This site is an online media that delivers all sorts of trivia about the six Tohoku prefectures, from sightseeing and gourmet spots to local customs, history, and more
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, "No Joke! A Trip for Two,"Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture. This article will explain how to get to Matsushima, referencing its depiction in the episode.
Chika, whose storyboard has been rejected once again, decides to go on another trip to break the vicious cycle. Based on the results of a survey, this time the destination is Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture! … pic.twitter.com/wSa6tfEDVQ
— "That's Journey" TV anime official @Now streaming on various streaming sites! (@zatsutabi_anime) April 11, 2025
As explained in the story, the haiku "Matsushima ya, aa Matsushima ya, Matsushima ya" was not composed by Matsuo Basho. It is believed to be a haiku created by later generations to depict Basho's state of mind when he was speechless 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 the northeastern part of Miyagi Prefecture.
one of the three most scenic spots in JapanIt is known asAmanohashidate in Kyoto PrefectureandMiyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture.
The main character, Chika, visits Amanohashidate in episode 4 and Miyajima in episode 8, completing her tour of Japan's Three Most Viewed Places (although this is not in the Tohoku region, so it will not be covered in this media article)
Matsushima Bay is a fairly large bay that stretches from Higashimatsushima City to Shichigahama Town in Miyagi District, but Matsushima Kaigan Station and other spots that Chika visits in the story are allMatsushima Townlocated in
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 Townthe Sensekiare
which 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 Takagimachi StationSenseki-Tohoku Line,Some trains operate on a route called the
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, the Tohoku Shinkansen
Having decided to go to Matsushima, Chika firstthe Tohoku Shinkansenboards
When traveling from the Tokyo metropolitan area to Sendai Station, itHayabusais common to use the
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 seatsThere are no unreserved seatsPlease be aware of this
Sendai Station is served by trains on lines such as the Tohoku Shinkansen,TohokuMain Line, Senseki-Tohoku Line(which will be introduced later)the Senseki Line, as well as the Senzan Line, which connectsSendaito the Hamadori area of Fukushima Prefecturethe Joban Line.
Additionally, the express bus terminal near Sendai Stationexpress busesserves as a hub for
Sendai Airport has direct flights from cities such as Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Naha. From the airport, youthe Sendai Airport Access Linecan take
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 take?
From the depiction of the train itself in the story, all we can gather is that the E5 series train, used for services such as "Yamabiko" and "Hayabusa,"is running independently(it is not coupled with the Yamagata Shinkansen's "Tsubasa" or the Akita Shinkansen's "Komachi").
However, in the scene where Chika gets off at Sendai Station, the departure times of trains 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
In other words, it's confirmed that the Shinkansen Chika wason arrived at Sendai Station before 10:13, and it's highly likely that it arrived before 10:08 (in reality, I think the anime production staff simply drew the information displayed at the time of their research, but it wouldn't be interesting to end the story there).
Let's make a guess based on the timetable for March 2025
The southbound Tohoku Shinkansen train arriving at Sendai Station just before 10:08the "Yamabiko 205" bound for Sendai, arriving at 10:05. However, this train departs Tokyo Station at 7:44 andstops at every station until Sendai Station, so the journey to Sendai Stationtakes a rather long 2 hours and 21 minutes.
On the other hand, the Yamabiko 125, which departs Tokyo Station at 7:40 a.m., arrives at Sendai Station at 9:38 a.m.There is no rational reason for someone traveling from Tokyo to Sendai to choose the Yamabiko 205.
Furthermore, in a later scene upon arriving at Matsushima Kaigan Station, Chika says, "Even though it's further than Aizu (which we visited in episode 1), 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 would not have made this statement.
departs Tokyo Station at 8:18 andarrives at Sendai Station an hour and a half later at 9:48is the Hayabusa No. 5 bound for Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, which
arriving at Sendai Station at 9:48 and arriving at 10:13What was Chika doing for 25 minutes between" In the story, however, it is depicted as if such a long waiting period never occurred.
However, it seems more natural to assume that they were on Hayabusa 5 than Yamabiko 205, which stops at every station, so I will go with the Hayabusa 5 theory
In the original manga, it is only stated that after departing Omiya Station in Saitama Prefecture, the characterboarded the Hayabusa train. The statement, "It feels like we arrived more smoothly than Aizu," is likely a result of the Hayabusa having fewer stops than the Yamabiko train.
The Senseki Line connects Sendai Station and Ishinomaki Station
As mentioned earlier, Matsushima Town is served by the Tohoku Main Line and the Senseki Line. The most convenient station for sightseeing in MatsushimaMatsushima-Kaigan Station on the Senseki Line.
Trains on the Tohoku Main Line and Senseki Tohoku Line pass through Matsushima-Kaigan Stationdo notSo, let's use the Senseki Line. The platform for the Senseki Line at Sendai Station is different from the Shinkansen and other JR linesUnderground stationis located
Senseki Line trains
The Senseki Lineis a railway line that connects Aoba-dori Station in Aoba Ward, Sendai City, to Ishinomaki Station in Ishinomaki City, via Sendai Station. It is named the Senseki Line because it connects "Sendai" (Sendai) and "Ishinomaki" (Ishinomaki).
Not only does it transport tourists to Matsushima, but it also serves the role of transporting commuters to Sendai and intercity passengers along the coast of Matsushima Bay, and is one of the JR lines in the Tohoku region that has the most passengers. For more information about the Senseki Line, please see the article below
Trains on the Senseki Line that go to Matsushima-Kaigan Stationrun at a rate of 2-3 trains per hour. You shouldn't have to wait too long at Sendai Station.
It appears that Chika boarded the Senseki Line train bound for Takajo-cho, which departed from Sendai Station at 10:29
In the anime, the ride on the Senseki Line is depicted almost instantly, but in reality, the train arrives at Matsushima-Kaigan Station at 11:08, and the ride takes 39 minutes. Matsushima Bay comes into view around Hon-Shiogama Station
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
to a monk who meditated on this island during the late Heian periodthe emperor at the time presented a pine sapling. There is a bridge, so you can walk to Oshima Island.
Poem number 90 in the Ogura Hyakunin IsshuInpumon'inno Taifu.
「I wish I could show you the sleeves of Oshima's raincoat, but they're still wet and the color hasn't changed」
Both the spot where Chika viewed Oshima and Zuiganji Temple are within walking distance from Matsushima-Kaigan Station
Matsushima Hotel Waraku
that Chika stayed at the "Matsushima Hotel Waraku." It's a bit far from Matsushima Kaigan Station, and the nearest station is Matsushima Station on the Tohoku Main Line, but it's only about 1.5km from Matsushima Kaigan Station, which is easily walkable.
According to their official website, unfortunatelysince the end of May 2023has been closed
There are many different types of pleasure boats, large and small, operating in Matsushima Bay. The pleasure boat Chika was on had the name "Niomaru" written on it, so it is likely that she was on a pleasure boat on the Niomaru course
such as Senkanjima, Kanejima, and NiojimaWe'll take a 50-minute tour of distinctive islands.
Pleasure boat "Niomaru"
As of July 2025, the sightseeing boat on the Niomaru course departs every hour on the hour from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The fare is 1,500 yen for adults, 750 yen for elementary school students, and free for preschool children.Discounts are available for advance reservations made online.
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
Matsushima, Amanohashidate, and Miyajima, known as the Three Views of Japan,are all famous for their oysters. If you're an oyster lover, you might want to not only enjoy the scenery of the Three Views of Japan, but also savor the oysters of these locations in the truest sense of the word.
The sightseeing boat dock and Matsushima Fish Market are also within walking distance from Matsushima-Kaigan Station
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, Matsushimaonly about 40 minutes from Sendai,various tourist spots on foot from Matsushima Kaigan Stationeasy to access.
As depicted in the anime, you can easily enjoy sightseeing using public transportation. How about Matsushima, one of Japan's Three Most Viewed Places, as your travel destination?
![30948239_m](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAJYAAACWAQAAAAAUekxPAAAAAnRSTlMAAHaTzTgAAAAaSURBVEjH7cExAQAAAMKg9U9tDQ+gAACAdwMLuAABXZHjmQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg== "Visit Aizuwakamatsu City (Fukushima Prefecture) in the first episode of the anime "That's Journey"!")
![30948239_m](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/30948239_m-150x150.jpg.webp "Visit Aizuwakamatsu City (Fukushima Prefecture) in the first episode of the anime "That's Journey"!")
![Enmei Jizo](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/f7ab461e83edd7423e8730afd90212c9-150x150.jpg.webp "A trip to Aomori Prefecture depicted in the 9th journey of the anime "That's Journey" [Aomori Prefecture]")
![Night on the Galactic Railroad](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/27594807_s-150x150.jpg.webp "The 10th journey of the anime "That's Journey" is a trip to Iwate Prefecture, a place associated with Kenji Miyazawa [Iwate Prefecture]")
![30422261_m](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/30422261_m-150x150.jpg "A trip to Doroyu Onsen in Akita Prefecture, depicted in the 31st trip of the manga "That's Journey" [Akita Prefecture]")
![Dewa Shrine, Sanjin Gosaiden (Three Gods Combined Shrine)](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/34081745_s-150x150.jpg.webp "The road to Hagurosan Dewa Shrine depicted in the 38th episode of the manga "Zatsu Tabi -That's Journey-" [Yamagata Prefecture]")
![955_co](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/955_co-150x150.jpg.webp "[Iwate Prefecture] Make a pilgrimage to the spots featured in the anime "Haikyu!!"")
