How long are you ashore in Sendai–Shiogama?

For a 4.5-hour call or longer · 2 hr 30 min door to door

Beside the port

Short calls — the two things near the ship

Fits a 4.5-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

1. +0:00
   Taxi to the Umino-Mori Aquarium

   About 10 min (4 km); there is no walking out of the cargo quay

2. +0:25
   The aquarium

   Opens 9:00 (10:00 from 4 November to 19 March), later than most ships arrive here. Check the time before you take the taxi. The Sanriku sea hall first; indoors if it rains

3. +1:35
   Walk to Mitsui Outlet Park

   About 15 min, past JR Nakanosakae

4. +1:50
   Lunch or a browse
5. +2:10
   Taxi back to the berth

   ~10 min

6. +2:25
   Back at the gangway

Running late? No taxi at the outlet? JR Nakanosakae is 8 minutes on foot; a rank there is not confirmed, so keep the number of the taxi that brought you (dispatch fee ¥100–300).

Transport spend: taxis ~¥2,000–3,000 per car. Aquarium ¥2,400. Full route, map and photos

For a 7-hour call or longer · 5 hr door to door

Matsushima by train

The one thing this port is for

Fits a 7-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

1. +0:00
   Taxi to JR Nakanosakae (~10 min)

   Suica works

2. +0:15
   Senseki Line to Matsushima-Kaigan (20 min)

   Only trains for Takagimachi, Ishinomaki or Matsushima-Kaigan go there — every 20–45 min (e.g. 9:19, 9:49, 10:17, 10:49); others terminate short. Allow up to 40 min for the next one.

3. +1:05
   Godaido, over the red bridge

   Seven minutes from the station

4. +1:25
   A fifty-minute boat among the islands

   Hourly from the central pier

5. +2:25
   Zuiganji

   ¥1,000 since April 2026

6. +3:25
   Oysters or a bowl in town
7. +4:05
   Train and taxi back

   ~40 min

8. +4:50
   Back at the gangway

Running late? Boat cancelled by wind? Entsuin’s garden is five minutes from the station and the bay is just as present from Godaido.

Transport spend: taxis ~¥3,000 per car + train ¥253 each way. Boat ¥1,500, Zuiganji ¥1,000. Full route, map and photos

For an 8-hour call or longer · 6 hr door to door

Shiogama to Matsushima by boat

Long calls — the market, the Basho boat and the temples

Fits an 8-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

1. +0:00
   Taxi to Shiogama Seafood Wholesale Market (~20 min)

   Closed Wednesdays; closes at 13:00 on weekdays

2. +0:25
   Build your own tuna bowl

   Rice and soup at stall No.6, toppings from the My Kaisendon stalls

3. +1:30
   Taxi to Marine Gate Shiogama (~5 min)
4. +2:00
   The Basho boat to Matsushima

   On the hour, ~50 min, ¥1,500

5. +2:55
   Godaido, then Zuiganji

   The pier is beside Godaido

6. +4:30
   Train from Matsushima-Kaigan to Nakanosakae

   20 min

7. +5:00
   Taxi to the berth

   ~10 min

8. +5:15
   Back at the gangway

Running late? A Wednesday call? Skip the market and start at Shiogama Shrine instead — 15 minutes on foot from Hon-Shiogama.

Transport spend: three taxis ~¥6,500–7,000 per car + train ¥253 each + boat ¥1,500 each (about ¥10,000 for two). Zuiganji ¥1,000, market bowl ~¥2,000–3,000. Full route, map and photos

Rainy day · 4 hr door to door

The rainy-day Sendai

Wet weather — the station floors and the covered arcades

Fits a 6-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

1. +0:00
   Taxi to JR Nakanosakae, Senseki Line to Sendai

   ~35 min in all

2. +0:40
   Sendai Station 3F: zunda and sasa-kamaboko

   All under one roof. Zunda Saryo’s shop opens at 9:00 and the gyutan houses here (Kisuke) at 10:00; arriving earlier, walk the arcades first

3. +1:10
   The covered Ichibancho and Clis Road arcades

   10 minutes from the station, dry the whole way

4. +2:10
   Gyutan lunch

   Gyutan Street on the station’s 3F

5. +3:10
   Train and taxi back

   ~35 min

6. +3:50
   Back at the gangway

Running late? Typhoon wind? The port closes to ships above 10 m/s, and calls here are sometimes cut short. Stay near Nakanosakae and keep your phone on.

Transport spend: taxis ~¥3,000 per car + train ¥209 each way. Gyutan set ~¥2,500–3,000. Full route, map and photos