Geography
Miyagi Prefecture is located in the Tohoku region, covering the northern part of Japan's largest island, Honshu. Its coastline faces the Pacific Ocean. The capital of the prefecture is the large city of Sendai, whose population has over a million inhabitants.
History
The land where modern Miyagi Prefecture is located formerly belonged to the southern part of Mutsu Province, whose capital was the city of Haraizumi, located in today's Iwate Prefecture. During the civil war at the beginning of the Meiji era (1868 - 1869), the appanage principality of Sendai sided with the anti-government forces against the emperor's army, so subsequently the newly formed prefecture was named Miyagi, after the name of one of the counties, and not Sendai, after the name of its main city, where almost half the population of the entire prefecture lives.
Culture, attractions
and entertainment
The city of Sendai is called the "city of trees" due to its wide streets and abundance of greenery. Sendai, one of the fifteen largest cities in Japan, is also famous for its world-famous film festival. Many movie stars, including Takeshi Kitano, took part in this festival in one capacity or another - director, actor, producer.
Another, even more famous festival held annually in Sendai is the Tanabata Festival ("Seventh Day Evening"), associated with a very beautiful legend according to which the Milky Way separated two lovers, the stars Vega and Altair, who in Japan are personified by the deities Orihimi and Hikoboshi , respectively. Thus, they are allowed to meet only on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month according to the lunisolar calendar. It is on this day, July 7, that this festival is held. This is an all-Japanese event, but it is in Sendai that the country's largest Tanabata festival is held, with up to two million people coming here!
And about half an hour's drive from the center of Sendai on the Pacific coast is the city of Matsushima. It is considered one of the three most scenic places in Japan, along with Miyajima near Hiroshima and Amanohashidate near Kyoto. This is an amazingly beautiful bay, whose pine shores are truly mesmerizing. And here and there ancient temples can be seen through the pine trees.
Among these shrines is Zaigan-ji, one of the most famous Buddhist temples in the entire Tohoku region. It was founded back in 828 and is considered a “National Treasure of Japan.” A beautiful cedar alley leads to it, setting visitors in a peaceful mood.
Entsuin and Godaido temples are also worth visiting. Godaido, a small temple, is located on the pier of Matsushima and, due to its unique location, has become its symbol.
Separately, it is worth highlighting the Kanraiten tea house. It was built in the style of the Momoyama era in Kyoto by the banner shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi and was given as a gift to the head of the local samurai clan, Date Masamune. His son moved the house to its current location, which offers stunning views of Matsushima Bay...
The best way to travel from Tokyo to the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, Sendai, is to take the Shinkansen super express train. Travel time will take only 1 hour 40 minutes.
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