Discover the charms of Sendai Morning Market Shopping Street. Enjoy a variety of gourmet foods and souvenirs

In this article, we will introduce the charms of Sendai Morning Market (Sendai Morning Market Shopping Street), the kitchen of Sendai. The fastest way to get there is from Sendai Airport to JR Sendai Station in about 17 minutes. Another attractive feature is the easy access, about a 5-minute walk from the west exit.

*Please refrain from eating while walking. Please enjoy sightseeing and gourmet food while observing proper etiquette.
*Prices include tax.

What is the Sendai Morning Market?

The market is said to have originated as a gathering of street vendors, commonly known as the "Open Air Market," which opened in front of Sendai Station after the war ended in 1945 (Showa 20), when the area was reduced to ashes by air raids. Until around 1970, vendors sold goods on the sidelines, but in 1985 (Showa 60), the "Sendai Asaichi Street Shopping District Association" was established, and in 1992 (Heisei 4), it developed into the "Sendai Asaichi Shopping District Promotion Association," which continues to this day.

Depending on the store, the market is open from 8am to 5pm, and closed on Sundays and holidays. Sendai, the largest city in the Tohoku region, is a place where the bounty of the mountains and seas gathers from all over the country, and it is lined with a variety of stores, including fresh fish stores, greengrocers, delicatessens, bakeries, and cafes, and has long been known as the "kitchen of Sendai."

The high quality and low prices of the food are popular among local residents and restaurant professionals, and the market is bustling with tourists from Japan and abroad every day. Here, we will introduce the charms of the Sendai Morning Market, focusing on recommended gourmet spots from among the approximately 60 different shops.

Hamashin: Enjoy super fresh, affordable seafood on the spot

With your back to Sendai Station, the large building on the right side of the shopping street is the "Shin-Sendai Ekimae Building." This is an area with many fresh fish shops, and one of the most recommended is "Hamanobu Watanabe Shoten."

Miyagi's famous seafood products include oysters, sea squirts, and abalone, and depending on the season, you can also find gaze sea urchins (another name for the bafun sea urchin) and the Yuriage ark shell, which is said to be the "mythical" and "best in Japan." In addition, octopus, wakame seaweed, hijiki seaweed, and nori seaweed are all produced in Miyagi throughout the year, and of course fresh seafood is delivered almost daily from nearby fishing ports such as Shiogama and Katsurashima.

Some of the shops in the market have stand-up eating spaces, and this shop also has one. On this day, we ordered live scallops (756 yen), which were in season at the time, fatty tuna (650 yen/3 slices) delivered from Shiogama Port, and extra-large shelled oysters (540 yen).

All of the fish are incredibly fresh and have a rich flavor that can only be found at a market in Sendai. Many of the fresh fish, such as tuna and salmon, are sold whole, but they also offer the pleasant service of cutting them into the amount you like. If you want to enjoy the delicious seafood that Miyagi is proud of at a great price, this is the place to come.

Hamashin Watanabe Shoten

Marumo: A bakery offering healthy bread with a unique flavor

Across the street from the "Shin-Sendai Ekimae Building" is the "Sendai Asaichi Building," which also has a wide variety of shops selling fresh flowers, dried goods, etc. At the back of the building is a hideaway-style bakery called "Marumo."

This is the shop of Mototaka Iwama, known as "Mossan," from Aichi. After working as a hairdresser in his hometown, Iwama was drawn to Yamagata and Zao during a trip to the Tohoku region and decided to open a bakery. He trained for four months at the popular Paradise Alley Bread Company in Kamakura, Kanagawa, and opened the predecessor of his bakery, Marumo, in Zao Onsen town on New Year's Day in 2010.

I had many new encounters here as well, and in 2019, I went to the Sendai Morning Market. Next door is the roastery cafe "110 COFFEE (Ito Coffee)," which opened in 2018, and you can eat "Marumo" bread here, which is a great point.

All wheat except for rye is domestically grown, and the starter is home-grown yeast. The bread is made by kneading each additive-free ingredient by hand and fermenting it at low temperature for over 12 hours. It is "home cooking in a different place" and is full of Iwama's kindness in wanting to "serve a taste that you don't feel guilty about."
Recommendations include the most popular "Cinnamon Roll," the "Good Mood Cookie" made with the idea of "triple win," and the homemade ham "Sandwich" which is basically made to order.

Other than that, the chewy "85" (248 yen), the spicy "Salt and Pepper Focaccia" (324 yen), and the "Vegan Brioche" (486 yen), which is made without butter or eggs, were also delicious. Please feel free to buy them as souvenirs.

Marmo

If you're looking for Sendai's specialty "Zunda Dango" then come here! "Hanagasa Dango Honpo"

One of the Sendai specialties is the Japanese sweet "Zunda," which is made with edamame paste, and if you want to enjoy it at the Sendai Morning Market, we recommend "Hanagasa Dango Honpo Okowaya." Founded in 1973, it is located just past the "Shin-Sendai Ekimae Building" and the "Sendai Morning Market Building."

In addition to the "Zunda" dango, which sells 400 dangos on a busy day, there are four other flavors: "Sesame," "Soy Sauce," and "Smooth Bean Paste." Each dango costs 150 yen, and the base rice used is Hitomebore, a rice variety from Miyagi Prefecture that is less sticky. The raw material for the Zunda is also edamame from Miyagi Prefecture, and it is simply seasoned with refined sugar and salt. This allows the flavor of the ingredients to be felt more fully, and the contrast between the chewy dango and the soft, granular texture of the Zunda is exquisite.

The shop also has rice balls and okowa (steamed rice balls), all priced at 170 yen each. There are six types of rice balls: "Miso-yaki," "Shiso-miso," "Takana," "Sujiko," "Salmon," and "Yamasai-nori (wild vegetable seaweed)." There are four types of okowa: "Yamasai (wild vegetable)," "Yamasai-nori (wild vegetable seaweed)," "Sekihan (red rice)," and "Jumbo Inari (steamed rice)." These also tend to sell out after 2 p.m., so be sure to come early.

The rice balls are made with Hokkaido-grown Yumepirika rice, and the rice is made with Miyakogane glutinous rice from Miyagi Prefecture, making the most of the unique texture and flavor of each. We recommend using the dumplings as a snack, and the rice balls and rice as a lunch box replacement.

Hanagasa Dango Honpo Okowaya

"Sato Kei Shoten" sells not only Sendai gourmet food but also everyday local foods

If you are looking for souvenirs at the Sendai Morning Market, then you should definitely visit "Sato Kei Shoten." The previous owner, who ran a fish paste store in Shiogama, founded the store in 1960 at the Sendai Morning Market and continues to do so to this day. There is a wide variety of fish paste products that have been passed down since the store's founding, including Sendai's specialty sasa kamaboko, as well as a wide range of oden ingredients.

Dried fish and sockeye salmon from Sanriku are also popular, and these seafood products are also lined up in the storefronts. In addition to sasa kamaboko, local specialties include "triangle fried tofu" (150 yen) and "shiso-maki miso" (3 skewers for 540 yen), which can also be brought home at room temperature, making them ideal souvenirs.

We asked Makoto Sato, the second-generation owner of the store, who is also the chairman of the Sendai Morning Market Shopping District Promotion Association, about the unique charms of the Sendai Morning Market. One is its easy access. Another is that it has a wide variety of fresh foods that are not available in other prefectures, and you can eat them casually at reasonable prices. It's certainly true, once you come here!

Some of the earliest stores open from 6am, but by 9am the stores have opened and all the products are ready. Also, if you want to avoid the crowds, it's recommended to go after 2pm, even though some stores may be out of stock. Please keep this in mind.

Sato Kei Shoten

[Extra Edition] Ito Shoten: Light Ramen Only Available in the Morning

The last place I would like to introduce is the ramen shop "Ito Shoten Sendai Asaichi Branch", which is located on the same street as the Sendai Asaichi Shopping Street. This shop has its main store in Ochiai, Aoba Ward, Sendai City, and has branches all over the country, with some stores serving ramen in the morning. The Sendai Asaichi branch is open from 7am to 10am (normally ramen is served until 3pm), and in the evening it operates as the izakaya "Bonten Gyoko Sendai Asaichi Branch" from 5pm.

There are two types of morning ramen: the simple "Morning Kake Ramen" (500 yen) and the "Morning Ramen" (600 yen) with plenty of toppings. The amount of noodles is the same as the regular menu at 160g, but you can enjoy it at a great price.

I ordered "Morning Ramen." The soup is made by combining clear soup (chintan) made by simmering pork bones over low heat with dashi made from kelp and bonito flakes, and also mixing in vegetable dashi made from onions, burdock, garlic, and green onions. The seasoning is light soy sauce with a hint of dried sardines, giving it a layered flavor.

The noodles are flat and high in water, reminiscent of Kitakata, Fukushima, where the ramen culture of breakfast is deeply rooted. The mild flavor is perfect for breakfast, while the soup is sweet and rich, and goes well with the chewy, curly noodles. The toppings, such as pork belly char siu, spinach, bamboo shoots, and seaweed, add a nice accent to this highly satisfying bowl of ramen. It's also perfect for recharging your energy for the day.

This light soup is called "Golden Chuka Soba" at this restaurant, and is served in several variations from 750 yen after 10:00. There is also "White Chuka Soba" made rich with a sweet sauce and pork back fat, available from 800 yen. There are also limited-time "Extreme Niboshi Miso Ramen" (950 yen) and sets (from 1,050 yen) with "Mini Katsudon" (350 yen), so if you want a hearty meal, be sure to check them out.

Ito Shoten Sendai Morning Market Store

Sendai Morning Market is a must-visit destination for your trip to Tohoku

Among the approximately 60 stores operating at the Sendai Morning Market, in addition to those introduced in this article, there are other popular stores such as Saito Deli Store Korokkeya, known for its fried foods, the dried goods store Seikaiya, and Sato Shokai Sendai Morning Market Store, which offers a selection of seasonings and frozen ingredients used by professionals.

The shopping street itself can be walked in just a few minutes, but it is filled with great shops that would be a shame to just pass by. Why not add a visit to Sendai's morning market to your Tohoku travel itinerary?

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