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50-713: Rifu is located in east-central Miyagi Prefecture, bordered by Sendai metropolis to the south and by Matsushima Bay to the east. Miyagi Prefecture Rifu has a humid climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Rifu is 11.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1237 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.6 °C. Per Japanese census data,

100-567: A mythical palace in the Kunlun Mountains . Tradition says that Masamune chose this kanji so that the castle would prosper as long as a mountain inhabited by an immortal hermit. Masamune ordered the construction of Sendai Castle in December 1600 and the construction of the surrounding castle town in 1601. The grid plan roads in modern-day central Sendai are based upon his plans. The first railway line between Sendai and Tokyo, now

150-657: A promenade and a few sculptures. It is a place of relaxation. Many events and festivals, such as the Sendai Pageant of Starlight and the Jozenji Street Jazz Festival, take place on Jozenji-Dori and in Kōtōdai Park ( 匂当台公園 ) . Aoba-Dori is the main business road in Sendai. Other major roads in the city include Hirose-Dori ( ginkgo ), and Higashi-Nibancho-Dori. The most famous festival in Sendai

200-410: A result, the city's geography is quite diverse. Eastern Sendai is a plains area, the center of the city is hilly, and western areas are mountainous. The highest point in the city is Mount Funagata which stands 1,500 metres (4,921 feet) above sea level . Unique among Japan's large coastal cities, Sendai's city core is built on a terrace at 40–60 m (131–197 ft) elevation. The Sendai basin area

250-532: A temple with a thousand Buddha statues ( 千体 , sentai ) used to be located in Aobayama. Masamune changed the kanji to " 仙臺 ", which later became " 仙台 " (literally: "hermit/wizard" plus "platform/plateau" or figuratively, "hermit on a platform/high ground"). The character came from a Chinese poem that praised a palace created by the Emperor Wen of Han China (reigned 180–157 BCE), comparing it to

300-511: Is 939 km (363 sq mi) (the mountainous area is 675 km (261 sq mi), the plain area is 245 km (95 sq mi) and the water body is 20 km (8 sq mi)). The basin consists of urban areas, paddy fields and forests. The mid and upstream areas have forests. The Natori River flows through the area and reaches Sendai Bay after 55 km (34 mi). The Hirose River ( 広瀬川 , Hirose-gawa ) flows 45 kilometres (28 miles) through Sendai. The river

350-529: Is Tanabata, which attracts more than 2 million visitors every year and is the largest Tanabata Festival in Japan. It is relatively quiet compared to other traditional Japanese festivals, because its main attractions are intricate Tanabata decorations. The Aoba Matsuri Festival follows more typical Japanese festival traditions, with a mikoshi , floats , a samurai parade, and traditional dancing. Local people burn their New Year decorations and pray for health in

400-545: Is US$ 61.7 billion in 2010. Sendai city by itself has a nominal GDP of approximately US$ 50 billion as of 2015 . The city's economy heavily relies upon retail and services – the two industries provide approximately two thirds of the employment and close to half of the establishments. Sendai is frequently called a branch-office economy , because very few major companies are headquartered in the city. Various authorities are cooperating to alleviate this problem, primarily by encouraging high-tech ventures from Tohoku University , which

450-774: Is a dance festival, derived from the Yosakoi Festival that takes place in Kōchi . Trees in downtown Sendai are decorated with lights during the Sendai Pageant of Starlights. The event provided the idea for the Festival of Lights annually held in Riverside , Sendai's sister city. In 2005, the streets were lit up with one million miniature bulbs. Sendai is the origin of several foods, including gyūtan (beef tongue, usually grilled), hiyashi chūka (cold Chinese noodles), and robatayaki (Japanese-style barbecue). However, robatayaki

500-535: Is connected to other highways, such as the Sendai-Nambu Road, Sendai-Tobu Road, Sanriku Expressway (Sendai-Matsushima Road), and Sendai Hokubu Road. Ferries connecting Tomakomai and Nagoya stop at the Port of Sendai. The most well-known streets in Sendai, Jozenji-Dori ( 定禅寺通り ) and Aoba-Dori ( 青葉通り ) , are both lined with Japanese zelkovas . These are symbols of "The City of Trees". Jozenji-Dori has

550-471: Is later than in most cities in Japan. During this season, cold winds from the Okhotsk air mass, called " Yamase ", blow in and depress daytime highs. See or edit raw graph data . As of 1 March 2023 , the city had an estimated population of 1,097,407 and a population density of 1,397 persons per km . The city's total area was 786.35 km . The 2000 National Census revealed that 88.5% of

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600-487: Is much lower than cities on the Sea of Japan coast, such as Niigata and Tottori . Summers are very warm and much of the year's precipitation is delivered at this time, with an August average of 24.1 °C (75.4 °F). The city is rarely hit by typhoons , and experiences only 6 days with more than 10 centimetres (4 in) of rainfall on average. Sendai's monsoon season usually begins in late April to early October, which

650-403: Is near several major fishing ports, such as Kesennuma , Ishinomaki , and Shiogama , and the fact that Miyagi Prefecture is a major producer of rice . There are many ramen restaurants in Sendai, and the area is known for a particular spicy miso ramen . Also, Sendai station offers the most types of ekiben of any station in Japan. In autumn, many people organise Imonikai, a sort of picnic by

700-519: Is similar to other cities in Japan, because the Local Autonomy Law makes all municipalities uniform in terms of organization and power. However, Sendai is a designated city, so it has the same jurisdiction as prefectures in some areas. Sendai has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature. The Sendai City Assembly members are elected from 5 elective districts, which correspond to

750-462: Is well known as a symbol of Sendai, especially because it appears in the lyrics of Aoba-jō Koi-uta (青葉城恋唄; literally, The Aoba Castle Love Song ), a popular song sung by Muneyuki Satō. Aoba Castle was built close to the river to use the river as a natural moat . The river frequently flooded until the 1950s, but dams and levees constructed in the 1960s and 1970s have made such floods rare. Most mountains in Sendai are dormant volcanoes, much older than

800-511: Is well known for its science and engineering departments. There are also incentives for startups available from the prefectural government. Tohoku Electric Power , a major regional supplier of electric power, has its headquarters in Sendai and also operates the Shin-Sendai Thermal Power Station located within the city. Sendai's economic growth rate has stabilized since the 2011 Japan earthquake. The growth rate

850-538: The Meiji Restoration , after the feudal Sendai Domain encouraged residents to plant trees in their gardens. As a result, many houses, temples, and shrines in central Sendai had household forests ( 屋敷林 , yashikirin ) , which were used as resources for wood and other everyday materials. In 1925, the Senseki Line to Sendai Station became the first underground railway segment in Japan, preceding

900-487: The Tōhoku Main Line , opened in 1887, bringing the area within a day's travel from Tokyo for the first time in history. Tohoku Imperial University , the region's first university, was founded in Sendai in 1907 and became the first Japanese university to admit female students in 1913. Sendai was incorporated as a city on 1 April 1889, with the post- Meiji restoration creation of the modern municipalities system following

950-521: The abolition of the han system . At the time of incorporation, the city's area was 17.45 square kilometres (6.74 sq mi) and its population was 86,000. The city grew, however, through seven annexations that occurred between 1928 and 1988. The city became a designated city on 1 April 1989; the city's population exceeded one million in 1999. Sendai was considered to be one of Japan's greenest cities, mostly because of its great numbers of trees and plants. Sendai became known as The City of Trees before

1000-534: The 9.0 magnitude 2011 Tōhoku earthquake occurred offshore Sendai, resulting in a devastating tsunami. Sendai has five wards ("ku"), which were created when it became a designated city in 1989. The city consciously avoided names that included directions (e.g., north 北 , center 中央 ) when it chose names for the new wards. per km Sendai has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), which features warm and wet summers, and cool and dry winters. Sendai summers are not as hot as Tokyo to

1050-690: The Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Miyagi 1st district and the Miyagi 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . Sendai is the center of the Tōhoku region's economy, and is the base of the region's logistics and transportation. The GDP in Greater Sendai, Sendai Metropolitan Employment Area (1.6 million people),

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1100-609: The area came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period , under the Tokugawa shogunate . The village of Rifu was established on June 1, 1889 with post- Meiji restoration establishment of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to town status on October 1, 1967. Rifu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 18 members. Rifu, together with

1150-578: The area was protected by the islands and suffered relatively little damage. The initial tsunami was 3.2 metres (10.5 feet) with the second 3.8 metres (12.5 feet). Electricity was restored by March 18, water fully restored by April 16th and the Senseki Train Line between Takagimachi Station and Sendai by May 28. Nevertheless, three people were confirmed killed in Matsushima (including by aftershocks) with 18 killed while out of town. Around

1200-466: The city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities . The city was founded in 1600 by the daimyō Date Masamune . It is nicknamed the City of Trees ( 杜の都 , Mori no Miyako ) ; there are Japanese zelkova trees lining many of the main thoroughfares such as Jōzenji Street ( 定禅寺通 , Jōzenji dōri ) and Aoba Street ( 青葉通 , Aoba dōri ) . In

1250-516: The city include Tohoku International School . The city is served by Sendai Airport (located in neighboring Natori ), which has international flights to several countries, and the Port of Sendai. A rail link to Sendai began service on March 18, 2007. JR East 's Sendai Station is the main transport hub for the city. The station is served by seven JR lines and is a major station on the Tōhoku and Akita Shinkansen lines. An underground passage connects

1300-425: The city suffered catastrophic damage from a magnitude 9.0 offshore earthquake , which triggered a destructive tsunami . Although the Sendai area was inhabited as early as 20,000 years ago, the history of Sendai as a city begins from 1600, when the daimyō Date Masamune relocated. Masamune was not happy with his previous stronghold, Iwadeyama , which was located in the northern portion of his territories and

1350-409: The city's 5 wards. The number of assembly members allocated to each ward is based upon population. As of May 2005, the city has 60 assembly members; 17 from Aoba Ward, 11 from Miyagino, 8 from Wakabayashi, 13 from Taihaku, and 11 from Izumi. The City Assembly elects an Assembly Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. Sendai has two vice mayors, who are not elected by the populace. Miyagi contributes 24 seats to

1400-467: The city's population (892,252 people) lived in a 129.69 km area, which is 16.6% of the city's total area. The population density in this area was 6,879.9 persons per km , more than 5 times higher than the city's average population density at that time, 1,286.6 persons per km . Approximately 10,000 people in Sendai were non-Japanese citizens. Sendai had 525,828 households in 2020. The average household had approximately 2.07 members. The average household

1450-492: The city. Sendai has been subject to several major earthquakes in recent history, including the 1978 Miyagi earthquake , which was a catalyst for the development of Japan's current earthquake resistance standards, and the 2005 Miyagi earthquake . Most recently, the coastal area of Sendai, including Sendai Airport , was severely damaged in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami . The tsunami reportedly reached as far as Wakabayashi Ward Office, 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) from

1500-491: The coastline. Thousands were killed, and countless more were injured and/or made homeless. Sendai's port was heavily damaged and temporarily closed, reopening on 16 April 2011. Sendai is located at lat. 38°16'05" north, long. 140°52'11" east. The city's area is 788.09 km (304.28 sq mi), and stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Ōu Mountains , which are the east and west borders of Miyagi Prefecture. As

1550-747: The earliest known publication is in the Matsushima Zushi (松島図誌), published in 1820 over a century after Bashō's death, which attributes it to the kyōka poet Tawara-bō (田原坊). While Bashō did visit Matsushima in Oku no Hosomichi , its only haiku about Matsushima was written by his travel comparison Kawai Sora . There are four well-known spots to view the Matsushima, known as the Magnificent View ( 壮観 , sōkan ) , Beautiful View ( 麗観 , reikan ) , Enchanting View ( 幽観 , yūkan ) , and Grand View ( 偉観 , ikan ) . Tourists can view

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1600-570: The historic center of the city was burned, with 2,755 inhabitants killed and 11,933 houses destroyed in the city. Following World War II, the city was rebuilt, and Sendai became a vital transportation and logistics hub for the Tōhoku region with the construction of major arteries such as the Tōhoku Expressway and Tōhoku Shinkansen . In the early 1950s, the United States Army, Japan operated Camp Schimmelpfennig and Camp Sendai in

1650-447: The island travelers can go on a cruise and view the islands up close, and around the Matsushima shore travelers can rent bikes. 38°22′N 141°05′E  /  38.367°N 141.083°E  / 38.367; 141.083 Sendai, Miyagi Sendai ( 仙台市 , Sendai-shi , [seꜜndai] ) is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region . As of 1 August 2023 ,

1700-440: The islands from up close on cruise boats. The town is only a short distance (thirty minutes, about 14 km) from prefectural capital Sendai and is easily accessible by train . Matsushima-Kaigan Station is near the attractions such as Zuiganji and the waterfront. Matsushima Station , on a separate line is on the opposite side of the town. Despite the proximity of Matsushima to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami ,

1750-580: The more famous Mount Zaō and Naruko volcanoes in nearby municipalities. However, many hot springs can be found in the city, indicating hydrothermal activity . The Miyagi Oki earthquake occurs offshore Sendai once every 25 to 40 years. The 7.2 magnitude 2005 Miyagi earthquake , which occurred on August 16, 2005, had an epicenter close to the Miyagi Oki earthquake area. However, the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion concluded that it

1800-585: The name – and it is considered to be one of the Three Views of Japan . Nearby cultural properties include Zuigan-ji , Entsū-in , Kanrantei , and the Satohama shell mound . A well-known haiku describes the islands as so striking that the poet is at a loss for words: 松島やああ松島や松島や Matsushima ya / aa Matsushima ya / Matsushima ya    Matsushima ah! / A-ah, Matsushima, ah! / Matsushima, ah! While often attributed to Matsuo Bashō ,

1850-751: The new year during the Dontosai Festival, the oldest festival in Miyagi Prefecture. Various contemporary festivals also take place in Sendai, such as the Jōzenji Streetjazz Festival, the Michinoku Yosakoi Festival, and the Sendai Pageant of Starlight. The Jōzenji Streetjazz Festival is one of the largest amateur music festivals in Japan. It began as a jazz festival in 1991, but soon began to accept applications from all genres. The Michinoku Yosakoi festival

1900-688: The opening of the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (Asia's first subway line) by two years. The 2nd Infantry Division was known as the "Sendai Division" as it was based in Sendai, and recruited locally. During the Second World War it was involved in many different campaigns, but one of the most important was the Battle of Guadalcanal . During the bombing of Sendai during World War II by the United States on 10 July 1945, much of

1950-633: The population of Rifu has increased rapidly over the past 50 years. The area of present-day Rifu was part of ancient Mutsu Province , and has been settled since at least the Jōmon period by the Emishi people. With the establishment of Tagajō in the Nara period , Rifu was part of the central Yamato colonization area in the region. During the Sengoku period , the area was contested by various samurai clans before

2000-504: The rest of Miyagi District collectively contributes one seat to the Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Miyagi 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . The economy of Rifu is largely based on agriculture, primarily horticulture and the cultivation of rice. East Japan Railway Company 's Sendai Shinkansen maintenance depot is located in Rifu. Rifu has six public elementary schools and three public junior high schools operated by

2050-697: The river which involves making a potato stew called Imoni . Many crafts from Sendai were originally created under the influence of the Date family during the Edo period . Examples are Sendai Hira, a hand woven silk fabric, Tsutsumiyaki pottery, and Yanagiu Washi paper . However, some crafts, such as umoregi zaiku (crafts created from fossil wood) were developed by low-ranking samurai who needed side jobs to survive. Kokeshi dolls were popularized by hot spring resorts that sold them as gifts. Some relatively recent developments include Sendai Tsuishu lacquerware and Tamamushinuri lacquerware, both of which were developed after

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2100-515: The south, while the winters are much milder than Sapporo to the north, but retains significant seasonal differences in temperature and rainfall. Extremes range from −11.7 to 37.2 °C (10.9 to 99.0 °F). Of Japan's prefectural capitals, Sendai experiences the fewest days of extreme temperatures (highs outside 0–30 °C (32–86 °F)) at 19.6 per year, compared to Tokyo's average of 49. Winters are cool and relatively dry, with January temperatures averaging 1.5 °C (34.7 °F). Snowfall

2150-506: The station to the Sendai Subway . The subway has two lines— Namboku ("north-south") and Tōzai ("east-west") with a total of 30 stations. When completed in 2015, Yagiyama station became the highest-elevated subway station in the country at 136.4 meters. In addition to the public bus system, a loop bus called Loople runs between tourism hotspots around the city. The Tōhoku Expressway runs north–south through western Sendai, and

2200-548: The summer, the Sendai Tanabata Festival , the largest Tanabata festival in Japan, is held. In winter, the trees are decorated with thousands of lights for the Pageant of Starlight ( 光のページェント , Hikari no pējento ) , lasting through most of December. The city is also home to Tohoku University , consistently ranked amongst the top institutions of higher education in Japan. On 11 March 2011, coastal areas of

2250-757: The town government. The town has one public high school operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped. [REDACTED] East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Senseki Line [REDACTED] East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Tōhoku Main Line Matsushima Bay Matsushima ( 松島 ) is a group of islands in Miyagi Prefecture , Japan . There are some 260 tiny islands ( shima ) covered in pines ( matsu ) – hence

2300-409: Was becoming smaller every year, because single-member households were increasing. At this time Sendai had more people in their early 50s and in their 20s and early 30s than in other age groups. This is a result of the first and second baby booms in Japan, and university students. The average age in Sendai is 38.4, which makes the city one of the youngest major cities in Japan. Sendai's political system

2350-441: Was difficult to access from Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Sendai was an ideal location, being in the centre of Masamune's newly defined territories, upon the major road from Edo. Tokugawa Ieyasu gave Masamune permission to build a new castle in Aobayama after the Battle of Sekigahara . The previous ruler of the Sendai area had used a castle located on Aobayama. At this time Sendai was written as 千代 ("a thousand generations"), because

2400-413: Was later introduced to Kushiro , which developed and popularized the dish. As a result, many people believe Kushiro is the origin of Robatayaki. Zundamochi (ずんだ餅, mochi balls with sweet, bright green edamame paste), and sasakamaboko (笹かまぼこ, kamaboko shaped like bamboo leaves) are also considered to be Sendai specialties. Sendai is also known for good sashimi , sushi , and sake . This is because Sendai

2450-403: Was not the Miyagi Oki earthquake, saying "...the recent event is not thought to be this earthquake. This is because the magnitude of the earthquake was small, and the source area, which was estimated from the aftershock distribution and seismic waves, didn't cover the whole expected source region. Although, the recent event ruptured a part of the focal region of the expected earthquake." In 2011,

2500-508: Was only 0.4% in 2011 after the quake created economic turmoil in coastal areas. The year after, in 2012 the rate spiked to 10.4% after reconstruction efforts. It has since fallen to a closer trend to what is expected of 3.7% in 2013. Tourism in 2016 attracted an estimated 2.229 million visitors to Sendai. Sendai is sometimes called an "Academic City" ( 学都 , gakuto ) because the city has many universities relative to its population. Universities located within Sendai include: Schools in

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