Sendai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sendai 仙台市
Designated city
From top left: Sendai Skyline, Aoba Castle, Sendai Tanabata Festival in Ichibanchō, Zuihōden, Sendai Station West Exit, Akiu Onsen, and SENDAI Pageant of Starlight [ja]
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  City of Trees
Location of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture
Sendai Location in Japan
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
Area
• Total	786.30 km2 (303.59 sq mi)
Population  (August 1, 2023)
• Total	1,098,335
• Density	1,396.840/km2 (3,617.798/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Japanese zelkova
• Flower	Japanese clover
Phone number	022-261-1111
Address	3-7-1 Kokubun-cho, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken 980-8671

Sendai
Japanese name
Kanji	仙台
Hiragana	せんだい
Katakana	センダイ
Transcriptions Romanization Sendai

Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture in Japan. It is the largest city in the Tōhoku region. As of August 2023, over 1 million people live in Sendai. It is one of Japan's 20 special "designated cities."

The city was started in 1600 by a powerful leader named Date Masamune. Sendai is often called the City of Trees because many streets, like Jōzenji Street and Aoba Street, are lined with beautiful Japanese zelkova trees.

Every summer, Sendai hosts the Sendai Tanabata Festival. This is the biggest Tanabata festival in all of Japan. In winter, thousands of lights decorate the trees for the Pageant of Starlight. This event lasts through most of December.

Sendai is also home to Tohoku University. This university is one of the top schools in Japan. In 2011, a huge earthquake and tsunami hit the coast near Sendai. This caused a lot of damage to the city's coastal areas.

History of Sendai

How Sendai Began

People lived in the Sendai area as far back as 20,000 years ago. But the city of Sendai officially started in 1600. This is when the powerful leader, Date Masamune, moved his main base here.

Masamune wanted a new stronghold that was easier to reach from Edo (which is now Tokyo). Sendai was a great spot because it was in the middle of his lands. After a big battle called the Battle of Sekigahara, Masamune got permission to build a new castle on Aobayama.

The name Sendai was first written with different Japanese characters. It meant "a thousand generations." Masamune changed the characters to mean "hermit on a platform." He hoped this new name would bring long-lasting success to his castle and city.

Masamune started building Sendai Castle in December 1600. He also planned the city around it in 1601. The way the roads are laid out in central Sendai today is still based on his original plans.

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  Aoba Castle

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  Map of the Area around Sendai Castle

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  Zuihōden

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  Sendai Tōshōgū

Sendai in Modern Times

The first train line connecting Sendai to Tokyo opened in 1887. This made it much easier to travel between the two cities. Tohoku Imperial University was founded in Sendai in 1907. It was the first Japanese university to allow female students in 1913.

Sendai officially became a city on April 1, 1889. At that time, it was much smaller, with about 86,000 people. Over the years, the city grew by adding nearby towns. By 1989, Sendai became a "designated city," a special type of city in Japan. Its population passed one million in 1999.

Sendai was known as the City of Trees even before modern times. Local leaders encouraged people to plant trees around their homes. Many houses, temples, and shrines had "household forests." These forests provided wood and other materials.

In 1925, a part of the Senseki Line in Sendai became Japan's first underground railway. This was two years before Tokyo's first subway line opened.

During World War II, parts of Sendai were damaged by air raids in 1945. Many buildings were destroyed.

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  A city map from 1927

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  Tohoku Imperial University

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  Basho no Tsuji (1930)

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  Sendai after the 1945 air raid

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  Tohoku University Katahira Campus

Rebuilding and Recent Events

After World War II, Sendai was rebuilt. It became an important center for transportation and business in the Tōhoku region. New highways and bullet train lines were built.

Sendai has experienced several major earthquakes. In 1978, an earthquake led to better building safety rules in Japan. In 2011, a very powerful earthquake and tsunami hit the coast near Sendai. The tsunami reached far inland, causing huge damage. Thousands of people were affected. The city's port was badly damaged but reopened quickly.

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  Sendai City War Reconstruction Memorial Hall

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  An aerial view of Sendai harbor after the earthquake, 2011

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  Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2013)

Geography of Sendai

Sendai is located in Japan at 38°16'05" north and 140°52'11" east. The city covers about 788 square kilometers. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Ōu Mountains. This means Sendai has many different types of land. The eastern part is flat plains. The city center has hills. The western areas are mountainous.

The highest point in Sendai is Mount Funagata, which is 1,500 meters above sea level. Sendai's main city area is built on a terrace, about 40 to 60 meters high. This is unusual for a large Japanese coastal city.

The Natori River flows through the area and into Sendai Bay. The Hirose River also flows through Sendai. This river is a symbol of the city. Aoba Castle was built near the Hirose River to use it as a natural moat (a ditch filled with water for defense).

Many mountains in Sendai are old, inactive volcanoes. However, there are many hot springs in the city. This shows there is still heat activity underground. Earthquakes happen offshore near Sendai every 25 to 40 years. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake was a very strong one that caused a huge tsunami.

Sendai's Wards

Sendai is divided into five areas called "wards" (ku). These wards were created in 1989 when Sendai became a designated city. The city chose names for the wards that did not use directions like "north" or "center."

Wards of Sendai
	Place Name						Map of Sendai
	Rōmaji	Kanji	Color	Population	Land area in km2	Pop. density per km2
1	Aoba-ku - (administrative center)	青葉区	blue	296,551	302.278	981
2	Izumi-ku	泉区	red	215,048	146.61	1,470
3	Miyagino-ku	宮城野区	yellow	196,086	58,19	3,370
4	Taihaku-ku	太白区	orange	226,069	228.39	997
5	Wakabayashi-ku	若林区	light green	137,494	50.86	2,700

City Views

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  View of Sendai from AER (2019)

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  Sendai night skyline from Mukaiyama (2012)

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  Sendai Station (2021)

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  Kokubunchō (2010)

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  Kōtōdai Park (2007)

Sendai's Climate

Sendai has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm, wet summers and cool, dry winters. Summers in Sendai are not as hot as in Tokyo. Winters are milder than in Sapporo to the north.

The temperature can range from about -11.7°C (11°F) to 37.2°C (99°F). Sendai has fewer days with extreme temperatures compared to other major Japanese cities. Snowfall in winter is much less than in cities on the Sea of Japan coast.

Most of the rain falls in summer. The city rarely gets hit by typhoons. Sendai's rainy season usually starts later than in other parts of Japan. During this time, cold winds can blow in and make daytime temperatures lower.

People of Sendai

As of March 2023, Sendai had about 1,097,407 people. The city's population density was about 1,397 people per square kilometer.

In 2000, most of the city's population lived in a smaller, more crowded area. This area was only 16.6% of the city's total size. About 10,000 people in Sendai were not Japanese citizens.

In 2020, Sendai had over 525,000 households. The average household had about 2.07 people. The average household size is getting smaller because more people live alone. Sendai has many people in their early 50s, 20s, and early 30s. This is due to Japan's past "baby booms" and many university students. The average age in Sendai is 38.4, making it one of Japan's younger major cities.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1920	190,013	—
1925	221,709	+16.7%
1930	252,017	+13.7%
1935	278,821	+10.6%
1940	284,132	+1.9%
1945	331,570	+16.7%
1950	380,217	+14.7%
1955	414,775	+9.1%
1960	459,876	+10.9%
1965	520,059	+13.1%
1970	598,950	+15.2%
1975	709,326	+18.4%
1980	792,036	+11.7%
1985	857,335	+8.2%
1990	918,398	+7.1%
1995	971,297	+5.8%
2000	1,008,130	+3.8%
2005	1,025,098	+1.7%
2010	1,045,903	+2.0%
2015	1,082,159	+3.5%
2020	1,096,704	+1.3%

How Sendai is Governed

Sendai's government is like other cities in Japan. This is because a law called the Local Autonomy Law makes all cities similar in how they are organized. However, Sendai is a "designated city." This means it has some of the same powers as a prefecture (a larger region).

Sendai has a mayor who is chosen by the people. It also has a city council with one chamber. Members of the Sendai City Assembly are elected from the city's five wards. The number of members from each ward depends on its population. As of 2005, there were 60 assembly members.

The City Assembly chooses a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. Sendai also has two vice mayors, who are not elected by the public. Sendai is part of the Miyagi Prefectural legislature, sending 24 members. For national politics, the city is split into two areas for the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Mayors of Sendai (1889 to Present)

Sendai's Economy

Sendai is the economic hub of the Tōhoku region. It is a key center for transportation and logistics. In 2010, the economy of the greater Sendai area was worth about US$61.7 billion. Sendai city alone had a nominal GDP of about US$50 billion in 2015.

The city's economy mostly relies on retail and services. These two industries provide about two-thirds of the jobs and nearly half of all businesses.

Sendai is sometimes called a "branch-office economy." This means that not many big companies have their main headquarters there. Efforts are being made to change this. They are encouraging high-tech businesses, especially from Tohoku University. The local government also offers help for new startups.

Tohoku Electric Power, a large electricity provider, has its main office in Sendai. It also runs a power plant in the city.

After the 2011 earthquake, Sendai's economy saw some changes. In 2011, growth was low at 0.4% due to the disaster. But in 2012, it jumped to 10.4% because of reconstruction work. By 2013, it settled to a more normal rate of 3.7%.

In 2016, tourism brought about 2.229 million visitors to Sendai.

Education in Sendai

Sendai is sometimes called an "Academic City." This is because it has many universities for its size.

Some of the universities in Sendai include:

• Tohoku University
• Tohoku Gakuin University
• Miyagi University
• Miyagi Gakuin Women's University
• Miyagi University of Education
• Tohoku Fukushi University
• Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University

One international school in the city is Tohoku International School.

Getting Around Sendai

Airports and Ports

Sendai is served by Sendai Airport, which is in the nearby city of Natori. This airport has international flights to several countries. The Port of Sendai also handles shipping. A train line connecting the airport to Sendai started in 2007.

Train Travel

JR East's Sendai Station is the main train hub in the city. Many JR train lines use this station. It is also a major stop for the Tōhoku Shinkansen and Akita Shinkansen bullet train lines.

An underground walkway connects the station to the Sendai Subway. The subway has two lines: the Namboku (north-south) line and the Tōzai (east-west) line. There are 30 subway stations in total. When it was finished in 2015, Yagiyama Zoological Park Station became the highest subway station in Japan, at 136.4 meters high.

• East Japan Railway Company (JR East)
  • Tōhoku Shinkansen: Sendai
  • Tōhoku Main Line: Minami-Sendai – Nagamachi – Sendai – Higashi-Sendai – Iwakiri
  • Jōban Line: Minami-Sendai – Nagamachi – Sendai
  • Senzan Line: Sendai – Tōshōgū – Kita-Sendai – Kitayama – Tōhokufukushidaimae – Kunimi – Kuzuoka – Rikuzen-Ochiai – Ayashi – Rikuzen-Shirasawa – Kumagane – Sakunami – Yatsumori – Okunikkawa
  • Senseki Line: Aoba-dōri – Sendai – Tsutsujigaoka – Miyaginohara – Rikuzen-Haranomachi – Nigatake – Kozurushinden – Fukudamachi – Rikuzen-Takasago – Nakanosakae
• Sendai Subway (All stations)

Bus Services

Besides the regular public bus system, there is a special loop bus called Loople. This bus takes people to popular tourist spots around the city.

Major Roads

The Tōhoku Expressway runs north-south through western Sendai. It connects to other important highways like the Sendai-Nambu Road and Sanriku Expressway.

• Tōhoku Expressway
• Sendai-Tōbu Road
• Sanriku Expressway
• Sendai-Nanbu Road
• National Route 4
• National Route 6
• National Route 45
• National Route 47
• National Route 48
• National Route 286
• National Route 346
• National Route 457

Ferry Services

Ferries that travel between Tomakomai and Nagoya make a stop at the Port of Sendai.

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  Sendai Airport

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  Sendai Station

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  International Center Station

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  Sendai Highway Buscenter

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  Sendai-Tōbu Road (Gurutto Sendai)

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  Sendai Port

Culture in Sendai

Famous Streets

The most famous streets in Sendai are Jozenji-Dori and Aoba-Dori. Both are lined with Japanese zelkova trees. These trees are symbols of "The City of Trees." Jozenji-Dori has a walking path and sculptures, making it a relaxing place. Many events and festivals, like the Sendai Pageant of Starlight and the Jozenji Street Jazz Festival, happen here. Aoba-Dori is the main business street in Sendai.

Festivals and Celebrations

The most famous festival in Sendai is Tanabata. Over 2 million people visit every year for this, making it the largest Tanabata Festival in Japan. It's known for its beautiful and detailed Tanabata decorations.

The Aoba Matsuri Festival is a more traditional Japanese festival. It features a mikoshi (portable shrine), parade floats, a samurai parade, and traditional dancing.

During the Dontosai Festival, people burn their New Year decorations. They pray for good health in the new year. This is the oldest festival in Miyagi Prefecture.

Sendai also has modern festivals. These include the Jōzenji Streetjazz Festival, the Michinoku Yosakoi Festival, and the Sendai Pageant of Starlight. The Jōzenji Streetjazz Festival is one of Japan's biggest amateur music festivals. It started as a jazz festival but now includes all types of music. The Michinoku Yosakoi festival is a dance festival. During the Sendai Pageant of Starlights, trees in downtown Sendai are covered with lights. In 2005, one million tiny bulbs lit up the streets.

Local Foods and Crafts

Sendai is famous for several foods. These include gyūtan (grilled beef tongue) and hiyashi chūka (cold Chinese noodles). Robatayaki (Japanese-style barbecue) also started here, though it became popular in Kushiro. Other Sendai specialties are Zundamochi (sweet green edamame paste on mochi balls) and sasakamaboko (fish cake shaped like bamboo leaves).

Sendai is known for good sashimi, sushi, and sake. This is because it's close to major fishing ports and Miyagi Prefecture grows a lot of rice. Many ramen restaurants are in Sendai, known for a spicy miso ramen. Sendai Station offers the most types of ekiben (train station lunch boxes) in Japan. In autumn, people often have Imonikai. This is a picnic by the river where they make a potato stew called Imoni.

Many crafts from Sendai began during the Edo period under the Date family. Examples include Sendai Hira (a silk fabric) and Tsutsumiyaki pottery. Some crafts, like umoregi zaiku (made from fossil wood), were created by lower-ranking samurai to earn extra money. Kokeshi dolls became popular as gifts at hot spring resorts. Newer crafts include Sendai Tsuishu and Tamamushinuri lacquerware.

Sendai was also known for making Tansu, which are wooden clothing drawers with fancy ironwork.

Places to Visit in Sendai

Sendai has many historical sites connected to the Date clan. The ruins of Sendai Castle are near downtown on Aobayama. From here, you can see a great view of the city. The Zuihōden is the tomb of Date Masamune. It holds items related to the Date family. It's on a hill called Kyogamine, a traditional burial place for Date family members.

In Aoba-ku, you can find the Ōsaki Hachiman-gū shrine. It was built in 1607 by Date Masamune and is a National Treasure. Mutsu Kokubun-ji Yakushidō is an important old temple for the region.

Newer historical sites include the former home of Doi Bansui, a famous writer. There's also a monument at Sendai City Museum for the Chinese writer Lu Xun. Another statue of Lu Xun is at Tohoku University, where he studied. Older sites include the Tōmizuka Tomb, from the late 4th or early 5th century. The Tomizawa Preserved Forest site shows remains of a Stone Age human settlement from about 20,000 years ago. The nearby Site of Tagajō was an important early fort.

Museums to Explore

The Sendai City Museum displays items about the Date family and Sendai's history. Sometimes, Date Masamune's famous armor and items from Hasekura Tsunenaga's trip to Rome are on display.

The Sendai Umino-Mori Aquarium opened in 2015. It focuses on fish from the Sanriku region, like blue sharks.

The Miyagi Museum of Art is Sendai's largest art museum. Sendai also has a "City of Sculptures" project. This project has placed 24 sculptures in public places around the city.

The Sendai City Tomizawa Site Museum protects a fossilized forest. You can see remains of human life from 20,000 years ago there.

The Sendai City War Reconstruction Memorial Hall remembers the air raid of July 1945. This event destroyed most of Sendai.

Other museums include the 3M Sendai City Science Museum, Sendai Literature Museum, and Tohoku University's Museum of Natural History.

Natural Wonders

Western Sendai has many beautiful natural spots. Many are found around Akiu Onsen and Sakunami, which are hot spring resorts. In the Akiu area, you can see the Akiu Great Falls. Some people say it's one of Japan's three great waterfalls. The Rairai Gorge is also known for its beautiful autumn colors. The Futakuchi Gorge has waterfalls that are special natural monuments. It also has the Banji Cliffs, which are cool rock formations.

The Sakunami area is also known for its nature. It has cherry blossoms in spring and colorful leaves in autumn. The Hōmei Shijuhachi Taki Falls are waterfalls higher up the Hirose River. People say the sound of these waterfalls is like the cry of a mythical Chinese phoenix.

The Tatsunokuchi Gorge offers a view of petrified wood near the Otamaya-bashi bridge. Nishi Park and Tsutsujigaoka Park are popular for their cherry blossoms in spring. The Hirose River and the Gamo tideland are home to many different animals and plants.

Matsushima, one of the Three Views of Japan, is also near Sendai, in Matsushima.

Religion in Sendai

Buddhist Temples

Buddhist temples in Sendai include Mutsu Kokubun-ji, Saihō-ji, and Mutsu Kokubun-niji.

Shinto Shrines

Shinto shrines in Sendai include Miyagiken Gokoku Shrine, Tsubonuma Hachiman Shrine, Futahashira Shrine, and Sendai Tōshōgū. The Sendai Tōshōgū is a shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Catholicism in Sendai

The Catholic Church has been connected to Sendai since 1613. That year, Date Masamune sent an embassy to the Pope in Rome. This group was led by Hasekura Tsunenaga. Even though the trip was successful, Masamune's plans were stopped because Christianity was banned in Japan.

The Diocese of Sendai was created in 1891. This was just two years after Japan's new constitution allowed freedom of religion. The Bishop of Sendai now oversees four northern prefectures. These are Miyagi, Fukushima, Iwate, and Aomori. They serve over 11,000 Catholics in 56 parishes. The main church of the diocese, Mototerakoji Cathedral, is near Sendai Station.

Sports in Sendai

Sendai did not have many professional sports teams until 1994. That year, the Tohoku Electric Power football team became a club team called Brummel Sendai. Their goal was to join the J.League, Japan's top football league. They achieved this in 1999 and changed their name to Vegalta Sendai. The city also has a semi-professional team called Sony Sendai FC.

In 2005, Sendai suddenly gained two more professional sports teams. The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles baseball team joined the Pacific League. Also, the Japan Basketball League started in November 2005, and the Sendai 89ers were one of its first teams.

Annual sports events include the Sendai Cup, an international football tournament for U-18 teams. There is also the Sendai International Half Marathon. In 2006, Olympic gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi won the women's half marathon in Sendai, setting a new course record.

Sendai has several sports venues. These include Hitomebore Stadium Miyagi (which hosted games for the 2002 FIFA World Cup), Yurtec Stadium Sendai, and Miyagi Baseball Stadium. The city is also known as the birthplace of figure skating in Japan. Both Olympic gold medalists Shizuka Arakawa (2006) and Yuzuru Hanyu (2014, 2018) trained in Sendai when they were young. Tohoku Fukushi University and Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School are known for their strong sports programs, especially for baseball.

In 2006, Sendai hosted some games for the 2006 FIBA World Championship (basketball). The city had also hosted international women's basketball events before. Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling is a women's wrestling company based in Sendai.

Professional Sports Teams

• Baseball: Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (Pa.League)
• Basketball: Sendai 89ers (B.League)
• Football: Vegalta Sendai (J.League) and MyNavi Sendai (WE.League)
• Futsal: Voscuore Sendai (F.League)
• Volleyball: Ligare Sendai (V.League)

Sendai's International Connections

Sister Cities

Sendai has a long history of connecting with cities around the world. Its first sister city was Riverside, California, starting in 1957. Sendai is twinned with:

• Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico (since 1973)
• Changchun, China (since 1980)
• Dallas, United States (since 1997)
• Gwangju, South Korea (since 2002)
• Minsk, Belarus (since 1973)
• Rennes, France (since 1967)
• Riverside, United States (since 1957)

Friendship Cities

Sendai also works closely with these cities:

• Oulu, Finland (since 2005)
• Tainan, Taiwan (since 2006)

International Events

The Sendai International Music Competition happens every three years. It brings together musicians from all over the world.

Sendai has also hosted international meetings about disaster management. The city is known as a good example for preventing disaster risks.

Famous People from Sendai

• Shizuka Arakawa, Olympic Champion figure skater (2006)
• Yuzuru Hanyu, two-time Olympic Champion figure skater (2014, 2018)
• Ai Fukuhara, famous table tennis player
• Tomokazu Harimoto, table tennis player
• Hirohiko Araki, manga artist, creator of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
• Monkey Majik, a band formed and based in Sendai
• Chris Broad, British YouTuber known for "Abroad in Japan"
• Sharla Hinskens, Canadian YouTuber
• Kanata Hongō, actor and model
• Yoko Kanno, composer
• Sandwichman, a popular comedy duo
• Mone Chiba, figure skater
• Shun Sato, figure skater

See also

In Spanish: Sendai para niños