The beautiful city of Sendai is the capital of the Tohoku region in northern Japan. It calls as the city of academics, due to the high number of universities relative to its population. Sendai city was our second home for five years, during our post-graduate studies at Tohoku University. It was a blessing to live in this mesmerizing city filled with greenery.
We used to go sightseeing and visit the ancient temples in the city during our leisure time. We enjoyed these historical temples a lot and captured their best images through our lens. Here we are going to share the details of the best temples we visited in Sendai city and hope everybody will enjoy it.
1. Zuiganji Temple
Zuiganji Temple in Matsushima is a national treasure and important cultural property in the Tohoku region. It was originally founded in 828 but rebuilt to its present glory by Date Masamune, the founder of Sendai city in 1609. Matsushima Bay is one of Japan’s top three scenic sights and it is a must-see destination in Sendai. After enjoying the breathtaking views across Matsushima Bay, this impressive Zen temple is a perfect place to enjoy a calm and quiet stroll.
We visited this ancient temple while exploring Matsushima bay and its surroundings. The entering pathway to the temple grounds proceeded along a long straight path. It is flanked on both sides by cedar trees. The tall cedars were lined neatly and the pathway was extremely beautiful with a tranquil and peaceful environment. This walkway in Zuiganji lined with cedar trees was a pictures perfect place and one of the finest views we encountered in Japan.
Zuiganji Temple surrounded by small caves where monks once lived. There are many halls including the main hall which are completely worthy of visiting. There were many important artifacts belong to Date Masamune displayed here. The garden elegantly landscaped with gravel pathways and trimmed trees. This thousand years old temple was one of the best temples we visited in Sendai city.
2. Jogi Temple
Jogi Temple or Jogi Nyorai Saihoji Temple is 800 years old Buddhist temple in Sendai city. It locates in the forested mountains in the Jogi area somewhat far from Sendai town, nearly one hour’s drive away. You can reach this temple by bus also and Jogi is the last stop on the route. In this calm and quiet area, Jogi Temple is the only famous manmade feature.
Jogi Temple is a majestic place where the visitors come to pray for successful family life including happy weddings, easy childbirth, and good health. Visiting Jogi Temple was our first temple trip in Sendai. We went there in the winter season, and the temple and surroundings covered with snow, making wonderful scenery.
There weren’t many visitors and it was calm and quiet with only the sounds of the temple bell and birds singing. The most eye-catching feature of the temple was its beautiful five-storied pagoda. There were several halls in the temple and all of them had a thick cover of snow. The whole environment filled with tranquility and a sense of peaceful happiness.
Jogi Temple is a quiet, serene place to visit in Sendai. The main path towards Jogi Temple lined with many souvenir shops and small cafes. Since the Jogi area is famous for deep-fried tofu call as “sankaku aburage”, remember to taste them while visiting the temple.
3. Osaki Hachimangu Shrine
Osaki Hachimangu Shrine is an old temple located in Aoba, Sendai. The shrine erected in 1604 by the founder of Sendai, Date Masamune. It has built as a guardian and the protector of the Sendai city. The main shrine building is a designated National Treasure of Japan.
This shrine located quite close to the international house where we stayed in Sendai. Therefore we frequently visited this temple. We used to go there at midnight on December 31st night, to get the blessings for the coming New Year. This shrine always heavily crowded on New Year’s Eve. We had to wait for a few hours in a long queue to reach the main bell. It says ringing the temple bell 3 times in the dawn will give the blessing to have a successful year ahead.
4. Sendai Stupa
Sendai Stupa or Bussharitou is located on a hill in Kunimigaoka, Sendai. This stupa is quite uncommon in Japan, which made according to the Indian style. It says the design source is a small stupa excavated from the Swat Valley. Since it is a gift from India, there is a signed message by Prime Minister Nehru on temple grounds.
We surprised to find this beautiful temple in Sendai city. Its shape was quite familiar to us since it was similar to the ones we have seen in Sri Lanka. This large, pristine white stupa gave us an eye-pleasing view. There were statues of Lord Buddha in chambers lactated in four corners of Stupa.
We loved the beautiful garden with flowers surrounding the temple ground. There was a kid’s play area, where children can enjoy swings and slings. Since it was autumn, the temple ground filled with brightly colored red leaves. The beautiful relaxing environment filled with epic fall colors gave us unforgettable sweet memory.
5. Koshoji Temple
Koshoji Temple is located in the heart of Sendai city in Tsutsujigaoka, just a 4-minute walk from the train station. There are many temples and shrines in the Shintera area and Koshoji Temple is one of them. Koshoji Temple consists of a marvelous Pagoda, a Tori gate, and a cemetery. The surrounding of the pagoda was very neat and extremely beautiful. There is wonderful tranquility in this temple, although it is located in the middle of a bustling city.
The distinct feature of this temple is 300 years old five-storied pagoda stretching into the sky. This pagoda is really high and absolutely beautiful as same as the ones you found in Kyoto. Pagodas are impressive pieces of ancient Japanese technology that will not fall down even in strong wind or earthquakes. Although they are quite common in temples in Kyoto, rarely find in temples in Sendai city.
This beautiful temple is invisible to the city center and a hidden gem in Sendai city. Since there are many modern offices and apartment buildings around it, it is well hidden from the views. It seems many visitors are unaware of this marvelous pagoda. But it locates just a 4-minutes walk away from Sendai station. Remember to have a look at this wonderful temple, while you are visiting Sendai city.
Final thoughts
Here we have bought you the best temples in Sendai we visited during our stay in the city. If you are visiting Sendai someday, remember to have a look at these ancient temples. Although the months from December to February are the winter season with high snowfall, the rest of the year is ideal for sightseeing in Sendai. Hope you’ll enjoy the lovely sceneries and the best temples in Sendai city very much. Happy traveling to you all!
