[1 Night, 2 Days in Miyagi] A Trip to Enjoy Tohoku’s Iconic Castle Towns, Hot Springs, and Food

From JR Sendai Station, take the Sendai Sightseeing City Loop Bus, Loople Sendai, and get off at the Zuihoden-mae bus stop. Walk for about 7 minutes to the first destination, Zuihoden.

This is the mausoleum of Date Masamune, founder of the Sendai Domain. The surrounding area also includes Date family mausoleums such as Kansenden, the mausoleum of the second lord, Tadamune, as well as an attached museum, and the whole area is designated as a historic site of Sendai City under the name Kyogamine Date Family Burial Site.
Zuihoden, with its lavish and gorgeous decorations, was originally built in 1637, the year after Masamune’s death in 1636. It was destroyed in the 1945 Sendai air raid and rebuilt in 1979. Faithfully following the earlier structure, its vividly colored decorations are truly worth seeing.

Next, head to the Sendai Castle Ruins, also known as Aoba Castle. From the Zuihoden-mae bus stop, take Loople Sendai (bound for Aoba) and get off at the Sendai Castle Ruins bus stop.

Set on a hill overlooking the city, the Sendai Castle Ruins are now maintained as a park covering the area where Sendai Castle, built by order of Date Masamune, once stood. You can still see stone walls and the reconstructed side turret of the Otemon Gate.
Next to the park, the Aoba Castle Museum offers exhibits on the castle’s history as well as the VR attraction “Sendai Castle VR Go.” It’s a valuable chance to visualize what the castle once looked like.

After exploring the Sendai Castle Ruins, you’ll probably be ready for lunch. Head to Date no Gyutan Honpo Aobajo Branch, near the main bailey ruins of Sendai Castle, to try gyutan, the local specialty you won’t want to miss in Sendai!

This specialty gyutan restaurant operates seven locations across Miyagi Prefecture. A must-try here is their signature “shintan,” the tender section about 10–15 cm from the base of the tongue, which is also a registered trademark of Date no Gyutan Honpo. Enjoy it in the Gokuatsu Shintan Teishoku, where you can choose from 2 slices / 4 cuts to 4 slices / 8 cuts, featuring expertly grilled gyutan prepared by skilled chefs.

After enjoying Sendai’s local flavors, head to one of the avenues that symbolizes the City of Trees. From the Sendai Castle Ruins bus stop, take Loople Sendai bound for Sendai Station and ride for Approx. 30 minutes to the Mediatheque-mae bus stop.

Jozenji-dori, lined with four rows of zelkova trees stretching for Approx. 700 m, is known as Sendai’s symbolic boulevard. The trees are beautiful in every season, from fresh greenery to autumn colors, and the promenade in the center of the road is perfect for a walk.

A great place to stop by while walking along Jozenji-dori is KANEIRI Museum Shop6. This museum shop is located inside Sendai Mediatheque, a cultural complex known for its striking all-glass exterior that stands out along the street. The shop carries books on architecture, design, art, and local culture, as well as traditional crafts from Tohoku and works by creators, making it an irresistible space for art lovers. It’s also a fun place to look for souvenirs.

Continue your walk along Jozenji-dori and make your way to Sendai Station. Inside the station, at S-PAL Sendai East Building, it’s time for a cafe break at Agurie no Mori MITTE.

This is a new brand from Ocha no Igeta, a long-established tea shop in Sendai. With an in-house workshop, it serves zunda sweets such as zunda soft serve, zunda parfaits, and drinkable zunda shakes. You can also add toppings like tapioca pearls and warabi mochi to the drinkable zunda. It’s popular for its unique texture.
They also sell popular Igeta products such as Kikufuku, so you can enjoy souvenir shopping along with your cafe break.

After enjoying zunda sweets, head to your accommodation! Make your way to Akiu Onsen, a hot spring town with a history of over 1,000 years that stretches along the Natori River Gorge in western Sendai. To reach Sendai Akiu Onsen Hotel Zuiho, the hotel for this trip, take the free shuttle bus departing from the station. You’ll arrive in about 40 minutes.

Sendai Akiu Onsen Hotel Zuiho is one of the most popular inns in Akiu Onsen, featuring six open-air baths of different styles set in a beautiful Japanese garden. You can relax in a variety of guest rooms, including sukiya-style Japanese rooms. Another nice highlight is that both breakfast and dinner, one of the pleasures of traveling, are served buffet-style at the restaurant “seasons,” renovated in 2017. There is also an indoor heated pool available year-round, making it a great place to enjoy a luxurious stay.

It’s a 10-minute walk from the hotel. This Approx. 2 km gorge is lined with giant and unusual rocks. Of that, Approx. 650 m has a walking path, with highlights including a heart-shaped hollow in a rock known as Nozokibashi Heart, recognized as a sacred place for lovers, and Kimen-iwa, a rock said to resemble a human face. Enjoy a scenic walk while taking in different seasonal views, from fresh greenery to autumn colors.

Enjoy the gorge walk as you head to the Sendai Kaleidoscope Art Museum, a rare museum dedicated to kaleidoscopes located along Futakuchi Kaido Road.

In addition to displays from its rare kaleidoscope collection, one experience you’ll definitely want to try here is the hands-on kaleidoscope-making workshop! Besides the easy workshop, where you simply choose beads and place them in your favorite tube, you can also join the dress-up kaleidoscope workshop, where you place beads into a small bottle of Approx. 3.5 cm to create a full-fledged oil-type kaleidoscope. A one-of-a-kind original kaleidoscope makes a perfect travel memory!

After immersing yourself in the world of kaleidoscopes, walk for about 10 minutes from the museum to Akiusha, an experiential cafe restaurant renovated from a traditional house dating back to the Edo period.

Akiusha was born from a desire to cherish “Vintage.” Here you can enjoy lunches and sweets made with locally grown vegetables harvested mainly in Akiu and seasonal ingredients. The interior and exterior are filled with various antiques and vintage items, adding to the charm of dining in a comfortable, inviting space.

After your meal, walk for about 15 minutes to the Akiu Sato Center bus stop. From there, take the Sendai Seibu Liner and reach the Sendai Ekimae bus stop in about 30 minutes. Then head to AER, a multi-purpose building located a 2-minute walk from the pedestrian deck connected to the west exit of Sendai Station.

Your destination here is the AER 31st Floor Observation Terrace on the top floor. Two areas, on the west and east sides, are open to the public free of charge as observation terraces. From the west side, you can overlook central Sendai, the leading city of Tohoku, while the east side offers expansive views of the Sendai Plain and the Pacific Ocean, each with a different atmosphere. It’s open until 8:00pm, so coming for the night view is also recommended.

After enjoying the spectacular views, take the Sendai Airport Access Line from Sendai Station, then from Natori Station transfer to the Natori City Community Bus Natorin-go Yuriage Line and get off at the Kawamachi Terrace Yuriage-mae bus stop. Its location also makes it easy to stop by before heading to Sendai Airport. You’ve arrived at Kawamachi Terrace Yuriage, a landmark of Yuriage standing along the Natori River!

The final stop on this trip is a popular sightseeing spot where a variety of shops gather in rowhouse-style buildings, including a food court, sweets shops, and farm stands. Along with restaurants serving local dishes made with Natori specialties, there are also cafes with nice views and open spaces where you can relax while enjoying the food. There are also shops selling agricultural and seafood products, so it’s a great place to pick up souvenirs too.