Matsu-shima

Matsu-shima and its bay are the most popular coastal resort destinations in Tohoku. Matsu-shima owes this distinction to the Japanese infatuation with oddly shaped rocks, which the bay has in abundance. Hordes come to see the 250 small, pine-clad islands scattered about the bay. Long ago it was such a sublime and tranquil scene that it was fondly written of by the 17th-century haiku poet Basho. Overpopularity and a bit of pollution aside, the bay is still beautiful, and it makes for a worthwhile side trip from Sendai.