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Sendai Station (Miyagi)
Encyclopedia
is the major railway hub
of the Tōhoku region
in Japan
, serving more passengers than any station outside the Greater Tokyo Area
. It is a stop for all Akita
and Tōhoku Shinkansen
trains, the eastern terminus for the Senzan Line
, and major stop on both the Tōhoku Main Line and Senseki Line
. It is located on the border between Miyagino
and Aoba Wards
in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
.
East Japan Railway Company
Although the main JR train station and the subway station are physically separate, there are underground passageways connecting the two. The main Sendai Station is above-ground, and is a hub for the East Japan Railway Company
containing both the Tōhoku
and Akita Shinkansen
lines and several other local lines. The above-ground portion of Sendai Station lies in Aoba-ku, and is situated so that tracks run roughly north-south. In the station's easternmost section, underground and across the ward border in Miyagino-ku, is the platform for the east-west Senseki Line
. Until recently, this platform was also above ground; but in 2000, the line was extended to Aoba-dōri to the west, and the line was re-routed underground beneath the rest of the station.
The subway line lies to the west, and can be accessed from the main station via underground passageways at both ends of the station. The platform for the subway at Sendai Station is actually closer to Aoba-dōri Station
than the other JR lines in Sendai Station. In fact, there is a transfer-only gate between the subway and Senseki Line platform at Aoba-dōri Station.
The area is home to some of the largest department store
s in Sendai. The S-Pal department store and the Station are directly connected to each other. A large elevated walkway
outside the exit provides access to other departments stores, such as the Loft Department Store, Sakurano Department Store, the Jujiya Co. Sendai Store, and EBeanS. EbeanS is home to Junkudo Sendai, the largest bookstore in the Tohoku Region. The AER Building, a large office building built through recent redevelopment
, is also located in the area and is home to various offices and stores, such as Maruzen, another large bookstore.
The area around the Asaichi-dori street, next to EBeanS is known as the Sendai Asaichi (Sendai morning Market
), although stores are open all day long. The Asaichi is home to a wide variety of small stores that mainly sell Japanese foods.
The Sendai Metropolitan Hotel can be directly accessed via the elevated walkway and is extremely convenient for visitors unfamiliar with the area. The entrance to Sendai's largest shopping mall
s, such as the Clis Road Shopping District and the Ichibancho Shopping District, are located close to the exit of the elevated walkway, and a bus exchange area and taxi pool can be found under the walkway.
bombing also delayed development in the area.
The municipal government decided to conduct redevelopment in the area in 1960. The redevelopment project is still in progress, but the area has already been largely renovated with a new bus exchange area and taxi pool. The Yodobashi Camera
Sendai Store, one of the largest electronics retailers in Sendai, is located right outside of the east exit. BiVi Sendai, a department store, is also located close by. The east side of the station is also close to many entertainment venues, such as Beeb Sendai, Sendai Sunplaza, and Zepp
Sendai. Miyagi Baseball Stadium is also within walking distance.
Spoke-hub distribution paradigm
The hub-and-spoke distribution paradigm is a system of connections arranged like a chariot wheel, in which all traffic moves along spokes connected to the hub at the center...
of the Tōhoku region
Tohoku region
The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
in 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...
, serving more passengers than any station outside the Greater Tokyo Area
Greater Tokyo Area
The Greater Tokyo Area is a large metropolitan area in Kantō region, Japan, consisting of most of the prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tokyo . In Japanese, it is referred to by various terms, including the , , and others....
. It is a stop for all Akita
Akita Shinkansen
The is a Mini-shinkansen high-speed rail line in Japan. Serving the Kantō and Tōhoku Regions of the country, it links Tokyo and Akita in Akita prefecture with direct service. From Tokyo to Morioka in Iwate prefecture, it operates on the Tōhoku Shinkansen tracks. From there to Ōmagari, it uses the...
and Tōhoku Shinkansen
Tohoku Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata...
trains, the eastern terminus for the Senzan Line
Senzan Line
The is a railway line in Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company system, it runs from Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture to Yamagata Station in Yamagata, acting as a connector between the Tōhoku Main Line/Tōhoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line in southern Tōhoku. It also provides...
, and major stop on both the Tōhoku Main Line and 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...
. It is located on the border between Miyagino
Miyagino-ku, Sendai
is a ward located in Sendai in Miyagi, Japan.As of 2005, the ward had an estimated population of 182,812 and the density of 3147.05 persons per km²...
and Aoba Wards
Aoba-ku, Sendai
is one of five wards of Sendai, the largest city in the Tōhoku region of Japan. Aoba-ku encompasses 302.28 km² and had a population of 282,903 as of August 1, 2005.-Infrastructure:...
in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...
.
East Japan Railway CompanyEast Japan Railway Companyis the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
(JR East)
- Tōhoku ShinkansenTohoku ShinkansenThe is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata...
- Akita ShinkansenAkita ShinkansenThe is a Mini-shinkansen high-speed rail line in Japan. Serving the Kantō and Tōhoku Regions of the country, it links Tokyo and Akita in Akita prefecture with direct service. From Tokyo to Morioka in Iwate prefecture, it operates on the Tōhoku Shinkansen tracks. From there to Ōmagari, it uses the...
- Tōhoku Main Line
- Senzan LineSenzan LineThe is a railway line in Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company system, it runs from Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture to Yamagata Station in Yamagata, acting as a connector between the Tōhoku Main Line/Tōhoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line in southern Tōhoku. It also provides...
- Senseki LineSenseki LineThe 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...
- Jōban LineJoban LineThe is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company . It begins at Nippori Station in Taitō, Tokyo and follows the Pacific coasts of Chiba, Ibaraki, and Fukushima Prefectures before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi...
Layout
East Japan Railway Company
is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
containing both the Tōhoku
Tohoku Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata...
and Akita Shinkansen
Akita Shinkansen
The is a Mini-shinkansen high-speed rail line in Japan. Serving the Kantō and Tōhoku Regions of the country, it links Tokyo and Akita in Akita prefecture with direct service. From Tokyo to Morioka in Iwate prefecture, it operates on the Tōhoku Shinkansen tracks. From there to Ōmagari, it uses the...
lines and several other local lines. The above-ground portion of Sendai Station lies in Aoba-ku, and is situated so that tracks run roughly north-south. In the station's easternmost section, underground and across the ward border in Miyagino-ku, is the platform for the east-west 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...
. Until recently, this platform was also above ground; but in 2000, the line was extended to Aoba-dōri to the west, and the line was re-routed underground beneath the rest of the station.
The subway line lies to the west, and can be accessed from the main station via underground passageways at both ends of the station. The platform for the subway at Sendai Station is actually closer to Aoba-dōri Station
Aoba-dori Station
is a JR East railway station located in Aoba-ku in Sendai, Miyagi.There is a direct transfer gate between the platform of this station to the platform of the Sendai Subway Nanboku Line in Sendai Station...
than the other JR lines in Sendai Station. In fact, there is a transfer-only gate between the subway and Senseki Line platform at Aoba-dōri Station.
West (Main) Exit
The area outside the west exit of Sendai Station is the traditional center of activity around the station. This is because the area is closer to the central business district of Sendai, which initially developed around Sendai Castle.The area is home to some of the largest department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s in Sendai. The S-Pal department store and the Station are directly connected to each other. A large elevated walkway
Walkway
In US English, a walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails. These include sidewalks, footbridges, stiles, stairs, ramps, paseos or tunnels...
outside the exit provides access to other departments stores, such as the Loft Department Store, Sakurano Department Store, the Jujiya Co. Sendai Store, and EBeanS. EbeanS is home to Junkudo Sendai, the largest bookstore in the Tohoku Region. The AER Building, a large office building built through recent redevelopment
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
, is also located in the area and is home to various offices and stores, such as Maruzen, another large bookstore.
The area around the Asaichi-dori street, next to EBeanS is known as the Sendai Asaichi (Sendai morning Market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
), although stores are open all day long. The Asaichi is home to a wide variety of small stores that mainly sell Japanese foods.
The Sendai Metropolitan Hotel can be directly accessed via the elevated walkway and is extremely convenient for visitors unfamiliar with the area. The entrance to Sendai's largest shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
s, such as the Clis Road Shopping District and the Ichibancho Shopping District, are located close to the exit of the elevated walkway, and a bus exchange area and taxi pool can be found under the walkway.
East Exit
The area outside the east exit of Sendai Station is the "new" side of the station. It traditionally had a smaller concentration of businesses compared to the west side. The fact that the area was not damaged by World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
bombing also delayed development in the area.
The municipal government decided to conduct redevelopment in the area in 1960. The redevelopment project is still in progress, but the area has already been largely renovated with a new bus exchange area and taxi pool. The Yodobashi Camera
Yodobashi Camera
Yodobashi Camera Co.,Ltd. is a chain store mainly selling electronic products. Currently, there are 21 stores in Japan. It also maintains two online stores in China; one with a limited selection of products from its Japanese online store through SBI VeriTrans that supports payments by UnionPay,...
Sendai Store, one of the largest electronics retailers in Sendai, is located right outside of the east exit. BiVi Sendai, a department store, is also located close by. The east side of the station is also close to many entertainment venues, such as Beeb Sendai, Sendai Sunplaza, and Zepp
Zepp
The Zepp music halls are a group of Japanese music halls covering every area of the country. The Zepp halls play host to many international tours and are a popular stop among Japanese musicians. Each venue takes the Zepp name, along with the city in which it is located...
Sendai. Miyagi Baseball Stadium is also within walking distance.