is a town

Towns of Japan

A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...

 located in Miyagi District, Miyagi

Miyagi District, Miyagi

is a district located in past Mutsu Province and today's Miyagi, Japan. The name of the prefecture was from this district.The original territory was east-west long from Ōu Mountains to Pacific Ocean, including current Sendai, Shiogama, Tagajō cities. As of 2003, the district has an estimated...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It is most famous as the location of Matsushima Bay, one of the Three Views of Japan

Three Views of Japan

The is the canonical list of Japan's three most celebrated scenic sights, attributed to 1643 and scholar Hayashi Gahō. The views are of the eponymous pine-clad islands of Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture; the pine-clad sandbar of Amanohashidate in Kyoto Prefecture; and Itsukushima Shrine in...

, and is also the site of the Zuigan-ji

Zuigan-ji

is a famous Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple in Matsushima, Japan—of the Myoshin-ji branch.-Overview:The temple, commonly referred to as Zuigan-ji, was originally founded in 828 by Jikaku Daishi, but was rebuilt by the feudal lord Date Masamune from 1604 onwards using lumber brought from Mount Kumano in...

, one of the most famous Zen

Zen

Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...

 temples in Tōhoku, Entsū-in

Entsū-in (Matsushima)

is a Myōshin-ji Rinzai school Zen temple in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It was founded next to Zuigan-ji in honour of the grandson of Date Masamune. His mausoleum of 1647 is decorated with motifs inspired by contact with the West and has been designated an Important Cultural Property...

 and Kanrantei

Kanrantei

is the only building to survive from a mansion complex of the Date clan in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It is said to have originated as a teahouse in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Fushimi Castle, to have been moved to Edo by Date Masamune, and finally to have been brought to Matsushima by his son...

.

As of 2003, the town has an estimated population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 16,504 and a population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 305.40 persons per km². The total area is 54.04 km².

International Sister Cities

• September 4, 1980: Ile des Pins
  Isle of Pines, New Caledonia
  The Isle of Pines is an island located in the Pacific Ocean, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France. The island is part of the commune of L'Île-des-Pins, in the South Province of New Caledonia. The Isle of Pines is nicknamed l'île la plus proche du paradis...
  
  , New Caledonia
  New Caledonia
  New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
  
   (France
  France
  The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
  
  )

Japanese Sister Cities

• August 1, 1987: Kisakata
  Kisakata, Akita
  Kisakata was a town located in Yuri District, Akita, Japan.On October 1, 2005, along with the town of Konoura, Kisakata was merged into the town of Nikaho, all from Yuri District, to become the city of Nikaho....
  
  , Akita Prefecture
  Akita Prefecture
  is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....
  
  
• October 16, 1988: Kami-Amakusa
  Kami-Amakusa, Kumamoto
  is a city located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.It was founded on March 31, 2004, by merging the three cities Himedo, Matsushima, Ōyano and Ryūgatake, all from Amakusa District....
  
  , Kumamoto Prefecture
  Kumamoto Prefecture
  is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...
  
   (formerly known as Matsushima)

Train stations

• Tōhoku Main Line: Matsushima
  Matsushima Station
  Matsushima Station is a railway station located on the JR Tōhoku Main Line in Matsushima, Miyagi.-History:*July 9, 1956: Station begins operation as Shin-Matsushima Station...
  
  , Atago
  Atago Station (Miyagi)
  Atago Station is a railway station located on the JR Tōhoku Main Line in Matsushima, Miyagi.-Surrounding area:* Highway 45* Atago Post Office* Matsushima Junior High School* Matsushima Second Elementary School...
  
  , Shinainuma
  Shinainuma Station
  Shinainuma Station is a railway station located on the JR Tōhoku Main Line in Matsushima, Miyagi.-Line:*JR East Tōhoku Main Line-Surrounding area:There is a small business area to the west of the station that has existed for a long time...
  
  
• Senseki Line
  Senseki Line
  The is a rail line in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company system, it runs from Aoba-dōri Station in Sendai to Ishinomaki Station in Ishinomaki, and provides access to the central coast areas of Miyagi Prefecture, significantly the Matsushima area...
  
  : Matsushima-Kaigan
  Matsushima-Kaigan Station
  is a JR East railway station located in Matsushima, Miyagi, Japan.-History:* April 18, 1927: Station begins operation as Matsushima Kōen Station* May 1, 1944: Station is renamed Matsushima-Kaigan Station.-Adjacent stations:...
  
  , Takagimachi
  Takagimachi Station
  is a JR East railway station located in Matsushima, Miyagi, Japan.-Adjacent stations:...
  
  , Tetaru
  Tetaru Station
  is a JR East railway station located in Matsushima, Miyagi, Japan.-Adjacent stations:...
  
  , Rikuzen-Tomiyama
  Rikuzen-Tomiyama Station
  is a JR East railway station located in Matsushima, Miyagi, Japan.-History:*April 10, 1928: Station begins operation as Tomiyama Station.*May 1, 1944: Station is renamed.-Adjacent stations:...
  
  

Major roads

• Highways
  • Sanriku Expressway (Matsushima-Ōsato IC — Matsushima-Kita IC)
• National roads
  • Route 45
  • Route 346
    Route 346 (Japan)
    National Route 346 is a national highway of Japan connecting Aoba-ku, Sendai and Kesennuma, Miyagi in Japan, with a total length of 111.6 km ....
    
    
• Miyagi prefectural roads
  • 8 Sendai – Matsushima
  • 9 Taiwa – Matsushima
  • 27 Oku-Matsushima – Matsushima-Kōen
  • 60 Kashimadai – Naruse
  • 144 Akanuma – Matsushima
  • 145 Takagi Teishajō
  • 213 Matsushima Teishajō
  • 229 Takeya – Hataya
  • 241 Taiwa – Hataya

External links

• Town of Matsushima (English)