Sendai Things to Do

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Doi Bansui (1871 - 1952), whose real name was Tsuchi'i Rinkichi, was born in Sendai. He was a teacher and poet. After graduating from the Imperial University of Tokyo, where he studied English Literature, he taught English at the Second Higher Middle School in Sendai. He made a large contribution to Japanese literature by translating and introducing Homer's epic poems into Japanese. "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" (translated directly from Greek) are regarded as his greatest work as a translator. Since his time at the university he had written and published many collections of poems and gained reputation as a poet. Especially, "Kojo-no-Tsuki (The Moon above a ruined castle)", words by Doi Bansui and music composed by Taki Rentaro, is one of the most popular songs in Japan.
In 1934, he changed his surname to "Doi", because his name written in Chinese character was mis-pronounced quite often, so today he is known as "Doi Bansui".

More info: http://lafcadiohearn.jp/tokyo/bansui.html

Bansuisodo Memorial Hall is the former house of Doi Bansui. It was given to him by his students as a present and token of their admiration after Bansui's previous house was lost in an air raid in 1945. It is a beautiful traditional wooden house with a lovely garden.

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The castle known as Sendai Castle (仙台城, Sendai-jō) or more popular as Aoba Castle (青葉城, Aoba-jō) after its location upon Aoba Mountain, was constructed about 1602 by order of Date Masamune. It functioned as the government office of the Date clan until 1875, when it was demolished by the Imperial Restorationist Forces.
Apart from the castle walls, only a few buildings remain or were rebuild. Nevertheless it is a scenic spot.

More info: http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/30-Sendai-Castle
Even more info: http://www.mgu.ac.jp/~jfmorris/SendaiHTM/Sendai.htm

Further sights on the castle site:
- Miyagi prefecture's Gokoku Shrine
- Statue of Lord Masamune sitting on a horse
- Monument to Tohson Shimazaki
- Bust of Doi Bansui and Monument to "The Moon over a ruined castle"
- Monument to the memory of Japan and China War

Japanese name: 宮城縣護國神社

Gokoku shrines or "shrines to defend the country" are Shinto shrines, in which soldiers and other military personnel are worshiped as kami (gods), who died in wars on the Japanese side. (The most famous one is the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, sometimes politically controversial.) In principle there is only one major Gokoku shrine in each prefecture and the honoured are Japanese war dead from the same prefecture. Their names are individually listed in the registers of the respective shrines.

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Japanese: せんだいメディアテーク

To suggest a mediatheque as a city's favourite attraction might sound somewhat unusual, but in fact, it's not only me that would do so in the case of Sendai.

Sendai Mediatheque was designed by the famous Japanese architect Toyo Ito. If standing in front of the building you might see nothing more than a glass box, but don't be fooled. When entering you will surely recognise some large-diametre tubes or steel-ribbed shafts (tubular columns, mainly steel-tube truss construction) inclined in ever changing angles penetrating the floor and ceiling, running all through the building up to the roof. Imagine the tubes are like seaweed smoothly floating in the ocean and you will understand the design intent by Toyo Ito. But in fact, these tubes are more than just an artistic play, they function as elevator shafts, enclosure for staircases, air ducts, light wells and last but not least as load bearing columns (yes, you won't find any ordinary column in this building), all in a single element.

Without worrying too much about the architecture itself, you can of course immerse yourself in the tons of media they have on display in the library, gallery and visual media centre.

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Sendai has a compact downtown which is generally centered to the west of JR Sendai Station. An aerial view of the entire city is available for free from the Azur observation deck, located in Azur Sendai Building.

The broad streets and abundance of greenery have resulted in Sendai's nickname, "the city of trees". Many parks and public spaces contribute to the greenery.

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Downtown Sendai



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Sendai from the top of Azur observation deck
Sendai has a compact downtown which is generally centered to the west of JR Sendai Station. An aerial view of the entire city is available for free from the Azur observation deck, located in Azur Sendai Building.

The broad streets and abundance of greenery have resulted in Sendai's nickname, "the city of trees". Many parks and public spaces contribute to the greenery.



Ichibancho Shopping Arcade
Trees can even be found in the covered shopping area, Ichibancho Arcade. This covered mall connects several streets together in the downtown area to create the largest arcade in the Tohoku region. The shopping area includes several different arcade malls and covers a T-shaped area along Ichibancho and Chuo dori.

Shops along the arcades range from the budget 100 yen chains, to an Apple store with the full range of restaurants, clothing and souvenir stores in between.

Asaichi ("morning market") is another shopping option that offers visitors a look at local, seasonal fish and produce. A few stalls sell prepared foods such as onigiri, while flower vendors have seasonal plants and cut flowers. The market is located on a small street, only about 100 meters in length.

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Zuihoden Mausoleum is the site of entombment of one of the most powerful feudal lords of the Edo Period, Date Masamune. Masamune was the first in a long line of Date lords to rule over Sendai from Aoba Castle. His son and grandson, Date Tadamune and Date Tsunamune, are entombed in nearby mausoleums, while other descendants are laid to rest in less elaborate graves and tombs.

Zuihoden was designed in the ornate style of the Momoyama Period. It features intricate woodwork and a rich variety of vivid colors. Masamune's son and grandson are entombed in smaller mausoleums designed in the same style.

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.

Sendai is known as "The City of Trees." The main streets, Aoba-dori and Jozenji-dori, are lined with rows of beautiful zelkova trees, The Christmas illumination, the "Sendai Pageant of Starlight" is spectacular, not to mention the beauty of fresh verdure in spring and the scarlet-tinged leaves in autumn. Ichiban-cho-dori Street, which crosses Chuo-dori Street and runs parallel to Aoba-dori Street, is a shopping area. A local market, with many smaller stores lining the side streets, make for a delightful shopping excursion. After shopping, relax and dine at your choice of 4,000 fancy restaurants, all clustered around Kokubun-cho, located on the west side of Ichiban-cho-dori Street.

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By chance I found out about Sendai having a tramway museum. The museum is small and free of charge. It's a bit hard to find though and I needed help as I lost my way. But basically follow the map that hanging at the subway station and keep your eye on the line above that goes from the end station to the depot. If all goes well, you walk about 12 minutes.

The trams in Sendai run from 1926 till 1976. Today you find a few vintage trams in the museum.