See

Sendai City Museum

仙台市博物館

Houses a range of items relating to the city's history. Note that it is closed for renovations until approximately April 2024.

Address: Kawauchi 26
Getting there: get off the train at JR Sendai station; take city bus for Dobutsukoen-junkan, Aobadai, Miyakyodai (Miyagi university of education), Naritasan, (via Aoba-dori Ave.) at 9 depot of the Sendai bus terminal; it takes about 10 minutes to Museum/International center's stop; the museum is 3 minutes walk from the stop
Website: city.sendai.jp (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Sendai, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Sendai (Aoba) Castle Ruins
仙台城跡
Often recommended by locals, though there isn't much to see beyond the old castle walls and a nice view over the modern city. There's a replica of a gate and a statue of the founder of the city, Date Masumune. However, the ruins of Sendai Castle is the theme of a famous poem written by Doi Bansui called "Kojo no Tsuki" ('The Moon over the desolate castle'). In the poem, the author touchingly invites us to reflect on the impermanence of all life, which is represented by the ruins of the once great castle caught in the light of the full moon. The poem has been put to music and is famous throughout Japan. There is a food court and a small museum on-site.
See
Tohoku University Botanical Gardens
東北大学植物園
Botanical garden with 800+ species, with a focus on willows and alpine plants.
Spring Equinox Day until November 30¥230 for adults, ¥110 for children
See
Miyagi Museum of Art
宮城県美術館
A reasonable collection of modern art. Special room for Juryo Sato, a local (but nationally famous) sculptor. Beautiful garden and a nice view of the river. The museum has been closed for renovations since June 2023.
See
Zuihoden
瑞鳳殿
Mausoleum of Date Maasamune, first lord of Sendai Domain. Zuihoden was designed in the ornate style of the Momoyama Period. The original complex was destroyed during World War II, but has been rebuilt and is in a dense forest (which survived the war; many of the trees are over 300 years old). It features intricate woodwork and a rich variety of vivid colors. Massive cedar trees surround the paths in the area, and are meant to symbolize the long history of the Date clan. A museum beside the Zuihoden main building shows some of the personal artifacts of the Date family, and even some specimens of their bones and hair.
09:00-16:00 or 16:30¥550