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Just north of Sendai Station is the Toshogu Shrine, built in 1654 by Tadamune Date. It is one of many Toshogu Shrines built across Japan to honor the Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, but this one in Sendai is considered to be one of the more beautiful with elaborate carvings of fantastic creatures and fine details such as lacquer, gold leaf and cloisonne, many of its structures are designated Important National Cultural Properties.

Opened in 1981, the Miyagi Museum of Art has a collection of approximately 4000 pieces, by artists with connections to Miyagi and Northeastern Japan, as well as pieces by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), Paul Klee (1879-1940) and some Italian and French posters from the late 19th Century and on. The Miyagi Museum of Art is not just for passive enjoyment of artwork, however. It also provides studio space for public use, complete with equipment for woodworking, metalworking and ceramics. Staff members provide assistance, and workshops on drawing, printing, pottery and sculpture are offered. There are several gardens that contain sculptures, the most notable being Alice's Garden, a re-creation of the "World of Mirrors" in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The museum cafe is popular for its cakes.

Sendai Castle, or Aoba Castle, was built by the famous Sengoku warlord Masamune Date. Construction began in early 1601 on Mount Aoba, a small mountain near the downtown of present-day Sendai City. The castle had no tower; it is said that Masamune had refrained from building one as a sign of respect to the Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, saying that there was no need for a watch tower in times of peace. In actuality, the position of the castle is such that no tower was necessary. it sits atop a mountain, with a panoramic view of the land before it and it is protected by a thick forest and a sheer cliff that drops down to the Hirose River, which acts as a natural moat. The Castle served the Date family for 13 generations until 1868, when the Tokugawa Shogunate was defeated by the Imperialists. Much of the castle was torn down after the Meiji Restoration, and the area was used as an army base by Imperial Japan. What was left of the original structure was destroyed by air raids during World War II. Today the area is a park, with a Shrine, several monuments, and a statue of Masamune Date on a horse in the main square. There is also a visitors center and museum, and gift shops. The forest behind the castle is maintained by Tohoku University as a botanical garden.

Masamune Date, was known as Dokuganryu (lit. One-eyed Dragon) Masamune because he had lost his right eye to smallpox during childhood. He was one of the more successful and colorful Daimyos of the late Sengoku ("Warring States") Era. Born in 1567 in what is now Yamagata Prefecture, he succeeded his father at 19 and after many battles, earned the lordship of the Sendai Domain. He is known to have been a ruthless warlord, but a progressive governor as well. He moved the center of his domain from the relatively remote Iwadeyama to Sendai in 1600, and his plans for the city are reflected in the gridlocked streets we see in Sendai today. He was very much interested in foreign culture and trade, was quite lenient towards Christian missionaries in his domain, and even sent an emissary to Rome in a ship built in the European style. Masamune died of natural causes at the age of 70.

Featuring a median lined by a double row of beautiful zelkova trees and sculptures by Emilio Greco, Jozenji-dori is a 700-meter long street that connects Kotodai Park and Nishi Park. The promenade is host to festivals throughout the year. The Aoba Festival in May, featuring traditional dancers and drummers as well as samurai in full regalia. The Tanabata Parade in August. The Sendai Street Jazz Festival in September, which is not limited to Jazz, and the Starlight Pageant in December, when the zelkovas are illuminated with thousands of sparkling lights.

Aoba-dori Ichiban-cho, or the first block of Aoba Street, has many shopping arcades-covered streets lined with retail shops, restaurants and department stores. "Sunmall Ichiban-cho", "Marble Road Omachi", and "Blandome Ichiban-cho" are just a few of the arcades where you will find unique shopping and dining opportunities.

As its name implies, the Sendai Mediatheque is a center for media-Video, audio and text. The facility is open to everyone, and provides access to information through its book and multimedia libraries and information lounge. It also provides theater, studio and meeting space as well as audio-visual equipment for a variety of events and projects. The see-through building, said to have been inspired by gently undulating seaweed, was designed by Toyo Ito. The many bundles of tubular steel that act as columns holding up the seven floors are designed to direct sunlight from above right through the building. There are vents in the glass walls that allow cooling air currents in the summer, reducing the cost of air conditioning, and there are shock-absorbing structures in the basement in case of an earthquake. The entire facility is wheelchair accessible.

Established in 1875, Nishi Park is the oldest park in the city and is cherished by locals for its beautiful cherry blossoms and fall colors. In addition to the ballpark and swimming pool, there are also the public library and a planetarium with an astronomical observatory, where visitors can learn about the stars that are visible each season. There is a plant sale each spring and autumn, and there are always the fireworks on the eve of the Tanabata Festival in August.

This is the mausoleum of the first lord of Sendai, Masamune Date. The original structure was built in 1637 by Masamune’s son Tadamune. It was a beautiful Momoyama-style building, built by the best architects of the day, and was designated a National Treasure in 1931. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire during World War II. The site was excavated and studied by an archaeological team, and the Zuihoden was rebuilt in 1979. Also on the site are the Kansenden and Zennoden, mausoleums of the second and third Sendai lords Tadamune and Tsunamune, as well as graves of the ninth and eleventh lords and some of the children. There is a museum where one can watch a 20-minute video of the archaeological dig, view some of the artifacts, and even figures of the three lords, “re-created” based on the actual remains.

As you browse the shops of Sendai, you may see on some of their walls an old photograph of a smiling young man with cropped hair in a striped kimono. This is Sendai Shiro, an actual person from the late 19th Century who was thought to bring good fortune to the businesses that he visited. Shiro was probably mentally impaired; he spoke few words and was always smiling. He would wander about town, playing with small children and visiting shops. For some reason, any shop that he visited seemed to do very well, so that eventually storekeepers began to actively invite him to their shops and to give him food and items. Sometimes Shiro would refuse to visit a store; such stores were said to eventually go out of business. Sendai Shiro photographs and other good luck charms are popular today, especially with small business and store owners, and these are available at the Mitakisan Fudoin temple in the Clisroad Shotengai (Shopping Arcade).