Life in Sendai
Sendai has all the convenience of a big city, yet the comfort of your hometown. With a population of over 1 million, over 10,000 foreign residents and growing English support in the lead up to the 2020 Olympic Games, Sendai is a beautiful place to call home.
Let us introduce you to some of Sendai’s top features.
The Sendai Tanabata Festival, the most famous Tanabata Festival in all of Japan
READ WHY CLIFFORD AND HIS FAMILY LOVE LIFE IN SENDAI
A Place to Call Home - by Clifford Moore
As a foreign resident of Sendai, it’s the city I’ve come to embrace as “home”, which is actually a pretty big deal. Growing up in a military family, six years was the longest time I’d lived in any one place. However, I’m proud to write I’ve lived in Sendai for over 12 years, now.
What’s life like here, in the big city? In a word—great. Sendai’s a compact metropolis, without feeling too overwhelming. You can get to almost anywhere within its limits, but it’s also the central hub of Japan’s northeast and you’re never far away from the countryside. You can take a day trip to the mountains of Zao or go to the seaside town of Matsushima to enjoy some of the best seafood you’ll ever eat. And because nature plays such a big role here, there is something to do in every season. I try to take advantage of these opportunities with my family.
This is one of my strongest reasons for liking Sendai. It’s a wonderful place to raise my own children. It’s safe. There’s lots of green. There can be frustrations from time to time, trying to figure out life, but the local people try their best to give us support as a foreign family. And there’s a decent size community of foreigners and foreign families so my children never have a shortage of friends to meet or places to go.
If you want to come to a great city that’s rich with nature, where you can raise a family—Sendai’s the place to come. Oh, and there’s a COSTCO, too. I’m sure that’s pretty important.
SENDAI’S TOP FEATURES:
Sendai, the City of Trees
LOCATION
Located in the heart of the Tohoku Region, only 1.5 hours from Tokyo by Bullet train (with trains departing every 30min), Sendai provides not only excellent access to Tokyo, but also acts as a portal to the entire Tohoku Region.
With short flights available to many destinations in East Asia directly from Sendai’s own international airport, Sendai is a growing entrepreneurial hub connecting you with the rest of the world.
SAFETY
Alike many other cities in Japan, Sendai is incredibly safe, and unlike anywhere else on the planet for the lack of serious and even minor crimes that plague the rest of the world. Elementary children walk hand in hand to school each morning , and adults go happily about their daily business. Sendai truly is one of the safest places in the world.
WEATHER
With some of the best weather in Japan, Sendai truly has 4 seasons. From the warmth of Summer and the celebration beautiful Summer festivals, to world-class Autumn leaf colors, to outstanding Ski Resorts in Winter & beautiful Cherry Blossom displays in Spring, Sendai has it all.
NATURE
Sendai, known as the city of trees, is one of the most diverse collections of nature in all Japan. With oceans, mountains, ski resorts, onsens (natural hot springs) farmland, parks, forests, waterfalls and more, all within a 30min drive from the city center, Sendai really does have something for everyone.
Osaki Hachiman Shrine, Sendai (Image Courtesy of Loople Bus Sendai)
Sendai City Museum
Matsushima’s Entsuin Temple’s Annual Autumn Leaves Light Up Event
CULTURE
Sendai is the perfect blend of a 21st century city and rich Japanese culture. From top rated research facilities and universities, to gorgeous temples and shrines, Sendai has it all. Sendai’s Hachiman Shrine stands tall nestled in the west part of Sendai City while the Zuihoden Mausoleum’s beauty can be admired by all. The Site of Sendai Castle is a popular place for those visiting Sendai offering panoramic views of the City coupled with lessons about Sendai’s rich history of the Date Clan.
Learn about these places and more at the Sendai City Museum with excellent English Audio guides available for free to all visitors.
Sendai is also home to many beautiful festivals, with the Summer Tanabata Festival rated as the top Tanabata Festival in all of Japan. Experience beautiful Japanese craftsmanship, seasonal light ups and events and more.
The Site of Sendai Castle
Sendai’s “Kokiakari” an annual Kochia Bush light up event held in Michinoku Park.
Sendai’s Tanabata Festival, the most famous Tanabata Festival in all of Japan
EDUCATION & FAMILY
Sendai is a family oriented city with many schools and facilities for children and their families.
Tohoku International School, the largest International School in Northern Japan is located within Sendai’s suburbs. Part of the International Baccalaureate Program with a fantastic music and arts program, after school activities & Japanese classes, TIS is a great school with highly skilled international teachers. With students from over 30 countries, 3 direct school bus links throughout Sendai, and school fees about half of what you would pay in Tokyo, there is a reason why TIS is growing each and every year. Click here to find out more.
Meysen Academy, one of Sendai’s prized jewels, spans two award-winning, architectural showcase campuses – Maruyama and Takamori – built to provide an engaging and welcoming environment for students to learn and build friendships, and to present a unique blend of Western and Japanese architecture in a natural setting. With a Japanese kindergarten and english after-school programs, Meysen is an ideal location for children and bilingual families. Find out more.
Public Schools, three schools in Sendai have paid support staff for international students, and welcome students from all backgrounds. You can find out more about what your child can expect in Japanese public school here.
As well as great schooling options, Sendai also has its share of fun & educational opportunities for kids.
Sendai Astronomical Observatory, Sendai Science Museum, Sendai Zoo, and Sendai’s Umi no Mori Aquarium are all located within the city center and provide a great day out for the whole family.
Sendai Astronomical Observatory
Tohoku International School
Yagiyama Zoological Park
Higher Education
Sendai is well known as an academic city, with many universities and research institutions that have attracted tens of thousands of students and researchers from all over Japan and the world. Among these institutions, Tohoku University has made especially remarkable advances in academic research. Recognised as one of the country's top three institutions by the Japanese Government in June 2017, the university is one of the most frequently cited institutions in the world in metallic materials research and produces outstanding results in semiconductor and optical communications.
Tohoku University
SPORTS
Sendai - a HOST CITY FOR THE 2020 Olympic GAMES
Sendai, A Host City for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games
In the Summer of 2021, Sendai will host both the Soccer and Paralympic Soccer Events as part of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. The neighbouring prefecture of Fukushima will also host the Baseball and Softball Events, with the Olympic Torch Relay coming to Sendai in March of 2020.
Miyagi, Sendai’s housing state, is a sports-rich area that has been well represented by great Olympians, having produced 12 medalists. In 2014 & 2019, figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu took home the gold medal. In Paralympics, Miyagi-born athlete Mami Sato impressed the world with her speech at the IOC session for Tokyo’s 2020 bid, and seven members of the wheelchair basketball team in Miyagi represented Japan at the 2012 Paralympics in London. Miyagi also hosts many international sporting events, and has hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the FIVB Volleyball World Cup 2015.
Yuzuru Hanyu - Pyeong Chang Olympic Games 2018 (Image Courtesy of CNN)
From the excitement of the Rakuten Eagles Baseball team (Nippon Professional Baseball 2013 Champions), with fireworks in view from the city after a winning game, to Sendai’s Soccer Team - Vegalta Sendai, currently ranked 3rd in Japan & 501 in the world, to the Sendai 89ers Pro Basketball team, Sendai has plenty on offer for the budding sports fan. Why not come along and experience sports in Japan, trust us, it’s nothing like you’ve ever experienced!
Sendai Rakuten Eagles Baseball Team (Image Courtesy of Sendai City)