7 Best Places to Shop in Tohoku, Japan

Below Sendai Station, this shopping area carries all kinds of souvenirs and will save you time if you're looking for local knickknacks. Follow the signs to S-PAL and head to the basement, but if you like shopping, then be sure to give yourself plenty of time to wander around. There is even an area full of a variety of restaurants and counters full of food. You could probably entertain yourself in here on a rainy day.

Even if you think you don't need to buy anything, this wealthy merchant's house, which was built sometime between the Edo and Meiji periods (1600–1868) and has a distinguished historical presence, is worth a visit. It is now a miscellaneous store carrying lots of bamboo baskets, straw sandals, and other local wares. It's in a great area to wander around as well. Behind the store is a willow tree and the river—quite a scenic view.

If you are looking for the famous (and famously expensive) Nambu-tekki cast-iron cooking vessels, this is the best place in Morioka. The casters here create the fine ironwork, and their products are as authentic and beautiful as Nambu-tekki can be, including some creative unconventional items. Depending on the time of day, you can peer into the workshop to watch them work. Attractive nanbu-tetsubin (teakettles) come in all sizes and prices. If you want to place a special order, you'll have to be patient: your piece will be produced and shipped to you in up to two years for the kettles and two or three months for other items. But the company also sells its wares online and offers global shipping if there's something you want but don't want to carry it with you.

Specializing in high-quality crafts like lacquerware and pottery—but also dyed fabrics, clothing, and even buttons—this place is composed of several small buildings around a courtyard that you can walk through to a small café, a little clothing shop, or sometimes an exhibit. The buildings are interesting enough for a visit anyway, and the courtyard leads you right up to the river.

This store is tops for folk crafts and creative wares from around Tohoku, such as kokeshi dolls, Nambu ironware, and cherry-bark crafts, jewelry resembling red caviar, and even a unique blue lacquer they have developed. The store is about a 10-minute walk from Sendai Station. Follow the covered Clis Road and continue into the next covered arcade named Marble Road. Look for the kokeshi dolls on display out front on the left.

This little tea shop has been in business for 100 years, though it sells much more than tea. Stop in to see all manner of locally made items, incense, and all kinds of knickknacks. Its location makes it an easy stop just inside one of the covered arcades on the left as you cross the street from Sendai Station near Parco shopping center. Upstairs is a small café where you can play with dogs after noon.

If you cannot find what you are looking for on Sendai's many covered shopping streets, check out this spot inside the Sendai Parco shopping center adjacent to the station, which also houses many other shops, of course. The speciality of this shop is showcasing what Tohoku has to offer from all over the six prefectures that make up the area. You can find the best of crafts and goods from different locations all in one shop.