Top Reasons to Go to Tohoku

Summer festivals: Tohoku hosts a number of raucous, tumultuous, and exciting festivals every summer, the Tanabata Matsuri being the top draw.

Coastal beauty: Matsushima Bay's 250 islands near Sendai are beautiful, but the coast is postcard-pretty virtually anywhere.

Seafood and vegetables: The freshest seafood you'll ever eat is presented in many ways, all of them tasty. Sansai (wild mountain vegetables) are a specialty of the region.

Country life: Thatched-roof farmhouses, rice terraces, orchards, and rugged fishing villages usher you into a world where change is slow and traditions live on.

Mountain adventures: The many fine mountain playgrounds are made all the more appealing by the relative absence of people using them.