Sendai Travel Guide

Michinoku-no-Mori Lakeside Park, Tohoku's only national government park, spreads over 647.4 hectares by Lake Kamafusa in Kawasaki, Miyagi. Its south, north and satoyama zones hold a 7,000-square-metre flower plaza, a water-lily pond and relocated farmhouses from six Tohoku prefectures, with flowers in every season.

The Miyagikyo Distillery is Nikka Whisky's plant in Sendai, founded by Masataka Taketsuru, the 'father of Japanese whisky', by the Sakunami gorge — known for clear water and its apple-country background. Tours and tastings are offered; red-brick warehouses and copper stills make the classic image, a stop on the Tohoku whisky pilgrimage.

Sendai Daikannon is the principal image of Daikanmitsuji, a Shingon Chizan temple: a white-robed Kannon completed in 1991. Its 100 metres mark the centenary of Sendai's city charter, and the foundation was dug a further 21 metres for the prosperity of the 21st century. She holds a wish-fulfilling jewel in her right hand and a vessel of wisdom-water in her left; the entrance is shaped as a dragon's mouth. The white figure is visible from many points across the city. What makes it unusual is that you can go inside. The interior has twelve levels holding 108 inner Buddhas, thirty-three Kannon and twelve heavenly generals; a lift takes you up and a spiral route leads back down, with windows framing Sendai and, on clear days, the Pacific. It stands on a low rise among the housing and malls of Izumi ward, and glimpsing a hundred-metre Kannon above ordinary streets is one of Sendai's stranger sights.

The Sendai Anpanman Children's Museum near Sendai Station east exit is a Tohoku-area Anpanman-themed family facility staging the world of 'Anpanman' by Takashi Yanase with shows, a stage and a merchandise mall. Bright and interactive, with daily shows and character meet-and-greets; the outside Mall is free, with dining and photo spots. Flat JPY 2,000 from age one, free under one, ideal for a half-day with toddlers.

Rairaikyo Gorge in Akiu-cho, Taihaku-ku, Sendai, is a gorge of giant rocks cut by the Natori River, running about 2 km with 650 m of developed trail along the stream. It was named in 1931 by Toyotaka Komiya, a pupil of Natsume Soseki and professor emeritus of Tohoku University, using the character 'rai' for piled stones. Beside the Akiu hot springs, the heart-shaped hollow under Nozokibashi Bridge is known as a lovers' spot, and the gorge is lit up in the autumn-leaf season.

The Miyagi Museum of Art stands in central Sendai beside Kotodai Park and is one of Miyagi Prefecture's leading public art museums. Its collection centres on modern Japanese-style painting, Western-style painting and sculpture, along with works by artists from the prefecture, while the garden displays modern sculptures by Henry Moore and others. Permanent and special exhibitions alternate, covering modern and contemporary art and local creation, and suit art lovers and families alike. Set in the city centre, it can be combined on foot with Kotodai Park and the surrounding streets.