Image default

Sendai Trip, Matsushima

I took a trip to Sendai last week and visited Matsushima which is said to be one of Japan’s three great views along with Miyajima and Amanohashidate.

Matsushima is a group of over 200 small, pine tree islands which provide an interesting landscape. There are boat cruises to some of the islands as well as many temples nearby.

I took a few photos of the area but really did not have enough time to do justice to the scenery.

Sign indicating the 3 famous Japanese landmarks
Sign indicating the 3 famous Japanese landmarks
One of the many colorful wooden bridges leading to the islands
One of the many colorful wooden bridges leading to the islands
Temple on a small island
Temple on a small island

img_1613

Fishing Boats in the harbour
Fishing Boats in the harbour
Some of the hotels and restaurants surrounding the harbour
Some of the hotels and restaurants surrounding the harbour
Map of the Temple area
Map of the Temple area
Restaurant near the temple
Restaurant near the temple
One of the older buildings acting as a Soba, Oden and Dango eating place
One of the older buildings acting as a Soba, Oden and Dango eating place
Walking between temples
Walking between temples
Entry to main grounds
Entry to main grounds
Inside the grounds. Tall tree coverage
Inside the grounds. Tall tree coverage

img_1643

img_1644

img_1647

View back from the station platform
View back from the station platform

Note that if you have lived in Japan long enough then you probably won’t even see the telephone, electricity wires in this photo. I tried cropping the pole on the left out of the photo, but the dimension of the image changed completely and it just didn’t look like Japan. Sometimes the contrast between things is what defines the true beauty of Japan.

Sendai Station
Sendai Station

Related posts

Gunkanjima mini-tour

Shibuya246

Railroad tracks

Shibuya246

Moss Ocean House, Yakushima

Shibuya246

16 comments

Mike April 15, 2009 at 11:10 am

I went here during my recent trip hitchhiking around Japan last summer. I've seen all 3 of the spectacular views of Japan now! I remember this one well. Is was a very hot day in the sun, wandering around the little islands alone before trudging uphill to join the motorway again. Nice place ^^

Reply
Gweb April 15, 2009 at 1:18 pm

Wow!
I knew Japan was a beautiful country, but these pictures took me by surprise.

I'm a new reader and I found your site via Japansoc.com. I'm very glad that I did.
I'm studying abroad this September to Nagoya for an entire year, so I'm trying to find as many blogs as possible to learn more about the country and network with people before I actually get there.

Continue the good work and I'll continue reading/commenting.

Reply
shibuya246 April 15, 2009 at 11:30 pm

Thanks for your comment. I wish I had more time on that day to explore a bit more and take more photos. The contrast between the Islands and then the Temple was really great. Recommend a trip if you are near Sendai.

Look forward to you coming back and reading more of your comments. Thanks.

Reply
Shibuya246 April 15, 2009 at 2:31 pm

Wow, all 3 places. That is great. I hadn't heard of the places until I visited this one. It was a nice day around 20 degrees for me so I could enjoy the warmth without feeling it too hot. I might try and visit the other 2 places some time.

Reply
timt. April 15, 2009 at 9:58 pm

love the feel of the mossy trees, rocks and paths – thanks for the pics!

Reply
Shibuya246 April 16, 2009 at 5:05 am

Nice to hear from you. Thanks

Reply
Jamaipanese April 16, 2009 at 7:18 am

i want to go!

great pictures, thanks for sharing

Reply
shibuya246 April 16, 2009 at 7:30 pm

Matsushima is ready and waiting for you. Thanks for comments

Reply
McAlpine April 16, 2009 at 11:54 am

Lovely snaps. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Shibuya246 April 20, 2009 at 10:14 am

Thanks. I'll keep the camera close by when I make another trip.

Reply
Shane April 16, 2009 at 1:31 pm

Your post is timely as I will will be off to Sendai during Golden Week. I was about to start doing my research about things to do and see and this will definitely be on my list 🙂

Reply
Shibuya246 April 16, 2009 at 1:50 pm

Thanks Shane, nice to hear from you. I will look forward to seeing your photos and reading up on the real story of Matsushima from your blog after Golden Week. I enjoyed Sendai and ate plenty of gyu-tan !

Reply
billywest April 16, 2009 at 2:43 pm

The famous Matsushima view can be had from a viewpoint on top of a small mountain overlooking the islands. I used to drive up there with my girlfriend and just chill while taking it in.

Reply
Shibuya246 April 17, 2009 at 1:11 am

Thanks Billy. Good memories no doubt. I didn't get to the mountain as I was on limited time. This view definitely deserves a return visit some day. Thanks fro the info.

Reply
darg April 19, 2009 at 2:27 pm

Ahh, brings back memories – used to live just across the bay. 😛

There are actually 4 spots which are supposed to be the best views of the bay, 3 from the Matsushima side and 1 from Shichigahama, a small peninsula/island on the other side of the bay.

If anyone else is going to visit I suggest taking the boat tour through the bay which departs from Shiogama and lands in Matsushima. Also if you turn left and go past the temple there through the main gate there’s a great garden called Entsuin which I highly recommend.

Oysters and Eel are local specialties, and they have a decent local microbrew if you look around the shops as well.

Reply
Shibuya246 April 20, 2009 at 10:14 am

Thanks darg. Appreciate you dropping in. That is a really good description of the area and helpful advice for anyone visiting. Thanks. The microbrew sounds like a good spot to check out.

Reply

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: