Sendai City

Located about 350 km (220 mi) to the northeast of Tokyo, the City of Sendai makes for a very pleasant getaway from the hustle and bustle of the Metropolis and due to its position on the Shinkansen “bullet train” network, along with various air and bus options along with low prices for attractions and hotels compared to their Tokyo and Kyoto counterparts, provides for either a quick day trip all the way to a week-long jaunt for those looking to check out a bit of the Japan “less seen” by the average tourist — both foreign and domestic. Nature, history, culture, and modernity are all on display. History According to Wikipedia, the history of Sendai as a city begins from the year 1600, when the daimyō Date Masamune relocated to Sendai. Previously Sendai was written as 千代 (“a thousand generations”), because a temple with a thousand Buddha statues (千体 sentai) used to be located on top of Aobayama. After building his castle in the same spot, Masamune changed the kanji to “仙臺”, which later became “仙台” (literally: “hermit/wizard” plus “platform/plateau” or more figuratively, “hermit on a platform/high ground”). The kanji came from a Chinese poem that praised a palace created…