Tohoku Fusion of Flavours & Landscapes

📍 Time: Start (guided tour): 17:50 Duration: 3h Distance and journey time (approximation): Tokyo Station to Sendai Station: 1.5h

Depart from Tokyo Station on the short 90 minutes bullet train and arrive at Sendai. Upon arrival at Sendai Station, check-in into the Hotel. 

This evening's tour will begin at 17:50. Meet up with the food loving guide for a night of eating and drinking like a Sendai local.
 
Undiscovered by most visitors to the city, weave through the back-alleys of Bunka-yokocho and Iroha-yokocho and get lost in the Showa Era Japan atmosphere. For this tour, three different Japanese inns (Izakaya) and bars will be visited, with opportunities to pair local delicacies with delicious drinks at each venue.

Some local dishes that may be on the menu are favorites like fried aburage tofu, grilled kamaboko fish cakes, and sashimi fresh from the nearby coast.

Most traditional izakaya only sit around 8-10 customers at a time, and this intimate atmosphere often intimidates foreign travelers. But with the company of a local guide, it's easy and fun to get an insider look at the local Sendai nightlife!

Part ways with the guide and head back to the hotel or continue exploring the city's nightlife independently.

Overnight in Sendai
 

Inclusions:

🍗 Dinner

📍 Time: Start (guided tour): 08:00 Duration: 8h Distance and journey time (approximation): Sendai Station to Higashi Shiogama Station: 30 min Matsushima Kaigan Station to Sendai Station: 40 min

Meet the guide in the hotel at 8:00 today for a full day tour of Shiogama & Matsushima. 

Begin the day with a deep dive into the food lover's paradise of Shiogama City, where a delicious breakfast at Shiogama's wholesale fish market awaits. This is the perfect tour for seafood lovers, as the area is known for the most sushi restaurants in Japan per capita. Weave through the rows of stalls and create a personalized kaisendon seafood bowl by selecting fresh-off-the-boat seafood to add to a bowl of rice and side of miso-soup.

After visiting the fish market, head back into the town for historic sweet stores, local sake breweries, and quaint tea houses. Many stops will be made along the way, such as trying the famous anime character Doraemon’s favourite ‘dorayaki’ sweet pancakes, learning about green tea with a tea master, and savouring local specialties.

After visiting the Shiogama Shrine, travel to nearby Matsushima on a sightseeing cruise. The ship passes through clear, shallow waters and winds through the pine tree covered islands of the Matsushima Bay, said to be one of the three most scenic views in Japan. 

Disembark the ship and visit the famous Godaido Temple, a small Buddhist hall that has become a symbol of Matsushima. The expressive wooden animals carved on the small building’s exterior are worthy of a close look. Later, cross a picturesque long red bridge over the sea to Fukuura Island, one of the few pine tree islands in the bay that is open to the public. Pleasant nature trails and impressive ocean views await on this secluded island in Japan’s most idyllic bay.

Finish with a stroll around the historic Matsushima main street, where temples, museums, and street food await. Reach Matsushima Kaigan Station and return to Sendai by local train where the tour will end.

Overnight in Sendai
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

The rest of the day is free at leisure until the scheduled departure from Sendai.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast