Picturesque Matsushima Bay is known as one of the best three views of Japan for centuries. It offers beautiful scenery created from islands floating atop the bay along the Pacific coast in Sendai. There are both big and small islands dotted on the blue waters of Matsushima Bay. This is a special place of scenic beauty which continued to capture the hearts of many travellers. Without a doubt, Matsushima is one of the best sightseeing spots to visit during your travel to Japan.
Matsushima Bay composes of more than 200 tiny islands. In Japanese, Matsu means pine trees and Shima means island. Hence Matsushima is a pine-clad island. As the name suggests, islands in the bay are covered with lush green pine forests. Matsushima Bay with these tiny islets offers an incredible scenic beauty to the visitors. Above all, this area becomes especially beautiful during the dawn and dusk, painted with golden rays of the sun.
As we lived in Sendai city for nearly eight years, we could visit Matsushima several times. Thus, we have covered most of the beautiful sightseeing spots during our visits. Here we are going to show you around the town and give you the details about the best things to do in Matsushima Bay.
Access to Matsushima
Matsushima town is located only a short distance, about 14 km from the capital Sendai city. It is easily accessible by train on the JR Senseki line. When you alight from Matsushima Kaigan Station, the waterfront locates just within walking distance. If you are travelling by car or taxi, it’s only a 30-minute drive from Sendai to Matsushima town.
1. Matsushima Bay Cruise
One of the best things to do in Matsushima is the bay cruise. If you like to explore the Matsushima islands up close, this cruise is the best thing to do. Most travellers don’t forget to take this relaxing cruise in Matsushima Bay. There is a regular large-ship call as Niomaru course, where you can go for an excursion to see the islands.
It is quite easy to find the boarding pier, which locates just in front of the Matsushima Kaigan station. You can head to the ticket sales office and buy the tickets for the sightseeing ship. The Niomaru Course excursion lasts around 50-minute and you can see many of the gorgeous Matsushima Islands including the famous Niojima island, the symbol of Matsushima.
Moreover, there are multiple options for sightseeing cruises and boat tours. Cruise boats depart frequently from the boarding Pier. Along with the ticket office in front of the station, there are several other offices in the area. You can purchase tickets at any of these offices. The excursion time may vary according to the route of each boat. Most tours last around 30 to 50 minutes.
The Matsushima Bay cruise was one of the most interesting experiences we had in Japan. The combination of lush greenery on top of white rock walls, floating on the deep blue ocean was simply stunning. If you are visiting Matsushima, don’t forget to go on a cruise. Definitely, this marvelous place with special scenic beauty will give you a golden memory.
2. Fukuura Bridge
Fukuura Bridge is a 252 m long vermillion bridge linking Fukuura Island with the mainland. This photogenic bridge makes a wonderful scenery among lush green pine-clad islands. This bright red colored bridge offers a magnificent view during the day.
3. Fukuura Island
There is a 6-hectare park built on Fukuura Island in Matsushima Bay. You can take a stroll through the park while admiring the various trees and plants. The view of islands from the observation point is also a wonderful sight. We found there was a small shrine call as Fukuura Benzaiten on the island.
4. Mount Otakamori
There are four grand panoramic views where you can see beautiful the scenery of Matsushima. The best viewpoints are located at four locations representing each direction, and they are known as Sokan, Reikan, Ikan, and Yukan. Definitely, Mt. Otakamori call as Sokan offers the best views of Matsushima Bay.
It is a 106 m tall mountain located on the southwest side of Matsushima. You’ll see the best view of the islands spreads out as far as you can see along the bay. 360°epic panoramic view from Otakamori is the major highlight of this trip.
We saw the view from Otakamori was quite magnificent. We could capture many shots of the beauty of Matsushima Bay. Certainly, it gave us an extraordinary view, which we couldn’t enjoy anywhere else in the world.
There was a small cruising boat sailing on the water. The lonely boat with the background of the deep blue ocean and large white rocks created a photogenic scenery.
5. Nobiru Beach
Nobiru Beach locates around 10 km far from Matsushima town. It is a beautiful place, where you can walk along the beach admiring the gorgeous views of the Matsushima islands. It is a perfect coast for a relaxing time in a peaceful environment.
Since we went there out of the beach season, Nobiru coast was very quiet. There weren’t many people. It was so silent with a romantic impression rather than busy Matsushima, where there are many visitors.
Nobiru beach was filled with scenic beauty, in the background of pine-covered islands. We found big collections of large seashells on the shore. We could enjoy the sight of lovely seagulls on the beach.
6. Zuiganji Temple
The highlights of Matsushima aren’t just the scenic beauty on the islands floating on the sea. There are many historic sites and famous temples at Matsushima. Among them, Zuiganji Temple is a completely worthy place to visit. After enjoying the breathtaking views across Matsushima Bay, this impressive Zen temple was a perfect place to enjoy a calm and quiet stroll.
Zuiganji Temple established in the 9th century is a national treasure and important cultural property in the whole Tohoku region. This temple was originally founded in 828, but rebuilt to its present glory in 1609 by the founder of Sendai, Date Masamune. Certainly, Zuiganji Temple was one of the best temples to visit in Sendai city.
Caves
Zuiganji Temple is surrounded by small caves where monks once lived. These caves run parallel to the main approach to Zuiganji Temple.
The entering pathway to the temple grounds proceeded along a straight path. It was flanked on both sides by cedar trees. Since the tall cedars were lined neatly along the pathway, this place was extremely beautiful with a tranquil and peaceful environment. This picture-perfect place was one of the finest views we encountered in Japan.
Main Hall
The temple’s Main Hall locates at the end of the approach path. There were many important artifacts belonging to Date Masamune displayed here. As well, Main Hall at Zuiganji houses beautiful golden color painted sliding doors. Visitors can follow a circular course through the complex to view the various rooms with their celebrated paintings on these sliding doors.
Kuri
Attached to the main hall is the Kuri, the Zen kitchen where the meals were prepared in the past. This ancient building has a unique appearance with well-designed wood carvings. Both main hall and Kuri buildings are designated national treasures.
Another distinct feature of Zuiganji Temple was the elegantly landscaped garden with gravel pathways and trimmed trees. There were lovely ornamental trees, as well as some sculptures belong to Japanese history,
This garden is quite famous for viewing cherry blossoms. There are hundreds of Sakura trees in the garden, which turns Zuiganji temple into a lovely paradise of cherry blossom during the spring.
7. Godaido Hall
Godaido Hall is a must-see symbol of Matsushima. It locates in Ojima Island which can be reached by a vermilion-lacquered bridge. This bridge has spaces between the planks. It is said that if you trip between these planks, you are not yet ready to reach the temple.
On the island, you can find the ancient Godaido Hall overlooking Matsushima Bay. This is an ancient, small shrine but quite famous in whole Japan for its spiritual powers.
This building houses the five Buddhas of wisdom within its interior but displays to the public during a special ceremony only once every 33 years. It was last opened in 2006, so it will open again in 2039.
To sum up, here we have bought the best things to do in lovely Matsushima Bay. If you are traveling to Japan, gorgeous Matsushima Bay is one of the best sightseeing spots to include on your bucket list. There are various ways for sightseeing. You can take a cruise around the islands or rent a bike to ride along the coastal line. Definitely, you’ll find Matsushima Bay is beautiful from both land and sea. Hope everybody will enjoy the top scenic beauty in Matsushima someday!
This post is based on our experiences in Matsushima Bay, before the deadly Tsunami in 2011. Reportedly, some islands in Matsushima collapsed during the massive Sendai earthquake. Although it is sad to hear, we guess the charming beauty of Matsushima remains as same as before.
