Today is the first day of your 14 Day Japan Rail Pass.

Check-out of the Shinagawa Prince Hotel and from Shinagawa Station board a JR Yamanote Line train to Tokyo Station. (12 mins) Make your way to the bullet train llines and board a Yamabiko bullet train to Sendai Station. (115 mins)

Your accommodation at the Hotel Metropolitan Sendai East is directly connected to the station.

After check-in, board a JR Tohoku Line train to Funaoka Station. (30 mins) From here it is a 15 minute walk to the Funaoka Castle Park, where beautiful views of the cherry tree covered hilltop, with a backdrop of the snow-capped Zao mountains, can be enjoyed.

From early to mid-April, food stalls sell snacks and refreshments, and traditional dances and drum performances are put on.

Travel in the slope car (09:00-16:00) up through the cherry blossoms to the summit where the remains of Funaoka Castle lie. The castle and the Harada Clan’s buildings were all destroyed by order of the shogunate after the Date Disturbance (the noble family dispute within the Date samurai clan) in 1671. Also at the top is a 24m high statue of the Funaoka Peace Kannon, and a panoramic view including the Zao mountains, the Pacific Ocean and the 8km stretch of cherry trees that line the Shiraishi River. The Shiraishi River cherry blossoms, which are just a short distance from the castle park, can also be enjoyed by rickshaw or riverboat cruises.

Return to Sendai in the late afternoon.

For dinner tonight, visit one of the restaurants on Gyutan Dori (Beef Tongue Street) for Sendai’s most popular delicacy. Most commonly grilled on a barbeque, many restaurants will also serve it on top of rice, in a curry or in a stew.

Stay: Hotel Metropolitan Sendai East - 1/2