Where to Stay in Sendai: the Station, Kokubuncho, Akiu Onsen and Sakunami Onsen Compared
There is almost nothing to choose between in central Sendai, so the real decision is the city or a hot spring village. The official register of 73 properties, sorted into the city, Akiu Onsen and Sakunami Onsen.
| The city | Forty of the fifty properties are within fifteen minutes’ walk of the station. |
|---|---|
| Hot springs | Fourteen inns at Akiu Onsen and four at Sakunami Onsen. |
| Shuttles | The free inn shuttles are booked, and run once up and once down a day. |
| Boarding | The route bus leaves the west side, the inn shuttles the east exit. |
| Lodging tax | 300 yen per person per night, nothing under 6,000 yen. |
| The list | Five properties on the official register are outside Sendai. |
1. The choice in Sendai is the city or the hot springs
2. City accommodation collects around one station
3. The west and east sides of the station serve different purposes
4. Kokubuncho and Jozenji-dori are the evening side
5. Three properties sit well outside the centre
6. Akiu Onsen holds fourteen of them
7. The route bus to Akiu leaves from the west side
8. The inn shuttles are free, but booked and once a day
9. Sakunami Onsen is reached a different way
10. The official list includes places outside Sendai
11. Sendai charges a lodging tax
12. Coming in from Sendai Airport
13. Arriving by shinkansen
14. Day trips make the station side worth more
15. What to check at a hot spring inn
16. What to look at when choosing a city hotel
17. Your budget points you at a type
18. With children, and with luggage
19. Winter changes the calculation
20. The number of nights changes the answer
21. Splitting a stay between the city and a hot spring
22. What to check before you book
1. The choice in Sendai is the city or the hot springs
Settle on the city or on one of the hot spring villages, and almost everything else follows. The city’s accommodation is packed around Sendai Station, so choosing the city all but fixes your location.
The official tourism site for Sendai lists just over seventy properties. Fifty of them are in the city, and the rest are at Akiu Onsen, Sakunami Onsen, or outside the city limits altogether.
| Where | Places | From Sendai Station | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right by Sendai Station | 27 | under 10 minutes on foot | Business and city hotels |
| A short walk out | 13 | under 15 minutes on foot | The same again |
| Kokubuncho and Jozenji-dori | 7 | two subway stops | The nightlife side |
| Outer city | 3 | 3 to 7 km | Only if you are driving |
| Akiu Onsen | 14 | 13 to 16 km | Hot spring inns |
| Sakunami Onsen | 4 | 24 to 25 km | Hot spring inns |
The city can be treated as one block
Forty of the fifty city properties are within fifteen minutes’ walk of Sendai Station. Whichever hotel you pick, your mornings and evenings look much the same.
That means location is not where the decision lies. Once you have settled on the city, price and what is in the room matter more than which street you are on.
The register is the city’s own
These are the properties Sendai’s tourism association carries on its official site, sorted from its own accommodation category. It does not cover every bed in the city. It is what the city itself publishes.
Coordinates come with each entry, which is what makes it possible to sort them by distance rather than by whatever an area label says.
Places outside the city limits are in the list too
The official register also carries five properties at Zao and Matsushima. They appear on a Sendai tourism site, so it is easy to assume they are in town. They are not.
If your trip is built around those places, they are reasonable choices. If you also want to see Sendai itself, factor in the travelling you will do each day.
A hot spring village is a different decision entirely
Akiu Onsen is more than thirteen kilometres from Sendai Station, and Sakunami Onsen is close to twice that. Both are inside the city boundary, but neither is walkable from anything.
Choose one and your evening and your breakfast happen inside the inn. The day is then shaped by the departure time of whatever gets you up there, which has sections of its own below.
Count your nights. One or two and the city is easier. Three or more and putting the last night at a hot spring works well.
2. City accommodation collects around one station
Twenty-seven of the fifty city properties are within a ten-minute walk of Sendai Station. Most of the rest are only slightly further out. Map
Sendai puts the shinkansen, both subway lines and the bus terminals in one building, and the hotels were built to face it.
What is here
Hotel Metropolitan Sendai is attached to the station itself. Hotel Monterey Sendai, Daiwa Roynet Hotel Sendai Nishiguchi Premier, Richmond Hotel Premier Sendai Ekimae and Hotel Grand Bach Sendai follow within a few minutes.
The Westin Sendai, Sendai Kokusai Hotel and Mitsui Garden Hotel Sendai sit at the upper end. Toyoko Inn, Comfort Hotel and similar chains fill the middle, and there are capsule hotels in the city as well.
There is little to weigh up
This is not a city where you compare neighbourhoods. With forty properties inside a fifteen-minute walk, the shape of your day barely changes with the choice.
So look at other things first. Whether there is a large communal bath, whether breakfast is included, how many people the room takes. How to get around the city itself is covered in the Sendai travel guide.
The prices span a wide range
Within the same few streets you can find anything from a capsule to a room high up in the Westin. Set a budget and choose inside it rather than by street.
A number of the business hotels have a large communal bath. If you want to stretch out at the end of a day on your feet without going up to a hot spring village, filter on that.
The subway barely matters here
Sendai has two subway lines, but with the accommodation this concentrated most visitors use them only for Kokubuncho or a specific sight.
That is worth knowing before you buy any kind of transport pass. Two rides a day is common, and at that rate paying per ride is cheaper.
What can catch you out
Rooms empty out fast when there is baseball or a concert. Sendai is home to both a professional baseball club and a football club, and big fixtures often land at weekends.
If your dates are fixed, book early. When the city fills, what is left is the hot spring villages, and those need a different plan to reach.
These are the properties on the official accommodation list whose rooms and prices you can check for your own dates.
| Where to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Hotel Metropolitan Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 295 rooms |
| HOTEL METROPOLITAN THE BASE SENDAI 📷 Photos & rates | 56 rooms |
| Hotel Monterey Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | Not listed |
| Daiwa Roynet Hotel Sendai Nishiguchi PREMIER 📷 Photos & rates | 183 rooms |
| Richmond Hotel Premier Sendai Ekimae 📷 Photos & rates | 184 rooms |
| Hotel Green Well 📷 Photos & rates | 47 rooms |
| Sendai Washington Hotel 📷 Photos & rates | 223 rooms |
| Hotel Vista Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 238 rooms |
| Hotel Central Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 97 rooms |
| Comfort Hotel Sendai East 📷 Photos & rates | 202 rooms |
| Hotel JAL City Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 238 rooms |
| Hotel Monte Hermana Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 275 rooms |
| hotel sendai gardenpalace 📷 Photos & rates | 66 rooms |
| Hotel Premium Green Plus 📷 Photos & rates | 117 rooms |
| Sotetsu Fresa Inn Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 224 rooms |
| Hotel Keihan Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 201 rooms |
| Dormy Inn Sendai Annex Natural Hot Spring 📷 Photos & rates | 165 rooms |
| Toyoko Inn Sendai Higashi-Guchi No.1 📷 Photos & rates | 214 rooms |
| Toyoko Inn Sendai-eki Nishi-guchi Chuo 📷 Photos & rates | 286 rooms |
| Almont Hotel Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 140 rooms |
| Toyoko Inn Sendai Nishi-Guchi Hirose-Dori 📷 Photos & rates | 210 rooms |
| Sendai Kokusai Hotel 📷 Photos & rates | 234 rooms |
| Toyoko Inn Sendai Higashi-Guchi No 2 📷 Photos & rates | 120 rooms |
| Hotel GrandBach Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 151 rooms |
| ANA Holiday Inn SENDAI by IHG 📷 Photos & rates | 165 rooms |
| Richmond Hotel Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 272 rooms |
| The Westin Sendai Hotel 📷 Photos & rates | 292 rooms |
| Hotel Green Selec 📷 Photos & rates | 77 rooms |
| Mitsui Garden Hotel Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 224 rooms |
| Hotel Bel Air Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 125 rooms |
| Okano Hotel 📷 Photos & rates | Not listed |
| Hotel Pearl City Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 166 rooms |
| Sendai Sunplaza 📷 Photos & rates | 74 rooms |
| Hotel Grand Terrace Sendai Kokubun-Cho 📷 Photos & rates | 294 rooms |
| Hotel Green with 📷 Photos & rates | 80 rooms |
One or two nights, or any itinerary with day trips out to Matsushima or Yamadera. Your day starts by walking to the station.
3. The west and east sides of the station serve different purposes
Far more of the city’s accommodation is on the west side. Thirty-seven of the fifty are west, thirteen east. Map
West is the city side. The covered shopping arcade, Kokubuncho, Jozenji-dori and the castle site are all that way. East is quieter, with newer buildings.
The boarding points run the other way
The route bus to Akiu Onsen leaves from stand 8 on the west side. The free shuttles the hot spring inns run leave from the east exit.
If a night at a hot spring is in your plan, check this before you book. Depending on which one you use, you may end up crossing the station with your luggage.
Why the west has more
Sendai’s castle site and its shopping streets are all on the western slope. The city grew that way and the hotels followed.
The east side was developed more recently, so the buildings are newer. There are fewer of them, but the rooms are sometimes larger for the same money.
What is on the east
Toyoko Inn Sendai Higashiguchi has two buildings here, and Comfort Hotel Sendai Higashiguchi, Hotel Grand Bach Sendai and ANA Holiday Inn Sendai are on this side too.
If you plan to use an inn shuttle, east is the easier side, because the pick-up point is the coach parking area at the east exit.
“Station front” in a property name does not tell you which side. Check the address on a map, and if you are taking a hot spring shuttle, lean east.
4. Kokubuncho and Jozenji-dori are the evening side
Kokubuncho is the largest entertainment district in the Tohoku region. Nineteen properties sit within a kilometre of it. Map
Jozenji-dori runs alongside it, a wide boulevard lined with trees. A jazz festival takes it over in summer and a light display in winter.
It is a little way from the station
Kokubuncho to Sendai Station is around twenty minutes on foot, or two subway stops. That is an awkward distance with a case, so arrival and departure days mean the subway or a taxi.
Only six properties manage to be within ten minutes of the station and within a kilometre of Kokubuncho at the same time. You cannot have both ends comfortably.
What is here
APA Hotel Sendai Kotodaikoen, Hotel Green Line, Hotel Green Urban and Hotel Grand Terrace Sendai Kokubuncho are on this side. Capsule Hotel Leaves and Sauna and Capsule Cure Kokubuncho cover the cheaper end.
Jozenji-dori is much quieter
Kokubuncho is narrow lanes packed with places to eat and drink. Jozenji-dori is a broad avenue, quiet by day and not much louder in the evening.
They are filed together, but a block apart the feeling changes. If you want quiet, look for a building on the Jozenji-dori side.
When to choose it
If you plan to eat late or walk back after a drink, this side is easier. If you have an early train, the station side is better.
Weekend nights can be noisy outside. For undisturbed sleep, pick a building a block off the main street.
These are the properties on the official accommodation list whose rooms and prices you can check for your own dates.
| Where to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Hotel Premium Green Sovereign 📷 Photos & rates | 92 rooms |
| Sauna&Capsule Cure Kokubuncho 📷 Photos & rates | 172 rooms |
| Hotel Green Arbor 📷 Photos & rates | 64 rooms |
| APA Hotel(Sendai-Kotodai-Koen) 📷 Photos & rates | 97 rooms |
| Hotel Green Line 📷 Photos & rates | 83 rooms |
| Hotel Green City 📷 Photos & rates | 80 rooms |
Staying here means two subway rides on a typical day. At that rate paying per ride works out cheaper than a pass.
5. Three properties sit well outside the centre
The official register files three properties as city that are a long way from the station. Orange Inn Sendai Higashi, Hotel Sealuck Pal Sendai and Sendai Hills Hotel.
They are roughly three, six and seven kilometres out. None is walkable, so you would use a bus, the subway or a car every day.
Check whether a subway station is close
Sendai has two subway lines. An outer property near a subway station is far easier to live with than one that needs a bus.
If it is buses only, your evening return times are limited. Find the nearest station before you book.
When they make sense
If you are driving out to Matsushima, Zao or Yamadera, being outside the centre can be simpler. Parking is easier and the main roads are close.
Sendai Hills Hotel sits at the foot of the hills in Izumi ward and feels nothing like the city. Quiet, but you need a car to go out for dinner.
For a city-only trip they are hard to recommend
What there is to see in Sendai clusters around the station and on the western slope. Staying out means covering that gap twice a day.
Treat them as the fallback for when the city is full. On those dates, look at the hot spring villages too.
Sendai in the name does not mean near the station. Put the address on a map before you book.
These are the properties on the official accommodation list whose rooms and prices you can check for your own dates.
| Where to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Orange Inn Sendaihigashi 📷 Photos & rates | 78 rooms |
| Hotel Sealuck Pal Sendai 📷 Photos & rates | 176 rooms |
| Sendai Hills Hotel 📷 Photos & rates | 179 rooms |
6. Akiu Onsen holds fourteen of them
Akiu Onsen is a hot spring village inside Sendai city limits. Fourteen of the listed properties are in this one valley. Map
It is thirteen to sixteen kilometres from Sendai Station. The inns line the Natori River and there is not much else.
What is here
Densho Sennen no Yado Sakan is the oldest house. Kai Akiu, run by Hoshino Resorts, sits here along with Akiu Grand Hotel, Hotel New Mitoya, Kagaribi no Yu Ryokusuitei, Oshu Akiu Onsen Rantei, Hotel Zuiho and Hotel Hananoyu.
Saryo Soen, Akiu Resort Hotel Crescent and Akiu Kinoie are smaller. TAOYA Akiu serves its meals as a buffet.
The sizes differ sharply
Some have well over a hundred rooms, with large baths and banquet halls. Others have barely more than a dozen and are correspondingly quiet.
The small ones fill early and tend to have stricter cancellation terms. With fixed dates, book those first.
The village is compact
Besides the baths there is the Rairaikyo gorge and, further up the valley, Akiu Great Falls. The falls need another bus and the service is limited.
Treat it as somewhere you spend the day inside the inn. Arrive in the late afternoon, bathe, eat, and leave the next morning.
Dinner and breakfast are in the rate
Most include both meals. Dinner is served at a set time, so you have to be back at the inn by then.
Put another way, you will not be eating out. There is little open late in the village, so that arrangement suits the place.
You can use the baths without staying
Several Akiu inns take day visitors. Staying in the city and coming up for the afternoon is a real option.
Day bathing has its own closed days, though, and the shuttle for day visitors stops with it. Check that the day you want is open.
These are the properties on the official accommodation list whose rooms and prices you can check for your own dates.
| Where to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Akiu Onsen Hotel Hananoyu 📷 Photos & rates | 78 rooms |
| Hotel Zuiho 📷 Photos & rates | 117 rooms |
| Akiu Grand Hotel 📷 Photos & rates | 140 rooms |
| Kagaribi No Yu Ryokusuitei 📷 Photos & rates | 97 rooms |
| Rantei 📷 Photos & rates | 68 rooms |
| Saryou Souen 📷 Photos & rates | 26 rooms |
| TAOYA Akiu 📷 Photos & rates | 141 rooms |
| Akiu Resort Hotel Crescent 📷 Photos & rates | 86 rooms |
| Akiu Kinoie 📷 Photos & rates | Not listed |
| Hoshino Resorts Kai Akiu 📷 Photos & rates | 49 rooms |
Three nights or more in Sendai, or a trip where you have already seen the city, or anyone who wants dinner served at the inn. It works poorly for a single night.
7. The route bus to Akiu leaves from the west side
Miyagi Kotsu’s Akiu line runs from stand 8 in front of Sendai Station to Akiu Onsen Yumoto. It is 940 yen one way for an adult and takes fifty to fifty-five minutes. Map
Stand 8 is on the west side, the opposite side from the east exit where the free shuttles leave. Check which you need before the day.
| Departures from stand 8, Sendai Station | Runs | |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | 09:13 · 10:03 · 10:42 · 12:42 · 14:42 · 15:42 · 17:42 · 20:42 | 8 |
| Sat, Sun, holidays | 08:56 · 09:48 · 10:25 · 10:42 · 12:28 · 14:05 · 14:29 · 15:29 · 17:24 · 20:16 | 10 |
There is one long gap in the middle of the day
Three weekday departures come close together in the morning, and then nothing until 12:42. Miss the 10:42 and you wait two hours.
The afternoon runs roughly every two hours, and after 17:42 the next is 20:42. Given when inns serve dinner, that last one is not really usable.
Some runs stop for the winter
The departures routed via the Sendai West Road and Nishikigaoka do not operate from mid-December to mid-March. In winter the timetable thins out accordingly.
On weekdays no departure continues to Akiu Great Falls at all. To see the falls you need a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday.
Paying, and your bags
IC cards and contactless credit cards are accepted, so you do not need cash.
It is an ordinary route bus, though, with no luggage hold. A large case ends up in the aisle, so with heavy bags a shuttle or a taxi is the better call.
By car it is thirty minutes
From Sendai Station via Route 48 and prefectural road 132 it is about thirty minutes, twenty less than the bus.
With a car, staying at Akiu and coming into the city each day is workable. On buses alone it is not.
These are the operator’s published departures. Times and the fare can both move, so check again before you travel.
8. The inn shuttles are free, but booked and once a day
The Akiu inns run free shuttles from Sendai Station. Almost all of them require a booking, and most run once up and once down each day.
This is not about saving the bus fare. With a single departure each way, the shuttle time sets the shape of that day. It is the first thing to check if you are staying up there.
Rantei leaves the east exit at 14:30 and leaves the inn at 10:00, about forty minutes each way. Ryokusuitei runs 15:00 down and 10:00 back for guests staying the night, with a separate pair at 11:00 and 14:00 for day bathers.
| Inn | From Sendai Station | From the inn | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rantei | 14:30, east exit | 10:00 | Required in advance |
| Ryokusuitei, overnight | 15:00, east exit | 10:00 | By 15:00 the day before |
| Ryokusuitei, day bathing | 11:00 | 14:00 | By 15:00 the day before |
| Sakan | See the inn’s own page | See the inn’s own page | Online only, no phone |
Book late and you will not get on
Ryokusuitei closes bookings at three the previous afternoon and stops when the seats go, with about eight to a group as the guide.
Rantei also requires booking ahead and closes when full. Turn up without one and a free seat will not help you.
The days they do not run differ by inn
Rantei’s shuttle does not run on public holidays. Saturdays and Sundays have to be confirmed with them, and the Monday morning departure from the inn does not run either, though the 10:00 Saturday departure does.
Ryokusuitei’s shuttle stops on days when day bathing is closed. Holidays are exactly when most people travel, so name the date when you ask rather than asking in general.
Not every inn has one
The smaller houses may have no shuttle at all, and some only run it when enough guests have booked.
Without one you are back on the route bus or in a taxi. Confirming this before you book keeps the day from coming apart.
Does it run on your date, what time and from where, and by when do you have to book. The answers differ from inn to inn.
9. Sakunami Onsen is reached a different way
Sakunami Onsen is over twenty-four kilometres from Sendai Station. That is close to twice the distance to Akiu, and you get there differently. Map
Akiu is a direct bus or shuttle from Sendai Station. For Sakunami you take the JR Senzan Line to Sakunami Station and the inn collects you there.
What is here
Yuzukushi Salon Ichinobo, Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Sendai Sakunami, Yunohara Hotel and Laraku Resort Hotel Green Green. All four are in the Sakunami district of Aoba ward.
The pick-up is booked and time-limited
Ichinobo runs a free car between Sakunami Station and the inn for guests staying the night. The pick-up must be booked, runs between 13:40 and 18:00, and goes out as Senzan Line trains arrive.
Bookings close at midday on the day you arrive, and there is no pick-up after 18:00. If you are arriving late, choose a train that lands before then.
The return does not need booking. Cars leave the inn between 08:40 and 11:10, timed to train departures.
| Station to inn | Inn to station | |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | 13:40 to 18:00 | 08:40 to 11:10 |
| Booking | By midday on the day | Not needed |
| Timed to | Senzan Line arrivals | Senzan Line departures |
More snow falls here
Ichinobo’s own page says Sakunami gets more snow than central Sendai and asks winter drivers to come on snow tyres.
By train that is not your problem, though heavy snow can delay the Senzan Line. Leave margin around a booked pick-up time.
The train ride is part of the plan
Sakunami is on the Senzan Line, the same line that runs to Yamadera and on towards Yamagata. Getting there is a normal local train journey rather than a bus ride.
That makes it easy to string together with Yamadera, and awkward to combine with anything that keeps you in the city until evening.
How it differs from Akiu
Akiu has more inns and a direct connection from Sendai Station, which makes a single night easy to slot in. Sakunami has four inns and a train change, so it takes more arranging.
In exchange it is quieter. There is a whisky distillery nearby, and if that is on your list this is the side to be on.
These are the properties on the official accommodation list whose rooms and prices you can check for your own dates.
| Where to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Lala Resort Hotel Green Green 📷 Photos & rates | 206 rooms |
| Yunohara Hotel 📷 Photos & rates | 32 rooms |
| Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Sendai sakunami 📷 Photos & rates | 101 rooms |
| Sakunami Onsen Yuzukushi Salon Ichinobo 📷 Photos & rates | 86 rooms |
First visit, one night at a hot spring, take Akiu. If you definitely want quiet, or you are staying two nights up there, Sakunami works well.
10. The official list includes places outside Sendai
Five properties on Sendai’s official tourism list are not in Sendai at all. Three at Zao and two at Matsushima. Map
Being on the list makes them look like city options. Check the address before you book.
The Zao ones
Onsen Sanso Daikon no Hana, Chikusenso and Yutomori Club are around Togatta Onsen at Zao. Administratively that is Zao town in Katta district, not Sendai.
Zao is known for winter skiing and the frost-covered trees, so people who stay there have come for that. If you also want the city, you will be covering a long distance daily.
The Matsushima ones
Hotel Matsushima Taikanso and Matsushima Ichinobo, both in Matsushima town, Miyagi district.
Matsushima is usually a day trip from Sendai. Staying there gets you the bay in the evening and early morning. Reaching the city means a train ride each way.
The lodging tax is levied differently
Inside Sendai the prefecture and the city split it. Outside the city only the prefecture takes it. The amount you pay is the same either way.
It is not something a traveller needs to track, but it is one more sign of which side of the boundary a property is on.
Do not take the published coordinates on trust
On that list, the coordinates for the two Matsushima properties do not match where they actually are. Plotted as given, they land out at sea.
The addresses are correct, so use those. It is a good reminder not to rely on a single coordinate anywhere without checking the address alongside it.
Look for “Sendai” in the address. If you see Zao town or Matsushima town, it is not in the city.
11. Sendai charges a lodging tax
Stay in Sendai and you pay a lodging tax on top of the room rate. It is 300 yen per person per night.
Cheaper stays are exempt. If the rate is under 6,000 yen per person per night, before meals and before consumption tax, nothing is due.
| Rate per person per night, room only, before tax | Lodging tax |
|---|---|
| Under 6,000 yen | None |
| 6,000 yen and over | 300 yen |
It is new
Miyagi Prefecture and Sendai City only started collecting this recently. Anything written before that says nothing about it, so older guides and printed leaflets will not mention it.
Booking sites usually leave it out of the total as well. The property collects it at check-in.
It is calculated differently from most cities
Japanese cities set these taxes up in different ways. Some band the rate so that expensive rooms pay more; Sendai uses a single amount.
Here there is one threshold at 6,000 yen and then a flat 300 yen. An expensive inn is charged the same as a cheap hotel above the line.
It is collected per person, per night
The charge is not per room. Two people over three nights is six charges, which is where it starts to be noticeable.
Meals are excluded from the rate used to work out whether you cross the threshold, which matters at an inn where dinner and breakfast are bundled in.
The prefecture and the city split it
Within Sendai, 100 yen goes to the prefecture and 200 yen to the city. From the paying side it is one charge of 300 yen.
Outside Sendai, at Zao or Matsushima, only the prefectural portion applies. The amount is still 300 yen.
Who is exempt
School trips and club activities for primary, junior high and high school students are exempt, with certification from the head teacher.
For an ordinary traveller the rate threshold is the only exemption. A guesthouse or capsule stay will often fall under it.
How other Japanese cities work it out is covered in Japan’s lodging taxes. The amounts and bands differ quite a lot.
Some properties will not put the lodging tax on a card. It is charged per person per night, so a family over several nights adds up.
12. Coming in from Sendai Airport
The train is the simplest way in from Sendai Airport. The Sendai Airport Access Line reaches Sendai Station in around twenty minutes. Map
The terminal connects straight to the gates, so you never go outside. Rain or snow makes no difference.
Fares and journey time
The Access Line is 660 yen one way and takes seventeen to twenty-five minutes depending on the service. Children pay half.
The difference comes from how many stops a given train makes. Unless you are tight for time, take whichever is next.
International flights land here too
Sendai Airport has direct flights from Seoul, Taipei, Kaohsiung and Hong Kong, along with Shanghai and Bangkok services.
That means you can arrive without going through Tokyo. Some of those routes are daily and some run a few times a week, so check your dates first.
Your arrival time decides the hot spring shuttles
The inn shuttles leave Sendai Station at 14:30 or 15:00. The Sakunami pick-up closes bookings at midday on the day itself.
A late afternoon landing puts all of that out of reach. Stay in the city for the first night and move up on the second day.
There is a limousine bus as well
A limousine bus connects the airport and the city in about fifty minutes. Slower than the train, but easier with a lot of luggage.
Going straight from the airport to Akiu Onsen on public transport means changing. By car it is about fifteen minutes via the eastern and southern expressways, so a taxi or a hire car is quicker.
Land in the morning and you can go straight up to a hot spring. Land late and sleep in the city, then move the next day.
13. Arriving by shinkansen
From Tokyo the Tohoku Shinkansen brings you to Sendai Station itself. The distance from there to your accommodation is the distance you pull a case.
Sendai is easy on that count. Most city properties are within fifteen minutes on foot, so you are never dragging bags far.
The station itself is large
Shinkansen, conventional lines and two subway lines share the building. Getting from the gates to an exit is not a short walk.
West and east are connected by a concourse, but it is a fair distance with luggage. Know which side you want and leave by that exit.
Oversized luggage
The Tohoku Shinkansen has rules for oversized baggage, and above a certain size you have to reserve space in advance.
The measurements and how to reserve are in the shinkansen luggage rules. Worth a look if you are travelling with several large cases.
Which side you leave by
Coming off the shinkansen you choose an exit before you choose a direction. West puts you in front of the hotel cluster and the arcade; east puts you at the coach parking where the inn shuttles wait.
Getting that wrong on arrival day means walking the concourse twice with your luggage.
Going straight up to a hot spring
If you plan to step off the shinkansen and head for a hot spring village, your arrival has to land before the shuttle leaves, between 14:30 and 15:00.
The route bus is more forgiving, with departures into the evening, so a later arrival can still reach Akiu.
Arrive before check-in and the property will usually hold them. On the day you move up to an inn, ask whether your bags can be forwarded rather than carried.
14. Day trips make the station side worth more
Sendai is a city you travel out from. Matsushima, Yamadera and Zao are all within day-trip range. Map
Put even one of those in your plan and staying near Sendai Station pays off, because every one of them starts at those gates.
Matsushima has two stations
Two lines serve Matsushima and they put you down in different places. The faster one leaves you with a longer walk to the sights; the slower one drops you right by them.
Either way you leave from Sendai Station, so the walk from your room to the gates is added to that morning.
Yamadera is on the Senzan Line
Yamadera is on the same Senzan Line that serves Sakunami Onsen. Staying at Sakunami makes it easy to continue on.
Yamadera also involves a long climb up steps. Putting a hot spring on that night works out well.
Zao is by bus
Zao is reached by bus rather than train and takes longer. Many people go in winter for the frost-covered trees, and on that trip staying at Zao itself is an option.
That is why the official register carries three Zao properties. Getting back and forth to Sendai daily from there is not realistic.
Do not stack a day trip and a move on the same day
A day trip puts you back at Sendai Station in the evening, by which time the hot spring shuttle has long gone.
Keep day-trip days in the city and put the hot spring on a different night. Trying to do both compresses one of them.
City, then a day trip, then the hot spring. Your bags stay put until the day you move up.
15. What to check at a hot spring inn
Booking an inn is not like booking a hotel. You are not just taking a room; dinner, breakfast and the baths come with it.
So the things worth checking are different. These four are the ones to settle before you book.
Are meals included
Most Akiu and Sakunami inns include dinner and breakfast. Dinner has a set sitting, so you have to be back by then.
If you want to be out late, ask whether a room-only rate exists. Bear in mind there is not much open in the village for dinner.
From what time can you check in
Inns often check in later than hotels. That time interacts with the shuttle, so look at both together.
Checkout tends to be early as well. Where the morning shuttle leaves at ten, checkout is frequently set to match.
What are the bathing rules
Inn baths are usually shared. If you have tattoos, check in advance; policies differ from house to house.
Some sell rooms with their own bath, and some let you book the whole bath for a slot. The general position is set out in the guide to onsen and ryokan.
You can bathe without staying
Several inns take day bathers, and some run a separate shuttle for them. With only two nights in Sendai, staying in the city and coming up for an afternoon can work better.
Day bathing has closed days, and the shuttle stops on those days too. Check the specific date.
Shuttle blackout days and day-bathing closures differ by inn. Some do not run shuttles on public holidays, so name your date rather than asking in general.
16. What to look at when choosing a city hotel
Location barely separates the city options, so look at other things first. Everything is within fifteen minutes of the station anyway.
What you get for the same money is where the real difference is. These four vary most.
Is there a large communal bath
A number of Sendai business hotels have one, and some carry onsen in the name.
If you want to stretch out after a day on your feet without going up to a hot spring village, filter on this. On a long walking day it makes a noticeable difference.
How does breakfast work
Places to eat in the morning cluster inside the station and along the arcade, so a room without breakfast is not a problem.
If you have an early train, though, an included breakfast helps. Check what time it starts.
How many people does the room take
Japanese business hotels set a maximum per room, and three or more people cuts the list down fast.
For a group, look at city hotels or at the inns instead. Inn rooms are large and suit several people sharing.
Is the room actually quiet
Around the station the buildings sit on main roads and above shops. On the Kokubuncho side the noise comes from the street at night instead.
Neither is a problem for most people, but if you sleep lightly, ask for a room away from the road rather than assuming a floor number solves it.
Is there a coin laundry
Travelling light over several nights, check for one. Plenty of city business hotels have them.
The hot spring villages are different. There is little in the way of laundry up there, so ask first if you are staying several nights at an inn.
The same brand differs between buildings
Several chains have more than one building around Sendai Station. Toyoko Inn alone is split across the west and east sides with numbered branches.
The names look alike and are easy to confuse when booking. Confirm by address, and above all check which side of the station it is on.
A few hundred metres does not change your day in central Sendai. The bath, the breakfast and the room occupancy do.
17. Your budget points you at a type
Sendai separates by type of property rather than by location. Fix the budget and the shortlist appears on its own.
| Budget | Type | Where |
|---|---|---|
| The cheapest end | Capsule hotels and guesthouses | Around Kokubuncho |
| Middle | Business hotels | Densest around the station |
| Stepping up | City hotels | At the station and in the centre |
| Spending on the night itself | Hot spring inns | Akiu and Sakunami |
The cheapest end
Capsule hotels, some combined with a sauna, sit around Kokubuncho. Under 6,000 yen a night and the lodging tax does not apply either.
Storage is tight, though. With a large case you may end up using a station locker as well.
Business hotels are the thick part of the market
Most of the city stock is this. Toyoko Inn, Comfort Hotel, Richmond Hotel and Daiwa Roynet sit close together around the station.
Even within one chain the buildings differ in room size and whether there is a bath. The same name does not mean the same thing.
Looking higher
The Westin Sendai, Sendai Kokusai Hotel and Hotel Metropolitan Sendai are the upper tier in the city, either attached to the station or a few minutes from it.
For similar money you could put one night at a hot spring inn instead. Inn rates include two meals, so the two are not directly comparable.
An inn rate covers dinner and breakfast. Set it against a hotel rate only after allowing for those two meals.
18. With children, and with luggage
Travelling with children is considerably easier in the city. More room types, convenience stores and pharmacies close by, and plenty of places to leave bags.
Inns take children too, but the conditions need checking first.
Inns count heads
Meals are prepared per person, so a child’s meal is part of the rate. The amount varies with age, as does what the child is served.
Enter ages accurately when booking. Adding a person later can mean changing rooms.
Hotels count beds
Business hotel rooms often take two to a bed and children count towards occupancy. Extra bedding raises the rate.
Family rooms and triples are limited. With fixed dates, book early.
Leaving your bags
Sendai Station has coin lockers, and city hotels will normally hold bags before check-in. Arrive in the morning and you can drop everything and go.
On the day you move up to a hot spring, ask about forwarding your bags from the city property to the inn. Shuttles do not always have room for large cases.
Steps and thresholds
City hotels almost all have lifts. Older inns can have steep stairs, so ask first if you are using a pushchair or find stairs difficult.
A step-free flag may apply to some rooms rather than the whole property. Ask which ones.
Shared bathing has age rules that decide which side a child goes in. A room with its own bath removes the question.
19. Winter changes the calculation
Choosing where to stay in Sendai works differently in winter. The Akiu bus thins out and Sakunami gets more snow. Map
The city itself barely changes. Fifteen minutes on foot is manageable with snow on the ground.
Fewer buses to Akiu
The Akiu line departures routed via the Sendai West Road and Nishikigaoka do not run from mid-December to mid-March. You are working with what is left.
Staying at Akiu in winter, book an inn shuttle instead. It removes the timetable from the equation entirely.
Sakunami gets more snow
Ichinobo’s own page states that Sakunami has more snow than central Sendai and asks winter drivers to use snow tyres.
By train that hardly matters, though heavy snow can delay the Senzan Line. Leave margin around a booked pick-up.
The city stays walkable
Sendai gets relatively little snow for the Tohoku region, and the central arcade is covered, so shopping streets stay easy in bad weather.
Mornings can be icy, though. In smooth-soled shoes, allow a little longer for the walk to the station.
Book earlier than you would elsewhere
Winter is the season people go up for the baths, and the smaller inns have very few rooms. They fill well ahead.
The same applies to shuttle seats, which are capped regardless of how many rooms are sold.
Winter has its own reasons to go
The light display along Jozenji-dori runs in winter. Staying on the Kokubuncho side puts it within walking distance in the evening.
It is also the best season for the baths. For an outdoor bath with snow around it, put a night at Akiu or Sakunami into the plan.
If a hot spring night is in the plan, secure the shuttle first. With fewer buses running, having one or not changes the whole day.
20. The number of nights changes the answer
How you split Sendai between the city and the hot springs depends on how long you stay. One night and three nights point in different directions.
| Length of stay | Where | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| One night | By Sendai Station | No luggage to drag, straight out in the morning |
| Two nights | By Sendai Station | Matsushima and Yamadera are easy day trips |
| Three nights | Two in the city, one at a hot spring | The last night keeps the route tidy |
| Here for the baths | Akiu or Sakunami | The day happens inside the inn |
| Driving | Outer city or a hot spring | Parking is easier |
For one or two nights, stay put
Sendai is a base for day trips, and Matsushima, Yamadera and Zao are all reachable and back.
On that kind of itinerary the station side is the efficient choice. Every morning is a few minutes to the gates.
Two nights is enough for the city
Sendai’s own sights sit close together, and a full day covers most of them at a walking pace. A second day is usually spent out of town.
That is why the third night is where the hot spring fits. You are not giving up city time to take it.
For three, put the hot spring last
Two nights in the city and the last at an inn works cleanly. Take the afternoon shuttle up, eat, sleep, come down on the morning one and get your train.
You carry your bags on the day you move, unless you can forward them. Asking about that in advance makes the day much easier.
For four or more, split it three ways
Two days covers the city itself. Beyond four nights, splitting between day trips and the hot springs makes more sense.
Two in the city, one for Matsushima or Yamadera, one at a hot spring is a common shape. Adding Zao means a night out that way.
If the baths are the point, invert it
If this is a hot spring trip, two nights up there and one in the city also works. Sakunami suits that better than Akiu.
Consecutive nights at an inn do make meals and laundry monotonous. Factor that in.
Cities divide up differently. For a contrast, where to stay in Kanazawa is a city where six separate areas each pull you a different way.
Take the station area. It works for the city and for day trips, and you can always add a hot spring night later.
21. Splitting a stay between the city and a hot spring
The most common arrangement is city nights first and the last night up at a hot spring. Get the moving day right and the rest takes care of itself.
How the moving day runs
Check out in the morning and leave your bags. Spend the day in the city, collect them in the afternoon and head to the station. East exit for a shuttle, stand 8 on the west for the route bus.
Arrive, bathe, eat, and the day is done. The next morning the shuttle or the bus brings you back for your train.
Settle these in advance
If you want a shuttle, find out when bookings close. Some shut the previous afternoon, others at midday on the day.
If the date is a public holiday or a Monday, ask whether the service runs at all. It varies by inn.
Can you do it the other way round
Going up on arrival day and coming into the city afterwards is possible, but a late arrival means the shuttle has gone.
Unless you land in the morning, put the city first.
Two or more nights up there
Staying consecutive nights at an inn means coming down and going back up during the day. Akiu has the route bus for that; Sakunami needs a train and is more work.
If you intend to come into town daily, Akiu is easier. If you plan to stay in the village, either is fine.
Ask whether the city property can send your bags to the inn. Shuttles are not always able to take large cases.
22. What to check before you book
The things that go wrong in Sendai are fairly predictable. Running through this list heads off most of them.
Location
Put the address on a map and look at the distance to Sendai Station. If it is near the station, check which side.
Look for Sendai in the address as well; that alone tells you whether it is inside the city.
If you are staying at a hot spring
Ask whether there is a shuttle, what time and from where, and by when you have to book. The answers differ from inn to inn.
Check whether your date is a public holiday or a Monday, when some services do not run. In winter the route bus thins out as well.
Money
The lodging tax is usually outside the booking total. It is 300 yen per person per night, with nothing due under 6,000 yen.
At an inn, check whether meals are included. If they are, dinner has a set time and your day ends earlier.
Facilities
For several nights, check for a coin laundry. City hotels often have one; the hot spring villages rarely do.
For a group, check room occupancy first. With children, enter their ages accurately.
Day trips
If you are going out to Matsushima or Yamadera, keep that night in the city. Combining it with a move up to a hot spring means missing the shuttle.
Dates
Rooms disappear across the city when there is baseball or a concert. With fixed dates, book early.
Published fares and times change. The lodging tax threshold, the Akiu bus times and the shuttle operating days are all worth a second look before you travel.