Overview
There are plenty of great places to get that perfect shot of Matsushima Bay and the nearby islands. Along with Amanohashidate in Kyoto and Miyajima in Hiroshima, Matsushima Bay is known as one of Japan's top three scenic views.
Description
Matsushima ("Pine Islands") is a bay in Miyagi prefecture, 25 km north-east of the prefectural capital, Sendai.
Matsushima is famous for its view of over the bay of the same name containing 260 tiny pine-clad islands. This is considered one of Japan's Three Great Sights (Nihon Sankei). Matsushima's beauty was immortalized in one of wandering haiku-master Basho's most famous poems.
Matsushima is very rural, with a local population of less than 20,000. It is also famous for the delicious oysters farmed in the bay, for its historically important temples, and for its colorful Obon lantern festival in August.