Japan 2025 Photos Part 4 - Matsushima Bay

Matsushima Bay is just a short train ride from Sendai City. A touristy little seaside down with famous shrines and scenic spots. But the biggest draw is known as one of the "Three Views of Japan" which is the bay itself. The picturesque bay is dotted with 260 small islands each with their own interesting formations and vegetation. The main attraction is a sightseeing cruise that takes you out into the bay to see these islands up close. We arrived late morning and got in line so we could get a good spot on the sightseeing cruise. But there were no bad stops on the boat and, on top of everything, the open air back of the boat had plenty of room for anyone who wants to get as close to the islands as possible.

Really, this was just such a relaxing day. The sky was clear, the weather was perfect, and looking out at the islands filled me with a zen like sense of peace. These islands have been known of their unique beauty for as long as Japan has had a written history, some 1400 years, and they still are natural wonders that anyone can enjoy.

We could see our next destination from the water, a nice preview of Godaido.

Godaido Temple was established nearly 1200 years ago when other Buddhist temples in the area were being build. Originally it enshrined "five kings of wisdom," statue that still exist and can be seen at the nearby Zuiganji Temple Museum. The current structure present was built in 1604 and commissioned by Date Masamune to celebrate one his military victories.

From Godaido we walked across the shoreline to the 250 meter Fukuurabashi Bridge which connections the mainland to Fukuurajima Island, a Prefectural Park and natural botanical garden that offers some beautiful sights of Matsushima's famous islands as well as some stunning hiking trails, beaches, and open green space unlike anything I've sen before in Japan. It's a beautiful little oasis in the middle of an otherwise very touristy seaside town.

Most of the green space I've come to experience in Japan has been in the middle of major cities because that's where I've mostly spent my time. The island has been a historically important part of the enjoyment of Matsushima Bay and to see it preserved and accessible is wonderful.

In fact the bridge represents one of my favorite things about Japan. When the ticket office is open it costs 200 yen to cross the bridge, basically free. But when the ticket office closes for the day or on certain days of the week... the bridge doesn't close. It's just free now. It continues to feeling that most cultural attractions in Japan charge enough to maintain access and preserve the Temple, shrine, museum, or island. If you go into a spot claiming to be a cultural attraction and they charge you $20... it's likely a tourist trap set up to steal money from suckers. (There are some things, like team labs sites, that are going to be more expensive but the rule holds pretty solid for anything that claims to be a... say... "ninja museum")

So our leisurely cruise at Matsushima Bay became another intense day of walking... this time doing actually hiking through the woods. Not what we planned but if there is one theme to all of my Japan trips it's that relaxation is not in the cards.

We came back around to the bridge and started to head back to the train station. We stopped at a little restaurant run by a pair of grandmas. Here we decided to try grilled Oysters since Matsushima is famous for them and the peak season was just coming to an end. Neither of us were fans of Oysters in general but they weren't like anything I expected, sweet and sour thanks to a little lemon with the faint taste of the ocean. Really glad we tried them.

We continued back stopping into a few quaint tourist shops. We took a turn off the main street to a new path to the station, past some shrines and Temples.

The best part of the temples and shrines of Matsushima is that they are as beautiful as any of the smaller, local temples in any large city in Japan. But the fact that we were here slightly after the 5pm close meant that we had the area completely to ourselves. We couldn't go into any of the buildings and some gardens were gated so there was certainly a lot that we missed but look at the photos I was able to take! The beauty of the landscaping and architecture alone was wroth the trip but it was made even more special because we had the place nearly to ourselves.

Matsushima Bay had a little bit of everything I love about Japan. Love of nature, ancient shrines and temples, a reverence for history, and a push for local fresh food and treats.