Heads upThe Zao Echo Line road up to the Okama crater lake closes in winter.
- TipHidden gem: Naruko Gorge, near Naruko Onsen, is spectacular in autumn colour — pair it with a hot-spring stay.
What to eat
Zunda mochiずんだ餅
Rice cakes coated in a sweet paste of mashed edamame; also try zunda shakes in Sendai.
Sasa-kamaboko笹かまぼこ
Bamboo-leaf-shaped fish cakes, often grilled fresh in shops so you can eat them hot.
Local favourites
Places mostly visited by people who live here — quieter, and often the highlight of a trip.
Izunuma Wetlands
伊豆沼 Nature & SceneryWetland where tens of thousands of wild geese winter; watch them take off en masse at dawn.
● Mostly localsKoganeyama Shrine, Kinkasan
金華山黄金山神社 Temples & GoshuinchoNature & ScenerySacred island shrine reached by boat from the Oshika Peninsula, where wild deer and monkeys roam; said to bring wealth to those who visit.
● Mostly localsAkiu Craft Village
秋保工芸の里 ExperiencesShoppingCluster of workshops in Akiu making kokeshi dolls, Tamamushi lacquer and Sendai tansu; some offer painting workshops.
● Mostly localsFormer Arahama Elementary School
震災遺構 仙台市立荒浜小学校 Sights & HistorySchool preserved as a disaster memorial showing tsunami damage; it sheltered hundreds of people on the roof in 2011.
● Mostly localsMurakamiya Mochi
村上屋餅店 Local FoodOld Sendai mochi shop that serves zunda mochi, sweetened green edamame paste over fresh rice cakes.
● Mostly localsRairai Gorge
磊々峡 Nature & SceneryShort, pretty gorge walk right in Akiu Onsen town, with a rock pool known as 'Noson' and a heart-shaped hollow.
● Mostly localsRyutei, Sendai
龍亭 Local FoodChinese restaurant regarded as the birthplace of hiyashi chuka, the cold summer ramen now eaten all over Japan.
● Mostly localsSendai Mediatheque
せんだいメディアテーク Sights & HistoryToyo Ito's landmark glass building held up by twisting steel tubes; now a public library and gallery.
● Mostly localsShimanuki Honten
しまぬき本店 ShoppingLong-established Sendai store for Tohoku crafts: kokeshi, Tsutsumi pottery, lacquerware and Sendai tansu pieces.
● Mostly localsTakekoma Shrine
竹駒神社 Temples & GoshuinchoOne of Japan's major Inari shrines, in Iwanuma, a local favourite at New Year.
● Mostly localsTogatta Onsen Kaminoyu
遠刈田温泉 神の湯 Hot SpringsPublic bath in the Zao foothills hot-spring town of Togatta, known for kokeshi workshops lining its streets.
● Mostly localsKesennuma Umi no Ichi
気仙沼 海の市 Local FoodShoppingHarbourside seafood hall in Kesennuma with fish sellers, restaurants and a shark museum; the port is famous for bonito and shark fin.
● Mostly localsThe famous sights
The places most visitors come for. Worth it — just go early.
Zao Fox Village
宮城蔵王キツネ村 ExperiencesWooded park where over a hundred foxes roam freely; hugely popular with foreign visitors.
Godaido, Matsushima
五大堂 Sights & HistorySmall temple hall on an islet in Matsushima Bay reached by red bridges with gaps in the planks; an icon of the bay.
Zuigan-ji
瑞巌寺 Temples & GoshuinchoSights & HistoryMatsushima's great Zen temple, built by Date Masamune, with sumptuous gold-screen rooms and caves carved into the rock.
Nakanosakae Station
Stamp RalliesSights & HistoryNakanosakae Station is a railway station in Miyagi Prefecture that draws visitors as part of regional travel and station-stamp collecting routes in the Tohoku area.
Sendai City Museum
Sights & HistoryAn iconic museum in Sendai that preserves and displays the history and culture of the city and the Date clan. It is a key cultural landmark for visitors exploring…
Michinoku Date Masamune Historical Museum
Sights & HistoryExperiencesA museum in Miyagi Prefecture dedicated to the life and legacy of Date Masamune, the iconic one-eyed warlord who shaped the Tohoku region. Visitors can explore…
Oku-Matsushima Olle Trail
Nature & SceneryExperiencesA scenic hiking trail in the Oku-Matsushima area of Miyagi Prefecture, part of the Korean-inspired Olle trail network adapted for Japan. The route winds through coastal…
Shiogama Shrine
Temples & GoshuinchoSights & HistoryShiogama Shrine is one of the most important Shinto shrines in the Tohoku region, dedicated to the gods of fishing and salt-making, and is a must-see landmark near…