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I sadly only got to visit around the station area both alone, with a friend and some locals and it was the highlight of my trip. The huge shopping area starting from the station extends for many blocs and has everything you could ever want from arcades to second hand shops to all sorts of restaurants and cafes. The malls next to the station have all your sort of branded shops like Gundam Base and Pokemon Center. The nightlife is pretty nice and the few places we hit while wandering with a friend from Sendai were very tasty and everyone's super friendly!

(1) Great hotel with close proximity to Sendai Station. (2) Staffs are very friendly, although made a little error in breakfast choice, but hotel did make correction immediately. (3) Public bath is very good, although the floor is a little slippery where guests may fall if walking fast.

I have to say the view nearby from Matsushima is simply amazing (~30 min by train from Sendai station)! I also very much enjoyed the walk through the mausoleum grounds, but the rest is very much "just a city", and I didn't find anything else that was particularly interesting for me. The local specialty of beef tongue is nice, but quite pricey for what it is (it should be noted I'm mainly vegetarian, so meat-lovers might feel differently!).

We enjoyed our stay in Sendai. Hotel Monterey was very close to the station. It has an old world Praque theme which is a little outdated but very comfortable. We booked a corner room which was large, had writing desk, coffee and tea facilities and a large bath. The single room for our son however was a little spartan. The hotel breakfast was great and kicked started our day of exploring. We really enjoyed the onsen spa every evening. The temple was a wonderful experience and we enjoyed the day we spent at Matsushima Bay. Local train journey was easy and cheap as was the boat trip around the bay for 800 yen for an hour cruise. Exploring the island close by was delightful. Overall a very good few days in this area of Japan.

It's a wonderful city to visit and I wish we had spent more than the three days to explore its many neighborhoods and shopping districts. It seems like there is a great deal going in Sendai, while remaining a clean and orderly metro area. You can't beat the food options or its proximity to one-in-a-lifetime views like Matsushima or Geibeiki Gorge.

I think Sendai has many interesting unique features but if you push a little further I personally prefer Sapporo. Sendai is bigger, more modern but also slightly slightly less accommodating in some ways. I ran into more language barriers in some parts of the city then anywhere else in my travels in Japan. But if you want a city not as large as Tokyo for excellent shopping and adventure Sendai is still near the top of the list.