Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region and the natural base for exploring northern Honshu. It sits on the Shinkansen line from Tokyo (about 90 minutes), making it easy to reach, and its size means good accommodation and dining options without the tourist crowds of Kyoto or Tokyo.
The city was largely rebuilt after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which struck the coastal areas to the east while leaving the city centre relatively intact. Sendai's most famous sight is Zuihoden, the ornate mausoleum of Date Masamune — the "One-Eyed Dragon" daimyo who founded the city in 1601. The castle ruins at Aoba-jo command good views over the city, and Osaki Hachimangu shrine is an impressive example of Momoyama-era architecture.
Matsushima, widely considered one of the three most scenic views in Japan (Nihon Sankei), is a short train ride east — a bay dotted with hundreds of pine-covered islands. The city is also famous for gyutan (grilled beef tongue), which restaurants around the station celebrate more enthusiastically than anywhere else in Japan. Tasuke, founded in 1948, is the restaurant credited with making gyutan a Sendai institution. Don't leave without trying zunda mochi — edamame paste on chewy rice cakes, the city's other great food obsession.