Sendai (仙台市) is a city of one million in Miyagi Prefecture on
the east coast of the Japanese main island of Honshu in the
Tōhoku region. The hinterland is made up of the Ōu mountain
range. Sendai is the typical average Japanese city.
A
visit is a good weekend trip from Tokyo.
In ancient times
the area was called Sendai, but it was written homophonously 千代.
This referred to a temple with "a thousand" (千) Buddhas on
Aoba-yama. In the Middle Ages it was part of the Mutsu province.
The modern city dates back to the samurai Date Masamune. He
also sent his follower Hasekura Tsunenaga, who was the first
official Japanese to visit Mexico and Spain in 1613-20.
The Tōhoku earthquake in 2011 caused damage in the city area,
which was repaired ten years later. The coastal strip was also
affected by the tsunami.
In addition to the tourist
information in the Shinkansen station, there is a tourist
information desk in the Fujisaki department store, for which a
multilingual European has been employed (as of April 2020).
There are five wards (-ku): Aoba-ku (city center), Izumi-ku, Miyagino-ku, Taihaku-ku and Wakabayashi-ku
Remains of Sendai Castle (仙台城; subway: International Center, 800m
walk. Buses from the main station west exit, bus stops 9 and 11). In a
spacious park. Seat of the Date Samurai clan, which administered the
region for 250 years. An equestrian statue has been dedicated to the
founder on the observation deck. A kiosk sells Zunda milkshakes, touted
as a local specialty. The greenish color is created by adding pureed
soybeans (edamame)
Miyagiken Gokoku Shrine (宮城縣護國神社)
Remains of
Iwakiri Castle (岩切城, Takamori Castle 高森城). Not far from the even older
Taga Castle. The castle, which dates back to the Middle Ages, was
abandoned around 1600. It was located on a hill with outer walls
measuring 600 x 400 meters. There is little to see.
AER Building,
1-3-1 Chūō, Aoba-ku (exits on the west side of the main station on the
right from 2-300 m or exit north 8 of the Sendai Line passage, 100 m).
Observation deck on the 31st floor of a high-rise building with a
shopping center on the lower floors. Open: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Price:
free.
1 Sendai Tōshō-gū (仙台東照宮), 宮城県仙台市青葉区東照宮一丁目6-1 (train station of the
same name, JR Senzan Line). Shrine founded in 1649-54, which was the
family temple of the Date clan that ruled here during the Edo period.
Although there was damage in the 2011 earthquake, the main buildings
have largely been preserved in their original state.
2 Atago-jinja
(愛宕神社, Note: there are 5 other, smaller shrines of this name in the
city area), 4-17-1 Mukaiyama, Taihaku-ku, 宮城県仙台市太白区向山四丁目17番1号 . The
annual temple festival is on July 24th. Open: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
3
Daikanmitsu-ji (大観密寺, temple of the esoteric Shingon sect),
Nakayamaminami-31-36 Sanezawa, Izumi-ku (from the main station, city bus
(approx. 20 min) 815, 825, X910). From the outside, the
hundred-meter-high, walk-in "great Kannon" looks rather kitschy, but the
exhibition inside with numerous Buddha statuettes is worth seeing. The
statue was not built by the temple, but by a private company in 1991. At
the time, it was the largest of its kind in the world.
4 Myōon'in
(妙音院), 4-11-10 Tsutsujigaoka, Miyagino-ku (main station east exit 400m
on foot). Comparatively large complex with a 5-story pagoda. Northern
edge of the temple district, where there are twelve more within a radius
of 3-400 m.
5 Zuihōden (伊達政宗公霊屋 瑞鳳殿), 23-2 Otayamashita . Shinto
shrine and mausoleum for the founder of the modern city, Date Masamune.
In the style of the period, not dissimilar to the much larger complex in
Nikkō. Open: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Dec./Jan. until 4 p.m.; (occasionally
special evening openings). Price: ¥ 550.
6 Ōsaki Hachimangu (大崎八幡宮) .
The Shaden Hall is a Japanese national treasure as the oldest surviving
example of Ishi-no-ma-zukuri architecture of shrines. The Dotonsai
Temple Festival takes place in January. Open: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
The
Kokubun Temple is one of the "state protection temples" founded in every
province on the orders of Emperor Shōmu in 741. They were built to ward
off a smallpox epidemic that killed 25-30% of the population. The old
buildings fell into disrepair around 1200. In the 17th century, they
were rebuilt with the support of the ruling daimyo clan, the Dates.
Today it is divided into two parts:
7 Mutsu Kokubun-niji (陸奥国分尼寺;
Yakushidō station). Since 1570, it has belonged to the Sōtō Zen. This
school maintains a nunnery here. Most of the current buildings were paid
for by the castle lord of the Edō period, after 1600. Excavations in
1948 and 1964 have revealed a lot of history.
8 Mutsu Kokubunji
(陸奥国分寺), 〒984-0047 宮城県仙台市若林区木ノ下2-8-28 (Yakushidō Station) . Around the
Yakushidō hall built in 1607. This part belongs to the esoteric Shingon
school (Chiyama branch). Today the temple is the 25th stop on the 33
Kannon pilgrimage route.
City Museum (仙台市博物館), 宮城県仙台市青葉区川内26 (Subway: International Center,
600m walk; not far from the castle ruins) . Open: Tue.-Sun. 9:00 a.m. -
4:45 p.m.
Tomizawa Museum (地底の森ミュージアム), 4-3-1 Nagamache-minami,
Taihaku-ku . Focus: Stone Age finds discovered here in the form of a
petrified forest. The museum covers large parts of this forest.
Tram
Museum (仙台市電保存館; subway: Tomizawa, 400m walk). Vehicles from the tram
that was closed in 1976. Open: Tues.-Sun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m./5 p.m. Price: ¥
300.
Kamei Collection (カメイ美術館), 1-1-23 Itsutsubashi, Aoba-ku (near
the station). Curious mix of western Oil paintings, Kokeshi wooden dolls
and stuffed butterflies. Open: Tues.-Sun. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Yagiyama Zoo (仙台市八木山動物公園; subway stop of the same name). Open: Tues.-Sun. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Price: ¥ 480.
Jozenji-dōri is an avenue lined with elm trees, which is unusual in
Japan. The 700m long street is therefore also the center of numerous
summer events. For example, the Aoba Matsuri in May, where neighborhood
associations perform dances in traditional costumes. In December, many
trees are decorated with fairy lights for the Hikari no pējento
(光のページェント). It ends at Kotodai Park (subway: Kotodai-koen).
Summer
Tanabata festivals (七夕祭り) are held all over Japan. In Sendai, however,
it is the event. Here it is still celebrated according to the
traditional calendar from August 6th to 8th, a month later than
elsewhere.
1 University Kawaguchi Hagi Hall (東北大学百周年記念会館 川内萩ホール,
Concert Hall), 40 Kawauchi, Aoba-ku (Subway: International Center).
2
International Center (仙台国際センター, Trade Fair and Exhibition Hall; Subway:
International Center).
3 Mizunomori Swimming Pool (indoor pool),
4-1-1 Mizunomori.
By plane
Sendai Airport (仙台空港, IATA: SDJ; direct train connection
to the main station (17-25 mins; 40 trips daily) with Sendai Airport
Transit.) . Domestic Japanese connections. Comparatively well-equipped
airport, wheelchair accessible, showers, lockers, free WiFi (max. 2 × 60
mins/day)
Direct buses from the region from: Sakata, Yamagata
station, Matsushima, Soma, Aizu-Wakamatsu via Fukushima.
By train
Sendai main station (仙台駅) . Sendai is a stop on the Tōhoku Shinkansen
line from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori. The fast Hayabusa (はやぶさ), which require
a reservation, cover the route in 1½ hours. Most of the time, the trains
are Komachi-type coaches, which are used on the mini Shinkansen route to
Akita. The Yamabiko and Hayabate Shinkansen take around two hours from
Tokyo.
The earthquake damage to the Jōban line, which was built for
normal trains in Cape gauge, was repaired at the end of March 2020, so
that you can travel through from Tokyo-Ueno again.
By bus
JR
Bus Tōhoku and Tōhoku Kyūkō buses leave Tokyo-Shinjuku in 5½ hours.
5-6 buses run daily across the island of Honshū to Niigata, taking
four hours.
A night line called “Forest” from Kintetsu serves
Ōsaka-Umeda (12¼ hours) and Kyoto (10¾ hours). You can get there from
Nagoya with Meitetsu (9½ hours).
Bus company:
Ayashi Kankō Bus
(愛子観光バス)
Higashi Nippon Express (東日本急行)
Miyagi Kotsu
Tōhoku
Kyūkō Bus (東北急行バス)
By ship
Ferry Port (仙台港フェリー埠頭), 3-7-1
Minato, Miyagino-ku. Taiheiyo operates routes to Nagoya (21 hours) and
Tomakomai (Port of Chitose, Hokkaido; 14¾ hours)
Details on the transport company's English website.
Subway
There are two subway lines that cross under JR Central Station:
the
Namboku Line, as the name suggests, runs along the north-south axis.
the Tozai Line runs east-west.
Single fare (as of 2021) ¥
210-370. Day tickets (at all machines): Mon-Fri ¥ 840, Sat/Sun/holiday ¥
620.
Buses
Single fare (as of 2021) ¥ 190-510. Short distances
around Yagiyama Zoological Park, Yakushidō and Arai subway stations: ¥
100.
Bus companies:
City buses. Including Loople Sendai, a
tourist loop line. From bus stop 16 at the main station. Day ticket ¥
620.
Miyakō Bus
The main business district is around the Aobadō subway station and JR
main station, up to Jozenji-dōri.
The main shopping street,
Chūō-dōri (中央通り, English: CLIS Road), is traffic-calmed and covered,
like almost 2km of the inner-city passages.
Market (仙台朝市), 3-8-5
Chūō, Aoba-ku (on foot from the station, West 1 exit of the Tozan
passage). "Morning market" for food, which sees itself as the "kitchen
of Sendai". Open: Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Natori
Fish market
in the Yuriage harbor (ゆりあげ港朝市; Mitazono train station (airport line),
2km on foot). Lots of fresh fish. Open: Mornings; closed Thursdays.
The regional beef, Sendai Wagyu, which is only bred by licensed
farmers, has gained an excellent reputation nationwide in recent years.
The prices for the best marbled pieces (category A5) can therefore be
obscene.
Beef tongue marinated and fried in a special broth
(gyūtan) is also valued. The "inventor" is Aji Tasuke (味太助 本店, 4-4-1
Ichibanchō, Aoba-ku. Several branches, 11.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.). It is
also available breaded in a sandwich.
Zunda is a paste made from
pureed soybeans mixed with sugar and lightly salted. It is available in
variations, e.g. as mochi, in cookies or drinks.
Sushi lovers
like to go to nearby Shiogama. The place is known for the fact that the
local fish market mainly sells tuna that has not been frozen but only
chilled, which improves the quality.
Nikka Whisky Distillery, 1
Nikka, Aoba-ku. Probably Japan's most internationally famous whisky
distillery, whose products tend to sell poorly in politically correct
America precisely because of its name. The actual factory is in
Miyagikyo (JR Sakunami station) and can be visited on weekends and
holidays if you book in advance. Open: 9 a.m. to 3.30 p.m.
The central district of Kokubunchō is lively. The many small Isakayas
and the like in the narrow streets of Iroha Yokochō (いろは横丁) are a little
quieter.
Both areas are north and south of the Aoba-dōri subway
station.
"People speak foreign languages" Lists of foreign-language doctors
(pdf) in Sendai and Miyagi Prefecture.
Sendai is 110 km from the
damaged Fukushima Daiichi I nuclear power plant. If large quantities of
radioactively contaminated water are released into the Pacific, the
Kuroshino current will carry them into the sea off Sendai. It is not
clear what contamination will occur on beaches or, even more so, in
locally caught marine life.
Practical tips
There are Wi-Fi
hotspots in the tourist buses on the Loople Sendai line and around their
stops.
Other providers are the Travel Japan Wi-Fi network from KDDI
and Free Wi-Fi Japan from NTT East. Access data for these two networks
can be obtained from the tourist information office at the train station
or the area and period of use can be extended for a fee.
Sendai was founded as a castle town by the powerful feudal lord Date
Masamune. For defensive reasons, Masamune had Sendai Castle (Aobajō/青葉城,
"Castle of Green Leaves") built in 1601, one hundred meters above the
city on the Aoba hill. The Hirose River flows next to the hill.
In 1611, Sendai Castle was damaged by the Keichō earthquake, which was
followed by a tsunami.
During the Edo period, chronology records
the collapse of the stone walls of Sendai Castle six times (1611, 1646,
1668, 1717, 1835 and 1855). Damage to the castle town was also recorded
for the years 1731, 1736, 1793 and 1861.
The St. Ursula Gakuin
Eichi elementary, middle and high school dates back to 1639.
During the Meiji period, the Sendai prefecture (-ken), which had emerged
from the principality (-han) of Sendai, was renamed Miyagi after the
county in which its administrative headquarters was located when it was
expanded to include parts of other former principalities/prefectures in
1871/72. The Sendai urban district (仙台区, Sendai-ku) was separated from
the Miyagi district in 1878. In 1889, when the current municipal forms
were introduced in the Great Meiji Regional Reform, the current
county-free city (-shi) of Sendai was created, with 86,352 inhabitants
at the time. Because Sendai was already the largest city in the Tōhoku
region at that time, the city became a center of trade, education and
politics. A garrison and Tōhoku University were located on the site of
the castle at that time.
In 1989, on the centenary of the
establishment of the city of Sendai, it was declared a seirei shitei
toshi, a "large city by government decree", and thus divided into
districts.
During World War II, the city was bombed several times
by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in July 1945. The most
serious attack was a napalm bombing on July 19, 1945. The attacks
destroyed around 22% of the city area and left 2,755 dead and 57,321
injured. The incendiary bombs burned down around 13 km2 of the city (see
air raids on Japan).
The crash of a Cessna 208B in the Pacific
Ocean occurred on September 27, 2018, around 120 km away.
The local geomorphology of the city of Sendai and its suburban areas
is characterized by a fluvial lowland and a low-relief coastal plain
formed by the Abukuma, Natori and Nanakita rivers, where tsunami waves
can sometimes penetrate far inland.
In the past, the Sendai area
has experienced numerous flood and tsunami disasters. As documented in
the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku, the Jōgan tsunami in 869 flooded the coastal
plain of Sendai and killed over 1,000 people, but no historical
information is known to quantify the tsunami height or the size of the
tsunami flood areas in the case of the Jōgan tsunami and the Keichō
tsunami.
In 1835, the Namiwake Shrine (浪分神社) was built 5.5 km
from the coast in a low-lying area of the Wakabayashi district
(仙台市若林区) of Sendai City to "protect" against a future tsunami. Deposits
from the Jōgan tsunami of 869 were found 200 to 300 meters in front of
the shrine. The Namiwake Shrine was originally built in 1703 on a
different site, but that site was submerged by the Keichō-Sanriku
tsunami of 1611, which claimed about 1,700 lives.
While only a narrow coastal strip was expected to be flooded in the
event of a tsunami in the Sendai area, the tsunami triggered by the
Tōhoku earthquake on March 11, 2011 penetrated much deeper inland - more
than 5 km - in the coastal plain of Sendai, including just before the
Namiwake Shrine in Sendai-Wakabayashi. Although the 2011 Tōhoku tsunami
was stronger than expected, the Namiwake Shrine survived the 2011
earthquake and tsunami.
The tsunami flooded the entire Sendai
plain, which, with its urban center of Sendai with a population of one
million, was the largest city and the most densely populated area in the
Tōhoku region. In the city of Sendai, it flooded an area in which (as of
2010) 19,580 people in 6,640 households lived, including 12,830 people
in 4,720 households in the Miyagino-ku district (宮城野区) and 6,750 people
in 1,920 households in the Wakabayashi-ku district (若林区). Around 18% of
these people living in the flood areas in Sendai were 65 years of age or
older in 2010. Compared to other areas in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures
that were hit by the 2011 tsunami, the proportion of the population
previously living in flood zones (67.1% in Higashimatsushima) was much
lower in Sendai at 1.9% (6.7% in Miyagino-ku and 5.1% in
Wakabayashi-ku).
The number of completely destroyed residential
buildings is estimated at 30,034, while the number of partially
destroyed buildings is estimated at 109,609.
In Wakabayashi-ku,
located in southeastern Sendai and bordering the Natori River to the
south, the tsunami penetrated more than 3 km inland from the coast, with
the height of the tsunami tracks gradually decreasing as the tsunami
waves moved away from the coast, as was also seen in other cities in the
Sendai Plain such as Natori and Watari. Wakabayashi-ku, as a coastal
region, suffered severe damage from the tsunami, particularly around the
Arahama district. 6 offshore breakwaters were deployed locally on the
coastline bordering the ocean to the east.
The most important
coastal protection structures were the concrete block revetments along
Arahama Beach. Additional protection was provided by a pine forest
immediately inland adjacent to the revetments. However, the concrete
protection structures on Arahama Beach failed in several places, and the
tsunami washed away the sand filling and washed concrete blocks up to
100 m into the pine forest near the coast. The flat lowlands facilitated
the tsunami's advance up to 5 km inland. Arahama is a residential area
located about 10 km from Sendai city center, starting directly on the
Pacific coast and extending about one kilometer inland, in which about
800 households with about 2,200 inhabitants had settled around the
historic Teizan Canal, which was founded by Date Masamune and runs
parallel to the seashore at a distance of about 450 meters in this area
of the coastline. While coastal forests usually extend between the
Teizan Canal and the coastline, offering a certain degree of protection,
the houses in Arahama extend beyond the canal right up to the seashore.
Flood heights of 9.32 m and 8.43 m were measured near the coastline and
a lot of driftwood (with a diameter of up to 70 cm) was found that came
from the coastal forests between the Teizan Canal and the seashore. At
the mouth of the Natori River, where a lot of debris was piled up on the
banks, a flood height of 5.44 m was measured. Most of the buildings in
Arahama were destroyed, with the exception of a few houses and the
Arahama elementary school. Many wooden residential buildings collapsed
completely or were later demolished.
Immediately after the
earthquake, the Japanese broadcasting company NHK sent a helicopter
camera crew to the Sendai coast to broadcast the tsunami's impact on the
coast. The tsunami reached the Sendai coast about an hour after the
earthquake and the NHK crew managed to film the moment the tsunami hit
the coast. The camera crew flew along the Natori River and was able to
document the tsunami's advance and run-up along the river. It filmed the
tsunami to the left of the Natori in Sendai-Fujitsuka and to the right
of the river in Natori-Yuriage and Natori-Kozukahara. The video was
broadcast many times around the world and is included in NHK's video
archive. It has been scientifically evaluated and provides important
information on the way the tsunami advanced inland and its flow
characteristics during local flooding.
The fire and disaster control authority reported 685 dead and 180
missing in its damage report of May 19. The number of dead rose to 923
in the later damage assessment, while 27 people were still missing.
Based on the total population of Sendai, which was recorded as
1,045,986 in the 2010 census, the casualty rate from the 2011 disaster
was 0.1% when all the dead and missing persons registered in the 157th
FDMA Damage Report of March 7, 2018 are taken into account, or 0.07%
when the casualties registered in the 153rd FDMA Damage Report of March
8, 2016 (923 dead and 27 missing persons) are taken into account, minus
the disaster-related deaths reported by the Reconstruction Agency (RA),
resulting in a total of 681 dead and missing persons. Using the same
data, but only in the Sendai tsunami flood area, which covered an area
of 52 km2, the casualty rate was 2.27%.
In the Miyagino-ku and
Wakabayashi-ku districts alone, well over 600 people died. A casualty
rate of 4.29% was reported for the Wakabayashi district.
The coastal area of Sendai was notable for two contrasting examples
of evacuation building construction:
Near Sendai Port in Miyagino-ku,
a precast concrete gymnasium was signposted as an evacuation site. This
building was located 380 m from the seashore on the inland side of the
beach near the small (150 m wide) mouth of the Nanakita River (七北田川). A
series of dikes divided part of the estuary into individual ponds and
were breached by the tsunami. The evacuation building suffered no
apparent structural damage from the tsunami, but its function as a
gymnasium was a single-story, high-ceilinged structure, so it had no
upper floor in the main part of the building and very little floor space
on the second floor of the annex, making it unsuitable for vertical
evacuation. In addition, there was no external access to the roof except
for a small maintenance ladder.
The Sendai-Arahama Elementary School
(仙台市立荒浜小学校), which was built to the high construction standards for
schools in Japan and designated as an evacuation site, was the only
building on higher ground in Arahama, which is part of the Wakabayashi
Ward (若林区), and withstood the tsunami, which flooded and damaged it up
to the ceiling of the second floor, even though the four-story
reinforced concrete building of the school, which was founded in 1873
and had 91 students before the disaster, is located about 700 m from the
shoreline. In the longitudinal direction of the building (perpendicular
to the shoreline), debris and several vehicles entered the building,
reaching a significant flow velocity through the central corridor within
the central ground floor corridor. Immediately after the earthquake, the
school building served as an important evacuation building due to its
height and the flatness of the surrounding area, and many residents,
students and school employees living nearby took refuge there. The
school building, which had no clear signage as a vertical evacuation
site, fulfilled its secondary function as a building for vertical
evacuation well during the tsunami. The building had roof railings,
direct access to the roof via a large, strikingly painted steel
staircase at the rear (north side) and two roof sirens. While the
tsunami reached the second floor, all those evacuated to the school
managed to escape to the roof of the school. With 380 (according to
other sources: 320) people surviving by evacuating to the roof of the
school, the school is considered an example of successful evacuation. To
counter future disasters, the city preserved the ruins of the school
building as a memorial site and opened it to the public.
Around 57,000 houses were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake and
tsunami on March 11, 2011. As part of its reconstruction plan, the
Sendai city government designated an area of around 1,200 hectares as
tsunami-prone areas in December 2011. According to tsunami simulations,
a further tsunami of the same magnitude as that on March 11, 2011 would
result in flooding heights of more than two meters despite structural
protection measures. In these risk areas, where around 1,500 families
had lived before the disaster, the city government has now banned people
from building residential buildings. Instead, the city government
supported the relocation of these 1,500 families from these so-called
risk areas to higher and safer ground and their reconstruction there
through various programs: Under individual relocation, the affected
families could each buy safe land for themselves and build on it as they
wished, with the city government buying their previous plots from the
risk areas and providing subsidies for the move and interest on new
housing loans. Under group relocation, the affected people build houses
on sites developed by the government and receive support as in the
previous model. Finally, under social housing, the government provided
public rental housing to residents who cannot raise the funds to build
new houses. As of May 2013, 49 percent of families in the risk areas had
opted for group relocation, 49 percent for individual relocation and 27
percent for social housing.
In the areas adjacent to the risk
areas, where according to tsunami simulations, a further tsunami of the
same magnitude as on March 11, 2011 would cause flooding of up to two
meters despite structural protection measures, the city government
supported the 2,300 families living there by providing subsidies for
disaster prevention measures such as raising the ground level or
building mounds on residential plots. Alternatively, people there had
the option of finding a new plot of land and building it according to
their own ideas, while the city government supported them with
relocation grants and interest payments on new housing loans. As part of
social housing, the city government built 3,000 public rental units for
residents who cannot build new houses.
In the hilly areas, where
around 5,500 houses were severely damaged by landslides triggered by the
earthquake and had to be rebuilt, the city administration planned to
rebuild them through public works or through subsidies contributing 90
percent of the costs.
Sendai is a designated major city (seirei shitei toshi) and is
divided into city districts (-ku), namely: Aoba-ku, Miyagino-ku,
Wakabayashi-ku, Taihaku-ku and Izumi-ku.
The mayor of the city of
Sendai (Sendai-shichō) is the former Democratic Lower House member
Kazuko Kōri. In 2017, she replaced Emiko Okuyama, who did not run again
after two terms. Kōri won the election on July 23 with center-left
support against the entrepreneur Hironori Sugawara, who was supported by
center-right parties, and two other candidates. In 2021, she was
re-elected for a second term with a four-fifths majority against the
former Liberal Democratic Lower House member Miyo Kanō (temporarily
Ōkubo). Voter turnout fell by more than 15 points to 29.1%.
The
parliament of the city of Sendai (Sendai-shi gikai) normally has 55
members from five constituencies corresponding to the city districts. In
the election on July 30, 2023, voter turnout reached a new record low of
34.3%. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) remained the strongest force
with 18 seats, despite slight losses, and the KDP also lost slightly to
eleven seats. The Kōmeitō remained unchanged at nine seats, and the KPJ
remained unchanged at six. The right-wing opposition gained
significantly: the Nippon Ishin no Kai won five seats straight away, and
the right-wing populist Sanseitō won one. Five seats went to candidates
without a formal party nomination.
The districts of the city of
Sendai, which function as constituencies, together elect 24 of the 59
deputies to the parliament of Miyagi Prefecture (Miyagi-ken gikai): The
seven-seat constituency of Aoba-ku is the constituency with the highest
number of seats in the prefecture, the districts of Taihaku and Izumi
each elect five deputies, Miyagino four, and Wakabayashi three.
In elections to the House of Representatives (Shūgiin), the lower house
of the National Assembly, the city of Sendai has been divided into three
constituencies of Miyagi Prefecture since a reorganization in the 2017
election: The Miyagi 1 constituency with the Aoba district and the
eastern part of Taihaku-ku is represented by the Liberal Democrat Tōru
Doi (43.4% of the vote in 2021), and the Constitutional Democrat Sayuri
Kamata (49.0%) represents constituency 2 with the other three city
districts. Since 2017, parts of Taihaku District have been part of
Constituency 3, which covers the entire south of Miyagi and has been
represented, with interruptions, by Liberal Democrat Akihiro Nishimura
since 2003.
Sendai is home to the Tōhoku University. The Sendai Mediatheque,
designed by Tokyo architect Toyo Ito and inaugurated in 2001, is
internationally renowned and important in terms of architecture.
The most famous culinary specialties from Sendai include Gyūtan, thinly
sliced and grilled cow's tongue; Sasakamaboko, a fish sausage wrapped
in leaves; and Zundamochi, mochi balls with a light green edamame paste.
The Taihaku district is home to the Sendai City Tomizawa Site Museum
of Archaeology, which displays 20,000-year-old forest remains, among
other things.
The most important daily newspaper is the Kahoku
Shimpō.
The Daikannon statue in the north of the city was the
largest statue in Asia when it was completed on September 1, 1991.
A traditional ritual of the people of Akiu (now part of Sendai) is
Akiu no Taue Odori, a dance for a rich rice harvest, in which ten female
dancers and four male dancers perform in formal costumes. Today, Akiu no
Taue Odori has lost its ritual significance; what remains is a cultural
event. It was added to the UNESCO list of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
Sendai's economy is dominated by trade and service companies.
The headquarters of the energy company Tōhoku Denryoku is located here.
Tōhoku University
Tōhoku Gakuin University
Baseball - Sendai is home to the Tōhoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
baseball team of the Pacific League, whose games are played at Sendai
Miyagi Stadium.
Football – Sendai is home to the J. League football
club Vegalta Sendai, whose games are played at Yurtec Stadium.
Sendai
89ers (basketball)