Events around Roopt Sendai Yakushido

For two days, autumn Sendai is filled with dancers holding naruko clappers. Venues are scattered throughout the city, so you'll find dancing wherever you walk.

Watching is free, and there's no set time, so you can stop by during a stroll. No language is needed.

This is an autumn market where wholesalers in Sendai's wholesale district, Oroshimachi, open their shops and sell food and daily necessities at special prices. It's an event with a local flavor, where residents come to shop.

This is a light-up of the autumn foliage garden at Tenshukaku Shizen Koen in Akiu Onsen at night. The autumn leaves reflected in the pond are a highlight.

Rairaikyo in Akiu also has a light-up, so you can visit both on a night stay in Akiu Onsen.

This is a light-up of the autumn leaves along the approximately 220m promenade beside the Rairaikyo gorge in Akiu Onsen. The gorge's rock formations and colorful trees are reflected in the water, and there's also a footbath at the end of the path.

A night destination for those extending their trip to Akiu Onsen, Sendai's inner parlor. The period varies by year (late October to mid-November in 2026), so please check the official website.

This is a night light-up at Entsuin Temple in Matsushima, famous for the reflection of autumn leaves in the Shinji Pond. The entire garden is illuminated, and the scenery of the water and autumn leaves overlapping is a classic autumn sight in Matsushima.

The beauty requires no words, so it's highly recommended for international visitors. It's also a great night destination for those staying in Matsushima, Shiogama, or Higashimatsushima. Please check the official website for lighting times before visiting.

This is an annual market festival where Shiogama's fish market, known for its tuna landings, is opened to the public. There are tuna filleting shows and tekka-don (tuna bowl) unique to the market.

On the same weekend, there's also a food event "Shiogama no Daigo-mi" at Marine Gate Shiogama in the port, where you can enjoy food stalls in the port town. It's an event from morning to early afternoon, so go early.

This is an autumn chrysanthemum exhibition where pots of carefully cultivated chrysanthemums fill the grounds of Shiogama Shrine. You can take your time looking around while visiting the shrine.

There's also a venue at Marine Gate Shiogama in the port (shorter period).

This is a special autumn night visit to the National Treasure Zuiganji Temple, associated with Date Masamune, where you can explore the grounds at night with light art by the creative team NAKED. You can walk through the temple grounds, which have a completely different appearance from daytime.

The adjacent Entsuin Temple also lights up its autumn leaves during the same period, so you can visit both in one night. It's an experience that requires no language, making it easy to recommend to international visitors.

This is an autumn festival at Jomon Village, located near the National Historic Site Satohama Shell Midden. There are Jomon experiences like fire-starting and events related to Okumatsushima's oysters.

For families with children. Please check the city's announcements for the dates.

This is Sendai's Christmas market, featuring wooden stalls imported from Germany. You can enjoy a relaxing winter evening with hot wine and sausages.

The "SENDAI Pageant of Starlight" on Jozenji-dori Avenue also takes place around the same time, so you can enjoy the winter nights in the city. The venue is Nishikicho Park (it has moved from the former Kotodai Park).

This is a winter tradition in Sendai. Hundreds of thousands of light bulbs illuminate the zelkova trees along Jozenji-dori Avenue, turning the entire street into a tunnel of light throughout December.

You can simply walk through; no admission fee or reservation is required. It's cold, so wear a warm coat.

The event period and lighting times vary by year. Please check the official website before you go.

This event involves burning New Year's decorations to pray for good health and ward off evil for the year. It is the largest of its kind in Miyagi Prefecture, attracting about 100,000 visitors.

The highlight is theHadaka Mairi (Naked Pilgrimage). Pilgrims wrapped in loincloths walk towards the fire, their white breath visible in the cold. Nights in Sendai in January can drop below freezing.

Since it is a shrine with a National Treasure main hall, it is worth visiting even during the day.

This is a winter tradition in Matsushima, an oyster-filled festival. You'll find steamed, grilled, and fried oysters for tasting, free samples, and even a warm footbath.

You can enjoy the bounty of the Sanriku sea right there, making it a prime target if you're staying in Matsushima in winter. The date is approximately the first Sunday of February, but please check the Matsushima Tourism Association's announcement for the confirmed date as the event approaches.

This festival involves carrying a 1-ton portable shrine down the202 steps of the main approachto Shiogama Shrine. There are 16 bearers.

The sight of the portable shrine descending the stairs is a highlight, whether viewed from above or below. It is said to have begun in the Edo period as a prayer for fire prevention and is counted as one of the three major festivals of the Shiogama Shrine parishioners (Hotematsuri, Hanamatsuri, and Minato Matsuri).

It's within walking distance from accommodations along Shiogama Kaigan-dori.

During cherry blossom season, the portable shrine of Shiogama Shrine parades through the city. It's called "Hanamatsuri" (Flower Festival) because it coincides with the cherry blossoms.

The cherry blossoms within the Shiogama Shrine grounds are a famous spot themselves, and the late-blooming Shiogama cherry blossoms are a national natural monument. Even if you don't coincide with the festival, the shrine grounds are worth walking through during this season.

This is a festival in early summer in Sendai. The Saturday evening festival features theSuzume Odori (Sparrow Dance), and the Sunday main festival features a historical procession of Date Masamune and a parade of floats.

The Suzume Odori involves dancing with fans, jumping around. There are also times when you can join in. Even just watching is lively enough.

This is one of Japan's three great boat festivals. Two portable shrines from Shiwa Hiko Shrine and Shiogama Shrine board ceremonial boats and tour Matsushima Bay, accompanied by about 100 escort boats.

Fireworks for the eve festivalare launched from Shiogama Port. Since the fireworks open over the sea, they are reflected on the water's surface.

The 2026 event concluded in July. The next will be around Marine Day in 2027. Once the dates are announced, we will update theNearby Eventspage.

As the eve festival for the Sendai Tanabata Festival, approximately 16,000 fireworks are launched from the Hirose Riverbed.

The launch site is right next to the city center, so you might unexpectedly see them even while walking in the city. It's a dense fireworks display, with everything launched in about an hour.

If you stay for the Tanabata Festival starting the next day, you can see two different sides of Sendai over two consecutive days.

One of Japan's three major Tanabata festivals and one of the three great festivals of Tohoku. It is held annually for three days from August 6th to 8th, and the dates do not change.

The highlight is the shopping arcade filled withfukinagashi (streamers). Several-meter-long decorations made of washi paper and kusudama (ornamental balls) hang throughout the arcade. It's a festival where you walk with the flow of people, looking up, and not a festival where you watch a stage.

You can enjoy it even if you don't understand the language, but it gets extremely crowded. It's hard to move around after evening, so the morning is the best time to go.

This is an Obon event where lanterns are floated on Matsushima Bay to send off ancestors. Lights and fireworks illuminate the sea of one of Japan's three most scenic spots.

The 15th is the eve, with stalls, Bon Odori, and taiko drums. The 16th is the main day of the Daiseigakie, where lanterns are floated after sutra chanting. Both nights feature memorial fireworks for about 15 minutes.

These are not fireworks for tourism, but rather send-off fires. It is customary to watch them quietly.

This is a music festival where the entire city becomes a stage. Performances begin simultaneously at dozens of locations throughout the city, from under the zelkova trees of Jozenji-dori to parks and building eaves.

Not only professionals perform. Student bands and adult bands also stand on the same street corners. No tickets are required. Just walk around and stop where you like the sound.

Although it's called a jazz festival, it actually includes a mix of rock, gospel, and wind band music.

This is an autumn night festival that illuminates the 202 steps of the main approach and the precincts of Shiogama Shrine with bamboo lights and LED candles. You can spend a relaxing time enveloped in moonlight, light, and sound, with gagaku music playing.

Even if you don't understand the language, you can enjoy the lights and sounds, so it's recommended for international guests. There are also stalls and workshops in the monzenmachi (town in front of the gate) before sunset (from 3 PM). It's a great evening destination from your accommodation in Shiogama.