24 Hours in SENDAI | 10 Things You Need To Do

While you're up at Sendai Castle, grab a Zunda milkshake. For years I thought, 'how can green beans be appealing in a milkshake?' But after three years, I tried it and fell in love. It's made from edamame, green soybeans, chopped and mixed in. The flavor is like vanilla ice cream with a hint of salt and a nutty undertone, giving it a very moreish, addictive taste. This is the best place to experience it, sitting here overlooking Sendai.

Come try Sendai A5 Wagyu, one of Japan's top cuts of beef, served in various recipes. We tried sushi, shabu shabu, steak, and sukiyaki. The beef just melts in your mouth – it's obscenely marbled. For shabu shabu, take a thin slice of A5 beef, put it in hot water for 10-15 seconds, then dip it in yuzu sauce. It's 'Umarvellous' – a combination of 'umai' (delicious) and 'marvellous.' The sukiyaki was my favorite, as the sweet marble of the beef goes really well with it.

The best way to see Matsushima Bay's 264 islands is to take a ferry. It costs about 1500 yen. You'll experience the buzzing atmosphere and see the beautiful scenery up close. It's a great way to escape the city and enjoy one of Japan's most picturesque coastal towns.

If there's one thing to do or see in Matsushima, it's Ensuin Gardens. Just behind Matsushima Bay, it's a beautiful sprawling garden that feels like a compilation of all the best bits of Kyoto rolled into one. You'll find a rock garden, a bamboo forest, temples, shrines, and really cool cave carvings that look like something out of Indiana Jones. I always bring people here, and they absolutely love it. Apparently, Einstein came here in the 1920s, so you're walking in his footsteps.

If you're in Sendai and want the freshest sushi, come to Shiogama. It's the biggest raw tuna market, meaning the tuna is only refrigerated, not frozen, ensuring it's in its freshest state when you eat it. The quality and cost performance here are amazing. You can taste the freshness!

For a more adventurous alternative to the ferry, try fishing in Matsushima Bay. We were out in a small boat, experiencing the calm after a typhoon. The goal: catch dinner! We used a unique method of beating the sea with sticks to surprise fish into a net, which proved very effective. After 20 minutes, we reeled in the net and headed back to shore to turn our spoils into a fresh supper. It's about as fresh as it gets!