basic information

How to travel between Sendai and Tokyo

By shinkansen:

Sendai is connected with Tokyo by the Tohoku Shinkansen. Hayate and komachi trains are all reserved and take 100 minutes to travel between Sendai and Tokyo. Yamabiko trains have some unreserved seating and take about 2 hours. The one way journey costs approximately 10,000 yen and is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

By local train:

By local trains along the JR Tohoku Line, the one way trip from Tokyo to Sendai takes about seven hours and typically involves about three to four transfers of trains. The regular fare is a relatively expensive 5780 yen, however, with a Seishun 18 Kippu you can do the trip for as little as 2300 Yen.

By highway bus:

Several companies, including JR Bus Tohoku, Tohoku Kyuko Bus and Orion Tour, offer direct highway bus service from Tokyo to Sendai during both the day and night. These buses take about five and a half hours and cost 6120 yen one way. Discount tickets can be found from around 4000 yen.

Above fees and schedules are subject to change. For the current Yen exchange rate, click here.

 
Orientation

The most convenient way to travel around Sendai as a tourist is by Loople Sendai, a loop bus connecting most of the city's sights. Sendai also has some JR train lines, a subway line and a bus network (operated by Sendai City and Miyagi Kotsu).

The Loople Sendai is a tourist specific bus service that runs in a one-hour, clockwise loop around the city. It stops at Zuihoden, Sendai City Museum, Aoba Castle and other sightseeing spots and departs from Sendai Station bus stop #5-3 every 15-20 minutes from 9:00 to 16:00. A Loople day pass costs 600 yen, otherwise one ride costs 250 yen. The Loople day pass is not valid on regular city buses.

From Sendai Station, the JR Senzan Line runs north of the city center and provides access to Rinnoji Temple and Osaki Hachimangu Shrine, while the JR Senseki Line runs to Matsushima, 35 kilometers northeast of the city center. The one way trip to Matsushima takes 40 minutes and costs 400 yen.

The Sendai Subway Line runs in a north-south orientation through Sendai's downtown and also serves JR Sendai Station. The subway is convenient for access to the Ichibancho Arcade but surprisingly irrelevant to the tourist, otherwise.

Sendai Airport is located about 20 km southeast of the city center and can be accessed directly by train (15-25 minutes, 630 yen) or bus (40 minutes, 700 yen) from Sendai Station.

A convenient pass for visitors to the Greater Sendai area is the Sendai Marugoto Pass. The pass costs 2500 yen and provides two consecutive days of unlimited use of the Loople bus, the subway, most Sendai City buses, certain Miyagi Kotsu buses and JR trains in and around Sendai, including the trains to Matsushima, Yamadera and the airport and the buses to nearby hot spring resorts.

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hotels & ryokan

tours and packages

Experience Tohoku Tour A 3-day English-language package tour to the relatively untouched northeastern area of Japan, known as Tohoku.

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