This site is a web media that delivers all kinds of trivia, from sightseeing and gourmet spots in the six Tohoku prefectures to local, customs, and history.
A TV anime called "That's Journey" was broadcast from April to June 2025. It tells the story of the protagonist, Suzugamori Chika, an aspiring manga artist who deepens her knowledge through a haphazard journey (a rough journey).
The first half of episode 2, "It's Not Just for Show! A Trip with Kitoki," takes place in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture In this article, we'll introduce how to get to Matsushima, touching on the depictions in the story.
As explained in the story, the haiku " Matsushima, oh Matsushima, Matsushima " was not written by Matsuo Basho. It is thought to have been created by someone later on to describe Basho's speechless state upon seeing Matsushima.
The previous article on Episode 1, "The First 1225 Steps" (set in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture) can be found here.
" Matsushima " is the collective name for approximately 260 islands located in and around Matsushima Bay in northeastern Miyagi Prefecture. It is known as one of the Three Views of Japan , the other two being Amanohashidate in Kyoto Prefecture and Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture The main character, Chika, visits Amanohashidate in episode 4 and Miyajima in episode 8, completing her tour of the Three Views of Japan (although as it is not in the Tohoku region, it will not be covered in this article).
Matsushima Bay is a fairly large bay that stretches from Higashimatsushima City to Shichigahama Town in Miyagi County, but Matsushima Kaigan Station and other spots that Chika visits in the story are all located in Matsushima Town
Matsushima Town has a population of about 12,000 and is located about 20km northeast from the center of Sendai City, the prefectural capital of Miyagi Prefecture.
The railway lines that run through Matsushima Town are Senseki also a route called Senseki Tohoku Line that runs from Sendai Station to Shiogama Station via the Tohoku Main Line, then enters the Senseki Line tracks within Matsushima Town and heads towards Ishinomaki Station from Takajomachi Station
As for roads, there are roads such as the Sanriku Expressway, which connects Sendai City and Hachinohe City in Aomori Prefecture, National Route 45, which connects Sendai City and Aomori City, and National Route 346, which connects Sendai City and Ichinoseki City in Iwate Prefecture, so access to Matsushima from Sendai and other parts of the Sanriku region is relatively easy.
First, Tohoku Shinkansen
Having decided to go to Matsushima, Chika first boards the Tohoku Shinkansen to go to Sendai When traveling from the Tokyo metropolitan area to Sendai Station, it is common to use Hayabusa
E5 series trains used on the Tohoku Shinkansen line
The "Hayabusa" runs from Tokyo Station to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station via Morioka Station and Shin-Aomori Station, so you can get to Sendai Station from these stations on a single Shinkansen train. The Akita Shinkansen "Komachi" also runs from Akita Station and other stations, and also stops at Sendai Station. Sendai is easily accessible by Shinkansen not only from the Tokyo metropolitan area, but also from the northern Tohoku region and southern Hokkaido.
For information on how to purchase tickets required to board the Shinkansen,Article from Episode 1Please refer to the brief introduction below. In additionAll seats on "Hayabusa" and "Komachi" trains are reserved seats.There are no unreserved seatsPlease be aware of this.
Sendai Station is served by trains on the Tohoku Shinkansen, Tohoku Main Line , Senseki Tohoku Linethe Senseki , which we will introduce later , as well as the Senzan Line, which connects Sendaithe Joban Line connects Sendai Station to the Hamadori area of Fukushima Prefecture .
In addition, the highway bus terminal near Sendai Station serves highway buses
Sendai Airport has direct flights from cities such as Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Naha. From the airport, you can take the Sendai Airport Access Line
Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region, and there are many ways to access it from all over the country.
Which Shinkansen did Chika take?
By the way, which Tohoku Shinkansen train did Chika ride? From the depiction of the train itself in the story, all we can infer is that it is an E5 series electric train, used for the Yamabiko and Hayabusa, running alone (it is not coupled with the Tsubasa on the Yamagata Shinkansen or the Komachi on the Akita Shinkansen).
However, in the scene where Chika gets off at Sendai Station, the train times departing from Sendai Station are listed. Based on the information displayed, the time at this point was before 10:08 (assuming there were no delays in train operations).
Also, in the next cut, the clock in the background reads "10:13." This means that it's certain that the Shinkansen Chika was on arrived at Sendai Station before 10:13 , and it's highly likely that it was before 10:08. (In reality, I think the anime production staff simply drew the contents of the sign at the time of their interview, but it wouldn't be interesting to end the story there.)
Let's make a guess based on the timetable for March 2025. The Tohoku Shinkansen outbound train arriving at Sendai Station just before 10:08 Yamabiko 205 bound for Sendai, which arrives at 10:05 . However, this train departs Tokyo Station at 7:44 and stops at every station on the way to Sendai Station, making the journey to Sendai Station a long 2 hours and 21 minutes . On the other hand, Yamabiko 125 departs Tokyo Station at 7:40 and arrives at Sendai Station at 9:38. for someone going from Tokyo to Sendai to choose Yamabiko 205 .
Later, when they arrive at Matsushima Kaigan Station, Chika says, Even though it's farther away than Aizu (which they visited in the first episode), it feels like we arrived smoothly " If she had been on the Yamabiko 205, which stops at every station, we have to conclude that she wouldn't have made this comment.
is Hayabusa 5 bound for Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, which departs Tokyo Station at 8:18 and arrives at Sendai Station an hour and a half later at 9:48 the question arises: What was Chika doing for the 25 minutes between arriving at Sendai Station at 9:48 and 10:13 In the story, it is depicted as if there was no such long wait. That said, it is more natural to assume that she took Hayabusa 5 than Yamabiko 205, which stops at every station, so I will go with the Hayabusa 5 theory.
it is only made clear that after departing from Omiya Station in Saitama Prefecture, he boarded the Hayabusa, which The comment "I feel like I arrived more smoothly than Aizu" is likely due to the fact that the Hayabusa has fewer stops than the Yamabiko.
The Senseki Line connects Sendai Station and Ishinomaki Station
As mentioned earlier, the Tohoku Main Line and the Senseki Line run through Matsushima Town. Convenient for sightseeing in MatsushimaMatsushima-Kaigan Station on the Senseki Lineis. Trains on the Tohoku Main Line and Senseki Tohoku Line pass through Matsushima-Kaigan Station.do notSo, let's use the Senseki Line. The platform for the Senseki Line at Sendai Station is different from the Shinkansen and other JR lines.Underground stationis located.
Senseki Line trains
The Senseki Line runs from Aoba-dori Station in Aoba Ward, Sendai City, via Sendai Station, to Ishinomaki Station in Ishinomaki City. It is named the Senseki Line because it connects Sendai and Ishinomaki. It not only transports tourists to Matsushima, but also transports commuters to Sendai City and between cities along the Matsushima Bay coast, and is characterized by being one of the most frequently used JR lines in the Tohoku region. For more information about the Senseki Line, please see the article below.
There are two to three Senseki Line trains per hour going to Matsushima-Kaigan Station at most times of the day, so you probably won't have to wait long at Sendai Station.
It appears that Chika boarded the Senseki Line train bound for Takajo-cho, departing from Sendai Station at 10:29. In the anime, the scene of her boarding the Senseki Line train is depicted almost instantly, but in reality, she arrives at Matsushima-Kaigan Station at 11:08, making the ride 39 minutes. Matsushima Bay comes into view around Hon-Shiogama Station along the way.
Matsushima-Kaigan Station on the JR Senseki Line
All of the spots Chika visited are within walking distance of Matsushima-Kaigan Station.
Here we will only provide an overview of the places that Chika visits in the story. For detailed explanations, please refer to the official websites.
you can first see Oshima Island in Matsushima Bay One theory is that this area came to be called "Matsushima" because at the time gifted a pine sapling There is a bridge over the island, so you can walk across to Oshima Island.
The 90th poem in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Inpumon -in no Taifu, " If only I could show you, even the sleeves of the fisherman of Oshima, soaked with water, their color remains unchanged, " and in the poem, the fisherman of Oshima appears.
Next is Zuiganji Temple. It is believed to have been founded around 828 during the Heian period Matsuo Basho also visited the temple. We will visit the Kuri , a national treasure that is the kitchen in the story
Both the spot where Chika viewed Oshima and Zuiganji Temple are within walking distance from Matsushima-Kaigan Station.
Matsushima Hotel Waraku
The hotel where Chika stayed appears to be the Matsushima Hotel Waraku It is a little far from Matsushima-kaigan Station, and the nearest station is Matsushima Station on the Tohoku Main Line, but it is only about 1.5 km from the station, so it is within walking distance.
Unfortunately, according to the official website, has been closed since the end of May 2023
There are many sightseeing boats of various sizes operating in Matsushima Bay. The boat Chika was on had the name "Niomaru" written on it, so it seems she was on the Niomaru course. The trip takes about 50 minutes and takes in the distinctive islands of Senganjima, Kanejima, and Niojima .
Pleasure boat "Niomaru"
As of July 2025, the Niomaru cruise boat will depart every hour from 9:00 to 16:00. The fare is 1,500 yen for adults, 750 yen for elementary school students, and free for preschoolers. Discounts are available if you make a reservation online in advance . If you pay an additional fee on board (600 yen for adults, 300 yen for elementary school students), you can use the observation deck (green seats) on the second floor.
The final stop on the trip was Matsushima Fish Market, a gourmet spot in Matsushima where fresh seafood such as oysters and scallops . Here, Chika enjoyed grilled oyster skewers and overcame her aversion to food. Incidentally, the author loves oysters .
Matsushima, Amanohashidate, and Miyajima , all of the three most scenic spots in Japan, are famous for oysters . If you love oysters, you should not only enjoy the scenery, but also try the oysters of these three scenic spots.
The sightseeing boat dock and Matsushima Fish Market are also within walking distance from Matsushima-Kaigan Station.
in conclusion
When traveling to rural areas, people tend to have preconceived notions that they will need a car or that public transportation such as trains and buses will be infrequent. However, Matsushima is about 40 minutes from Sendai , and each tourist spot can be easily reached on foot . As depicted in the anime, sightseeing can be fully enjoyed using public transportation. Why not consider Matsushima, one of Japan's Three Most Viewed Scenic Spots, as your travel destination?
![30948239_m](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAJYAAACWAQAAAAAUekxPAAAAAnRSTlMAAHaTzTgAAAAaSURBVEjH7cExAQAAAMKg9U9tDQ+gAACAdwMLuAABXZHjmQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg== "Appears in the first episode of the anime "Zatsu Tabi - That's Journey"! Let's go to Aizuwakamatsu City [Fukushima Prefecture]")
![30948239_m](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/30948239_m-150x150.jpg.webp "Appears in the first episode of the anime "Zatsu Tabi - That's Journey"! Let's go to Aizuwakamatsu City [Fukushima Prefecture]")
![Fairytale images](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/be73b392233d2fe609797e999f8ca547-1-150x150.jpg.webp "Scary and slightly sad stories... "Michinoku Otogi Kaido" with many stories left behind [Shichigasyu-cho, Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture]")
![955_co](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/955_co-150x150.jpg.webp "[Iwate Prefecture] Let's make a pilgrimage to the spots that appear in the anime "Haikyu!!"!")
