What to See in Matsushima Bay, Japan

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The lonely rock forms of Matsushima Bay, bristling with pines and worn with cave-like holes, are the quintessential inspiration for old Japanese art and modern photographers alike. The area boasts the honor of being one of Japan’s iconic “Three Scenic Views.” If you find yourself hugging the coast up north on your trip, it’s easy to spend a day trip here exploring the scenery.

Nearby Sendai was our hub for the trip. You can read about 5 things to do in Sendai here.

Matsushima Bay Boat Cruise

The best way to see the islands is, of course, a boat tour around them. We booked through Marubun Matsushima Kisen Co. for the “Cruise A” loop that departs Matsushima for a 50-minute narrated adventure. An English voiceover gets non-natives up to speed between the pilot’s announcements, so you don’t need to worry about being left out of the cruise highlights. Although based on the passenger laughter, the Japanese version is much more humorous.

The islands are fantastic, and bear some interesting names and lore.

Godaido Temple

This small wooden temple occupies an islet near the pier. It’s worth a quick look if you are killing time before your cruise departs, but if you are prioritizing a visit to any other islands on a time crunch, I would recommend the following….

Fukuurajima Island

A small fee gets you over a 800-ft bridge, and onto a network of trails inside a scenic botanical garden. The views from everywhere are beautiful, the trails well laid out, and the canopy of plants impressed me a tinge of adventure. We found a worn rope to descend to an isolated beach, and another inlet where shells peppered the ground and white herons swooped over the tide.

Oshima Island

We found ourselves the only visitors to this mysterious island just south of the train station. Buddhist priests once carved their own places of meditation into moss-flecked rock, now overgrown with tree roots and occupied with forgotten stone tablets and spiritual effigies. Dappled by the late afternoon sun and touched with a whisper of wind, this place felt especially mystical. We followed a tree-lined path to an overlook of the bay, and left over a series of cherry-red bridges.

Enjoy the scenery, but don’t forget about the seafood options for lunch! I also tried beef tongue, a Sendai delicacy (or tourist trap) – I’ll leave that decision up to your judgement.

MORE JAPAN TRAVEL:
HOW TO SPEND 10 DAYS IN JAPAN | TOKYO | HAKONE | KYOTO | NARA | KOBE | HIMEJI | OSAKA | SENDAI