Personalized Star Map of Sendai
38.2682°N, 140.8694°E
Verdant capital of Tōhoku, Sendai is nicknamed "the city of trees" and hosts each year Japan's grandest Tanabata festival, where wishes are sent skywards beneath the woven Milky Way. From Aoba Castle towering above the Hirose River to the black-lacquer Zuiganji Temple, the city unites the memory of daimyō Date Masamune with a legendary summer sky. Gift a Sendai star map — a present as poetic as the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi.
Famous Landmarks
Sendai Tanabata Matsuri venue
38.2682°N, 140.8694°E
Sendai Tanabata, held from August 6 to 8, is Japan's grandest star festival, drawing over 2 million visitors. The downtown shopping arcades are adorned with thousands of suspended washi paper streamers, some reaching 10 metres. Observed a month later than the lunar calendar, the tradition honours the meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair) across the Milky Way.
Aoba Castle
38.2682°N, 140.8694°E
Aoba Castle, built in 1601 by Date Masamune on Mount Aoba, towered over the city from 130 metres up. Although most of its buildings were destroyed, its massive ramparts and the equestrian statue of the one-eyed daimyō still offer a spectacular view over Sendai and the Hirose River. It is the historical seat of the Date clan that ruled northern Japan.
Zuiganji Temple
38.2682°N, 140.8694°E
Zuiganji Temple, founded in 828 and rebuilt in 1609 by Date Masamune, is one of the finest Zen temples in Tōhoku. Its black-lacquer wooden buildings with gilded carvings are designated National Treasures. Nestled among the centuries-old pines of Matsushima, one of Japan's three most beautiful views, it invites deep meditation.
Why gift a star map of Sendai?
Gifting a star map of Sendai means immortalising the night when Orihime and Hikoboshi reunite across the Milky Way. Whether for a proposal during August's Tanabata or an anniversary facing Matsushima Bay, this map captures the poetry of Japan's summer sky. A gift as delicate as a paper wish tied to a bamboo branch.
The sky of Sendai
At 38.27° north latitude, Sendai offers a summer sky where the Milky Way — the living symbol of the Tanabata legend — unfolds magnificently. The Sendai Astronomical Observatory, opened in 1955 and renovated in 2008, is one of Tōhoku's most active with its 25-metre dome and planetarium. Warm August nights, during the star festival, are particularly stirring.