Miyagi Beyond Sendai: Matsushima, a Fish Market, a Gorge and an Island of Cats
Eight places in Miyagi Prefecture, from the mausoleum of the lord who founded Sendai to the pine islets of Matsushima and a crater lake on Mount Zao.
Sendai was founded around 1600 by Date Masamune, a powerful feudal lord of the Edo period, and the city is the gateway to Miyagi Prefecture. The Japan National Tourism Organization lists eight places that show the range of the prefecture, starting with the Date family’s own sites. Rinnoji Temple, founded in 1441 as the family temple, hides a garden with koi ponds and a three-storied pagoda behind a plain wooden exterior. Osaki Hachimangu, built on Masamune’s order in 1607, is a shrine to the god of war in black lacquer and gold leaf. The Zuihoden Mausoleum, in the flamboyant Momoyama style, holds Masamune’s tomb, with those of his son and grandson nearby.
About 30 minutes from Sendai, Matsushima Bay is often cited as one of the three most scenic views in Japan and is dotted with pine-covered islands. JNTO’s pages give different counts, from over 200 to 260. Short sightseeing cruises leave from the pier, and Godaido Hall, a small temple hall on an islet beside the pier, was founded in 807, with its current building dating from 1604 and carvings of the twelve zodiac animals. Zuiganji is one of the area’s most famous Zen temples, and Entsuin houses the mausoleum of a Date clan son who died at 19, with painted crosses and roses. Fukuura-jima is a natural botanical garden reached by a 250-metre red bridge.
Nearby, Shiogama has the most sushi restaurants per capita of any town in Japan and one of the country’s busiest fish processing centres. Its wholesale market has about 140 shops and stalls open to the public, selling Matsushima oysters and local fish cakes, and visitors can build their own kaisendon, a rice bowl with chosen seafood toppings.
Inland, Naruko Gorge stretches about two kilometres and is at its best in autumn, from late October to early November, with the Ofukazawa Bridge at the western end as the best viewpoint. At its eastern end, the Japan Kokeshi Museum shows the wooden dolls that originated in Tohoku, with craftsmen at work and workshops for painting one’s own.
Tashirojima, or Cat Island, is a rural island about an hour by ferry from Ishinomaki, home to several hundred cats that outnumber its elderly residents by almost four to one. It has no restaurants and few shops, so visitors should bring food and water. On the border with Yamagata, Mount Zao is an active volcano of 1,800 metres with a lake-filled crater called Okama, viewable from the Zao Echo Line road; in winter its frozen trees are known as snow monsters.
Ferry times, cruise schedules and festival dates change, so check the official sites before travelling.
Sources
Japan National Tourism Organization, A Michelin-starred bay, and 7 other places to visit in Miyagi; JNTO, Matsushima.
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