Sendai Daikannon, Jogi Temple and Matsushima Bay Cruise Bus Tour

This listing bundles most of the day into one ticket. The bus, the English-speaking guide, the 50-minute Matsushima Bay cruise and the sasakamaboko fish cake grilling experience are all paid up front, so your extra spending on the day is mainly lunch at Jogi and whatever you buy in Matsushima. The table below sets out exactly what is in the $148.99 and what you would pay for on your own if you did this day independently, using the published gate prices for the sights around the bay.

Note that the Daikannon, Jogi and the cruise are all covered by the listing, so none of the gate fares below should apply on this tour unless you extend your stay.

Two small print items matter. Infants sit on an adult's lap, children are 3 to 11 and adults 12 and over. Large luggage cannot be accepted or stored on the bus, so leave big bags at your hotel.

Temple fees and hours come from the Zuiganji official site and the town tourism pages. Boat fares come from the Matsushima sightseeing cruise site.

The first stop is the Sendai Daikannon, a 100-metre statue that is hard to overstate in person. It stands over the city and ranks among the tallest statues in the world. Most visitors to Sendai never make it out here because it sits away from the rail lines, which is exactly what the bus solves.

The listing does not state an entry fee for the statue or the amount of time spent on site, so confirm those details with the operator at booking if they matter to you.

Why the bus makes sense here

There is no simple train ride to the Daikannon, and a taxi or rental car adds cost and hassle to a day that already includes Matsushima. On this tour the statue is folded into the route between Sendai Station and Jogi, with the guide handling the logistics. For travellers on a short trip who want the statue plus the bay in one day, this is the simplest structure on the market.

Jogi Temple, known locally as Jogisan, is a mountain temple northeast of Sendai and the second stop of the day. The listing builds in free time here, and lunch happens during that free time at your own expense. That is worth planning for: bring cash, since the listing also warns that depending on the day of the week, some shops and facilities in Jogi and Matsushima may be closed.

What to know before you go

Jogi is a working temple rather than a staged attraction, so the pace is yours during the free time. The guide stays with the group and the schedule, but there is no set lunch venue or included meal. If you have dietary needs or want a guaranteed meal, buy something at Sendai Station before departure or plan around the shops on site.

The tour runs in rain or snow, so pack rain gear for the temple grounds and bring motion sickness medicine if the mountain roads bother you.

• Cash for lunch and shops at Jogi and Matsushima
• Rain gear, since the tour runs in rain or snow
• Motion sickness medicine if you are prone to it
• No large luggage, the bus cannot store it

The afternoon brings you to Matsushima Bay, one of the Nihon Sankei, the Three Views of Japan. The bay holds about 260 small pine-topped islands, and the cruise ticket is included in your price. The ride lasts about 50 minutes, the same length as the public loop run by Matsushima Shimameguri Kankosen that otherwise costs 1,500 yen ($9.49) for adults.

Part of the loop reaches more open water where the boat can rock, so sit inside if you are prone to seasickness.

Grilling your own sasakamaboko

After the boat you get the sasakamaboko experience, a fish cake grilled in the shape of a bamboo leaf. It is a Miyagi speciality and usually something you only taste, not make. The grilling fee is in the ticket price.

Between the cruise and the grilling you also have time in Matsushima town itself, and travellers who want to finish there can leave the tour early at Matsushima after signing a waiver form, which lets you keep exploring the shore temples on your own and ride the train back, 410 yen ($2.59) one way on the JR Senseki Line.

This listing is built for a particular kind of traveller. It fits you well if you want all transport handled, you are travelling solo or as a couple and a private guide is out of budget, or you specifically want to see the Daikannon statue, which no other catalog tour includes. It also works for families with children aged 3 and over, since all fitness levels are fine and the day involves no serious walking.

It fits you badly if you want a deep dive on the Matsushima temples, since Zuiganji and Entsuin are not on the itinerary, or if you cannot tolerate the 10-person minimum risk on a new, unreviewed listing.

If any of that gives you pause, the closest alternatives are the small-group train day or the private guided walks, which trade the statue for temple entry and a tighter focus on the bay. The comparison table below lays out the differences at a glance.

This is the only group bus tour in the catalog and the only one covering the Sendai Daikannon and Jogi Temple. Against the alternatives it wins on cost per sight and on being the only option that needs no navigation at all, and it loses on track record, since every tour below has reviews and this one does not. Figures current for Q4 2026.

For half the time at a lower price, Sendai and Matsushima Half-Day Private Tour with a Licensed Guide covers 2-3 sites of your choice, and the shore excursion from the cruise port is covered in Matsushima Private Shore Excursion from Sendai-Shiogama Port.