Masamune Date Statue – Sendai – a 20 min walk from downtown Sendai

Sendai is a popular city to visit, because it’s calmer than Tokyo and has some great undercover shopping arcades. A visit to Sendai wouldn’t be complete without seeing the city from up high at the Aoba Castle Ruins. You get a full view of the city with only a 20 minute walk if you only count the time from the city’s edge, and it’s more like 40 minutes from Sendai Station.

One of the many castle walls that visitors come across on their journey up to the castle ruins

Highlights	There are several museums and curated gardens along the way. It’s an amazing journey that takes you from the city-life to almost nature in mere moments.
Cost	Free
Location	Kawauchi, Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0862, Japan

We decided to make the trek to Masamune Date’s statue on our first day in Sendai. We arrived at Sendai Station, dropped our luggage at the hotel, had some gyutan for late afternoon, and walked about 20 minutes from the city to the Aoba Castle Ruins where the statue is located. We made sure to leave closer to sunset, so that we could capture the sunset in the background.

The main castle walls. Once you pass this section and some stairs, you will be at the summit.

The trek to the castle by foot can be done. (We did it with a stroller and toddler.) There are some uphill sections that require a bit of leg strength and stamina, but otherwise it’s an enjoyable journey through forested areas, curated gardens and past castle walls. There were no cars traveling on the road up to the summit throughout our experience.

Best to experience this during sunset

At the summit, Aoba Castle Ruins are just some markers on the ground. Nothing more. There is a restroom, seats, and some vending machines. Otherwise it’s a lot of open space at the summit.

The Masamune Date statue stands out. Date himself is a famous warlord during the Sengoku Period and is considered the founder for the city. Him and his family are considered royalty in these parts of the Japan.

The statue lights up at night. The statue oversees the entirety of Sendai. It’s a marvelous view of the city. I recommend capturing the statue during the sunset and also grabbing some photos of the city.