Sendai is very appealing during its cherry blossom season that you would find it as a perfect place to enjoy this year hanami. It is the capital city of Miyagi prefecture and the largest city in the Tohoku region, blessed with a number of great hanami spots.
The best time to see sakura in Sendai is in mid April. Here you can check out the sakura forecast and then embark on a trip to discover the hidden spring beauty it showcases.
In Sendai, spring weather is pretty wonderful. You can roam around the city for a long time within a day as the number of hours of daylight increases. Plus bustling party atmosphere at different hanami spots across Sendai would never disappoint you instead they would make you stay there to enjoy cherry blossom illuminations at night.
Whether you believe it or not, hanami parties underneath the sakura trees is absolutely unforgettable. Let’s go find out the best cherry blossom viewing spots in Sendai that you could visit in spring.
1) Mikamine Park
Mikamine Park is said to be one of the best family-friendly hanami spot in the Tohoku region, located south of central Sendai. What a fabulous and fun spot to stay for few hours to admire the blossoms! The park is known for its hundreds of large Somei Yoshino and Weeping Cherry Trees.
They look incredibly awesome when all the trees are in their full glory. As it is a public park, you can expect to see a lot of space for picnicking underneath the beautiful cherry trees. Though parking space here is quite inadequate!
The impressive sakura, walkways, and beautiful open lawns of the park attract hundreds of visitors each day during the cherry blossom season.
If you are a solo traveler and looking for admiring Sendai’s hanami atmosphere, visit this wonderful park and spend 2 to 3 hours before heading towards other hanami spots in the city. On the other hand, most of the locals go there with their family members to spend at least half a day.
There is no direct bus to the park from the Nagamachi Minami Subway Station. The best possible way to get to the sight is by taxi. So, just take a taxi, and reach there safely and quickly!
If you think yourself as an adventurous, why don’t you take a walk from the station?! Please note that you have to walk for 30 minutes then!
2) Tsutsujigaoka Park
If you want to see the real beauty of weeping cherry trees in the spring in Sendai, just plan a trip to Tsutsujigaoka Park (located in central Sendai) and enjoy the magical cherry blossoms there. You can find a lot of weeping cherry trees along the walkways and lawns around the park.
Besdies, there are many Somei Yoshino (the most popular variety sakura in Japan) cherry trees that make the place so appealing and majestic! Walking around the park makes me want to stay there as long as I could breathe.
The park offers a beautiful hanami atmosphere that every visitor is supposed to fall in love with it. Here, Somei Yoshino variety cherry blossoms bloom here earlier than Shidarezakura (weeping cherry).
Even though you witness Somei Yoshino petals start to fall there, don’t be disappointed as there are weeping cherry trees to amaze you.
Being one of the best hanami spots in Sendai, it offers a number of things to do. For example, photography is probably one of the best things to do in Tsutsujigaoka Park; also you can have hanami party underneath the trees.
Please note if you take a walk east of Sendai Station, it will take about 15-20 minutes to reach here.
3) Nishi Park
Nishi Park is another iconic cherry blossom viewing spot in downtown Sendai. This is a beautiful and well organized park in which a cherry blossom festival takes place every year in mid April.
Many traditional Japanese paper lanterns are hung from the cherry trees to make the park an ideal place to have hanami picnic parties. In addition, there you can find many food stalls to try the local delicacies from. How cool is that!
Needless to say, visitors get here to wander around and enjoy the spring vistas it offers. If you are looking for experiencing YOZAKURA in Sendai, simply head to this wonderful park and witness the night sakura trees as most of them are lit up at night.
Instead of sitting just on a plastic sheet while picnicking, please take a leisurely walk along the park’s walkways and of course enjoy the foods. Good luck to you guys!
4) Shiroishi Riverside
Sendai is historically a profound place to discover in the Tohoku region. Like rest of the places in Japan, it scenery changes with the season.
So far you have found three popular places to see sakura during the hanami season in Sendai city, but now you are going to explore a place that is located on the outskirts of the city, about 30 minutes by train from Sendai, called Shiroishi Riverside.
The riverside is about 8 kilometer long stretch of the Shiroishi River. It is lined on both embankments by nearly 1200 cherry trees planted along the river. When you take a walk along the riverside (between Funagaoka and Funagaoka stations) you can witness a picturesque sight to behold.
You will be very surprised seeing the Mount Zao snow-capped summit in the distance on the way. In fact, Hitome Senbonzakura is the name of the spot from where you can expect to see such a wonderful view.
What makes a traveler fall in love with a destination? Shiroishi Riverside does not have historical buildings around or great restaurants to eat, but it does have a pleasant outdoor beauty featuring thousands of cherry trees that is surly a lovely thing to experience and worth visiting.
5) Shiogama Shrine
Shiogama Shrine is another popular hanami spot located near Sendai city. The reason I have chosen this to be featured on the list is that a trip to this shrine is very easy from downtown Sendai. It is just a 30 minutes train ride!
This is a beautiful Shinto shrine complex in Shiogama city, which is believed to be over 1200 years old. An important cultural treasure like this should be on your travel bucket list whenever you visit Sendai.
The shrine has over 300 cherry trees of 30 different kinds planted around its grounds and they look absolutely stunning at the peak season.
They seem to me an important part of this historic shrine. I met a local boy there who told me this “hanami season sounds very awkward to me and not exciting if I don’t pay a visit here.” It does make sense!
Shiogama Shrine is about 10 minutes on foot from Hon-Shiogama Station.
6) Saigyo Modoshi no Matsu Park
Saigyo Modoshi no Matsu Park is an exceptional place to visit to get a panoramic look at the famous Matsushima Bay and enjoy the cherry blossoms in the spring. This beautiful mountainside park is located in Matsushima town overlooking the Matsushima bay.
The park has more than 250 cherry trees planted along its slopes. It sounds like the park does not highlight many cherry trees compared to other hanami spots in Sendai. But the thing that is so exciting and precious is the surrounding view of the Matsushima Bay.
The best view of the bay can be experienced from the Matsushima Kaigan waterfront area.
Hiking is in my blood, so I usually hike up the hill from Matsushima Kaigan Station that usually takes me about 25-30 minutes to reach to the top. If you don’t like to go on a hike and want to save your time, then take a taxi from the station.
Sendai is truly a breathtaking place to enjoy the hanami. Many visitors to Japan might miss viewing cherry blossoms in Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. In that case, I would like to say “why don’t you get to Sendai?”
If you are planning to visit Sendai during springtime, these are the best places you could happily discover and make your travel memories unforgettable. Before you leave this page, would you be interested in knowing Tohoku’s 10 Best cherry blossom viewing spots?
