Japan
Sendai in March
🌸 Spring (cherry blossom)Cool and some showers.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings
Why March scores 8.3What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort7.3
- !Cool (10°C highs / 1°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 0.8°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~74 mm rain)
- Air quality8.7
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~13 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline9.0
- ·Normal precautions
| Mar | May | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.3 Very good | 9.2 Excellent |
| Season | 🌸 Spring (cherry blossom) | 🌿 Late spring |
| High / low | 10° / 1° | 20° / 12° |
| Rain | 74 mm | 110 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 1° | dew pt 11° |
| PM2.5 | 13 µg/m³ | 10 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Sendai weather-station normals. Rainfall: Sendai weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsMarch 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- Vernal Equinox Day 20–22 Mar · 3 days off in a row
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Nature calendarBlossoms, leaves & seasons in Sendai
- Cherry blossom 2026 (what actually happened)In March2026 actualFirst blooms 31 Mar 2026, full bloom 4 Apr 2026
Observed by JMA at the city's official sample tree. The 2027 forecast isn't out yet: Japanese weather companies such as the Japan Weather Association usually publish the first one in January, and we add it then.
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency
- Snowy daysIn MarchTypical datesSnow likely Nov–Apr (most in Jan: ~21 days)
Average number of days with snowfall at Sendai. About 21 cm of snow falls in an average Jan.
Source: Sendai weather-station normals (national weather service, via Wikipedia climate table)
- 2026 forecast: Naruko Gorge2026 forecastPeak from ~25 Oct 2026
Last year the peak began 25 Oct. JWA expects most of Japan to be on time or a little later than usual this year.
Source: Japan Weather Association (tenki.jp), forecast 14 Oct 2026
- Cherry blossomTypical datesFirst blooms ~8 Apr, full bloom ~13 Apr
Typical dates (1991–2020 normal). In 2021–2026 first blooms came between 26 Mar and 8 Apr (31 Mar in 2026). Blossoms last about a week after full bloom.
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency
- Autumn leaves: Akiu Great FallsTypical datesUsually late-Oct to early-Nov
Usual peak viewing window for this spot.
- Autumn leaves: Naruko Gorge (day trip)Typical datesUsually mid-Oct to early-Nov
Usual peak viewing window for this spot.
Explore SendaiEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallySendai is the largest city in Tōhoku, founded by the warlord Date Masamune, known for its tree-lined avenues, beef tongue and the summer Tanabata festival.
Cherry Blossom SeasonAcross Japan
Sakura hanami picnics and illuminations across the country.
Coming up later
Aoba MatsuriDate variesUsually the third weekend of May
A festival with decorated floats and the Suzume Odori sparrow dance.
Why go: A good spring festival with less crowding than Tanabata.
Where: Central Sendai, Jōzenji-dōri
Sendai Tanabata MatsuriEvery year6-8 August every year
One of Japan's biggest Tanabata festivals, with huge paper streamers hung throughout the arcades.
Why go: Hotels book out well in advance.
Where: Central shopping arcades
Jōzenji Streetjazz FestivalDate variesUsually the second weekend of September
Hundreds of amateur bands play outdoors across the city centre.
Why go: Free to watch.
Where: Streets and parks around Jōzenji-dōri
Zuihōden
The richly decorated mausoleum of Date Masamune in a cedar forest.
Sendai Castle ruins (Aoba Castle)
The hilltop castle site with stone walls, a statue of Date Masamune on horseback and city views.
Ōsaki Hachimangū
A shrine with a black-lacquered main hall and National Treasure status.
Matsushima Bay
A bay scattered with pine-covered islets, one of Japan's traditional Three Views, about 40 minutes by train.
Akiu Onsen
A hot spring town in the hills west of the city, near Akiu Great Falls.
Jōzenji-dōri
A central avenue lined with zelkova trees, used for many of the city's events.
Gyūtan
Grilled beef tongue, usually served with barley rice and oxtail soup.
💡 Gyūtan restaurants around Sendai station and Kokubunchō
Zunda mochi
Rice cakes topped with sweet mashed edamame paste.
💡 Sweet shops and Sendai station
Sasakamaboko
Leaf-shaped grilled fish cake.
💡 Kamaboko shops and Sendai station
Matsushima oysters
Oysters from Matsushima Bay, served grilled or raw.
💡 Matsushima seafood restaurants
Kokeshi dolls
Turned wooden dolls, a traditional Tōhoku craft with styles from local hot spring towns.
💡 Craft shops and Sendai station
Zunda sweets
Edamame-paste sweets and drinks.
💡 Sendai station shops
Sasakamaboko
Packaged leaf-shaped fish cakes.
💡 Sendai station shops
Tamamushi-nuri
Lacquerware with an iridescent finish developed in Sendai.
💡 Craft shops