Arrival at Miyagi · SDJ
How to get to downtown Sendai from Sendai Airport
For Sendai Station hotels, take an airport train to Sendai and choose the east or west exit for your address. For Aoba-dori and Ichibancho, compare walking with a one-stop subway journey. For Matsushima, check the onward train connection at Sendai and your hotel’s check-in deadline.
From Sendai Airport · 仙台空港(SDJ) to Sendai Station · 仙台駅, you can take the Sendai-bound train according to the current timetable without transferring. The prices below are in Yen for one way for adults, and the times are local Japanese time.
Official data confirmation date . Railroad fares and timetables are based on revisions on March 14, 2026, and notices of service changes on the same day have priority.
Compare based on accommodation location and luggage
| Arrival point | Transportation | Adult one-way fare | Time required after boarding | Transfer | Reservation | Big burden | The right schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodations east and west of Sendai Station | Airport Railroad regular train → walk | Paper 680 yen / IC 672 yen | Standard approximately 25 minutes | None to Sendai Station | Not necessary | Carry luggage yourself; check the final walk | When staying near the station |
| Aoba Dori and Ichibancho | Airport Railroad → Subway Tozai Line | Paper total 890 yen / IC total 882 yen | About 25 minutes + about 2 minutes by subway | Sendai Station 1 transfer | Not necessary | Checking the underground platform movement and elevator | Shopping district and lodging on the west side of the station |
| Entrance to downtown accommodation | Official airport-stand taxi | Check meter fare, surcharge, and toll | Varies depending on road, waiting, and accommodation location | None | Official-stand boarding or a separate advance booking | Confirm passengers, suitcases and payment method | Large luggage, after the last train, long walk |
| City address with flat rate application | Advance reservation flat-rate taxi (ordinary car) | General road 6,500 yen / Toll road 9,000 yen | Varies depending on road conditions | None | Advance reservation by phone is required | Check loading/meeting location for each vehicle | When the applicable address and reservation conditions are met |
Train riding time is separate from the time after landing. Add immigration, baggage reclaim, customs, the second-floor passage, ticketing and gates, waiting, and the final journey to your hotel. For a connection, also allow time between platforms and for the next departure.
Flat-rate taxi is a reservation product from a specific company. The same price does not apply to all taxis in line at the airport. From 22:00 to 05:00, there is a 20% surcharge on the flat fare and toll road tolls are separate.
From the 1st floor of the arrival hall to the 2nd floor of Sendai Airport Station
Sendai Airport Station · 仙台空港駅
International arrival
- After completing immigration, baggage, and customs, exit to the international arrivals lobby on the 1st floor.
- Go in the direction of the bank on the official map and pass the Center Plaza with a fountain.
- Take the escalator on the front left to the 2nd floor and cross the passageway connecting the airport station.
- Buy a ticket to Sendai from the station vending machine or go through the ticket gate with a charged IC card.
- Check the destination and departure platform for ‘仙台 / Sendai’ and get on.
Domestic flight arrival
- Claim your baggage and exit to the domestic arrivals lobby on the 1st floor.
- Go towards the convenience store, then turn right in front of the convenience store and take the escalator to the 2nd floor.
- Go through the direct connecting passage → station ticket machine/ticket → platform for Sendai.
If you have a large suitcase or assistance with moving around, check the elevator route on the airport floor map. The station's ticket gate, waiting room, and platform are located on the second floor.
The airport takes you across the second floor connecting passage to the station ticket gate in approximately 2 minutes. It does not include the time to come up from the 1st floor arrival hall, waiting for the elevator, or ticketing. The departure location is also different from the approximately 3-minute guide based on the 2nd floor departure lobby for domestic flights.
Sendai Airport Railway: No need to get off at Natori
Airport Station → Mitazono · 美田園 → Morisekinoshita · 杜せきのした → Natori → Minami-Sendai · 南仙台 → Taishido · 太子堂 → Nagamachi · 長町 → Sendai Station
The Sendai Airport Line joins the JR Tohoku Main Line at Natori Station · 名取駅. All departures in the current airport timetable run through to Sendai, so no change at Natori is required. Check the day’s display in case disruption changes the service.
Regular and rapid, which train do you use now?
The table effective March 14, 2026 does not indicate rapid trains departing from the airport, and local trains stop at all of the above stations. Instead of the short travel time of the rapid train in the past information, check the arrival time of the current train.
The operator's standard time is about 25 minutes, and individual trains vary from about 24 to 31 minutes. For example, 05:31 → 05:55 is 24 minutes, 07:21 → 07:52 is 31 minutes, and the last train 23:23 → 23:51 is 28 minutes.
A paper ticket to Sendai costs 680 yen per adult or 340 yen per child; IC fares are 672 and 335 yen. The child category is age six to under twelve, with a preschool six-year-old treated as an infant.
Up to 2 infants are free per adult, a child ticket is required for the third child.
Share the airport section, station area, and Matsushima.
Numbers are offset to avoid overlap. The dot at the end of each thin line marks the reference location.
Blue solid line: Airport Railroad/JR / Orange solid line: Subway / Green dotted arrow: Walking/indoor movement direction
- Airport 1st floor arrival area
- Sendai Airport Station 2nd floor
- Natori Station: stay on a through train
- JR Sendai Station
- Sendai Station West Exit Area
- Sendai Station East Exit Area
- Subway Sendai Station
- JR Aobadori Station
- Aoba-dori Ichibancho Station
- Ichibancho North 1 Exit/North Shopping Street
- Ichibancho South 1 Exit, Sun Mall Entrance
- Matsushimakaigan Station: coastal sights
- Matsushima Station — Tohoku Main Line
- Matsushima Coastal Sightseeing Entry Area
Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) The blue solid line on the background is the geographic data for the Airport Railroad/JR, the orange solid line is the geographic data for the subway, and the green dotted arrow is the final travel direction. The solid lines are track reference data from National Numerical Information N02-2025 and do not guarantee that specific trains will operate on the same day. The dotted line is not an actual walking path or indoor passageway. Exit pins are approximate ground areas compared to guide maps, please use the official station map and walking directions below.
Sendai Station East/West Exit and final transfer
Station West Accommodation/Aoba Dori
Airport railroad arrival platform → 2nd floor conventional line central ticket gate → West exit/pedestrian deck → Accommodation
Aoba-dori Avenue · 青葉通 is a street leading to the west of the station. Check the property's address and actual walking route at the west exit. The route of movement varies depending on the location of the stairs and elevators going down from the deck to the ground.
West Exit → Aoba-dori Station walking route ↗Accommodation east of the station
Airport railroad arrival platform → 2nd floor ticket gate → East-west free passage → East exit → Accommodation
If the address of your accommodation is east of the station, do not go to the west shopping street first, but follow the ‘東口’ signs. The east-west free passage on the second floor connects both sides. If you check which road the main entrance to your accommodation is on, you can reduce the need to drag your suitcase around the building.
East exit → East plaza walking route ↗The Airport Railroad mainly arrives at lines 3 and 4, but it is not a fixed platform. Check the arrival platforms, ticket gates, and exits on the JR official floor map.
Ichibancho accommodation: Comparison of one stop on the East-West Line and walking distance
For Ichibancho · 一番町, walk to Sendai Subway Station · 地下鉄仙台駅 and take the East-West Line towards Yagiyama Zoological Park (八木山動物公園駅). Get off one stop later at Aoba-dori Ichibancho Station · 青葉通一番町駅. The ride takes about two minutes and costs an additional 210 yen per adult: 890 yen total with a paper airport ticket, or 882 yen with an airport IC fare. Allow time to walk from JR, pass the gates and wait.
At subway Sendai Station, go from the B1 concourse to the B4 East-West Line platform. Notices report the Central 2 entrance lift out of service and North 5 entrance closed, so check the latest station map for a luggage-friendly route. At Aoba-dori Ichibancho, North 1 serves the northern shopping streets, North 2 leads towards Fujisaki · 藤崎 department store, and South 1 towards Sun Mall Ichibancho · サンモール一番町.
Take the exit on the side of your accommodation.
JR Aoba-dori Station · あおば通駅 is a Senseki Line station. It is not the same station as Sendai Subway Station or Aoba-dori Ichibancho Station, and the Airport Railroad does not reach Aoba-dori Station.
External walking directions are based on the area around the station and exit. Exit names can be displayed for the entire station location, so please check the official station map above for stairs/elevators and North 1 and South 1 exits.
Sendai Airport to Matsushima: Transfer at Sendai Station
For Matsushima · 松島 coastal sightseeing, use Matsushima-Kaigan Station · 松島海岸駅. Take the airport railway to Sendai, then change to a JR Senseki Line train that stops at Matsushima-Kaigan before walking to the waterfront.
The Senseki Line is located in areas 9 and 10 on the 2nd basement floor, and the last stop is confirmed as departing from Line 10 in the official table.
The tourism association gives about 40 minutes from Sendai to Matsushima-Kaigan. Check that your Senseki Line train, for example towards Ishinomaki · 石巻, stops there. Some services terminate earlier.
Matsushima Station · 松島駅 is another station on the Tohoku Main Line. The ride from Sendai is about 25 minutes, but it adds about 20 minutes of walking to the tourist center.
Don’t assume that the Senseki Tohoku Line stops at Matsushima Kaigan just by looking at the name. Check which station your accommodation is near and choose a route.
Additional fares for the Matsushima section vary depending on the selected route, ticket, or pass. It is not included in the 680 yen from Airport → Sendai. If you need a ticket from the airport to Matsushima, check with the ticket machine or station staff for the entire route.
Scope of application for transport IC card, large luggage, and pass
Airport Railroad provides 11 types of supported IC cards, including Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, and icsca. PiTaPa cannot be used as a postpaid service and requires recharging. Don't assume you can buy a new Suica at the airport station.
Sendai Airport Transit does not sell Suica at its stations. Ticket machines accept cash and supported IC cards, not bank cards. Recharge an IC card with cash.
Please use the luggage space or luggage rack and manage your luggage yourself so that it does not occupy your seat. JR's general rules are that you can carry up to 2 pieces of luggage, each with a total of 250cm on all 3 sides, 2m in length, and 30kg in weight. Please check with the operator of the entire route for excess baggage and sports equipment.
In times of congestion, loading and carrying may be restricted, and reservations for luggage space or seating are not guaranteed.
Don’t judge the inclusion of the Airport Railroad just by the name ‘JR Pass’
Currently, the new JR EAST PASS official application list includes Sendai Airport Transit Line. 5-day and 10-day passes are used on consecutive days of validity starting from the selected date, and the Sendai City Subway is not on the list. In addition to going to the airport, compare the trains you will take, and if you have already purchased a pass, check the product name, effective start date, eligibility, and whether the exchange has been completed.
Do not be confused with the prices and sales conditions of old ‘Tohoku region’ products.
You cannot pass through the ticket gate with the reservation confirmation alone. Please receive and exchange your pass before use. The user's original non-Japanese passport is required, and the new JR EAST PASS is indicated as an exception to the short-term stay visa requirement.
Changes to the expiration date after receipt/purchase are not possible, except for some exceptions. Exchange/receipt locations and change/refund processing locations vary depending on the purchase method, so please check the conditions of the sales channel you will use in the official purchase guide.
If you cannot exchange it before arriving at the airport, you must also set aside the cost of a regular airport ticket.
Is there a bus from the airport to Sendai Station?
As of the date of confirmation, there are no direct buses to Sendai Station or the city center in the airport's official route list. This does not mean that other regional and seasonal routes in the official list are bound for Sendai Station. When going to your accommodation in the city, compare the airport train and taxi. Please check the airport list and operator table below for new routes and temporary bus services.
Current bus destination, operator, and bus stop ↗Check the airport train and its onward connections separately
Airport departure criteria
First train 05:31 → Sendai 05:55 / Last train 23:23 → Sendai 23:51. Effective March 14, 2026 The airport station table is a common table that does not separate weekdays and holidays. It is not the opposite direction from Sendai Station to the airport.
Is it connected to the subway/Matsushima last train?
The subway timetable checked lists last departures from Sendai at 23:59 in both directions on both the North-South and East-West lines, on weekdays, Saturdays and holidays. The last airport train reaches Sendai at 23:51, leaving only eight minutes. The walk from the JR platform through the gates to the subway platform makes this an unguaranteed connection.
In the October 2026 weekday, Saturday and holiday tables, the last Senseki Line train serving Matsushima-Kaigan leaves Sendai at 22:52 and arrives at 23:30. Later departures at 23:15, 23:39 and 00:02 terminate at Higashi-Shiogama Station · 東塩釜駅 and do not reach Matsushima-Kaigan.
For the Airport 22:08 → Sendai 22:34 departure, there are 18 minutes left on the timetable until the next stop, but you must also check the underground platform movement, delays, and hotel check-in deadlines. Airport 22:38 → Sendai 23:03 departure is already late.
Tohoku Main Line bound for Matsushima Station is separate. The October ticket has a Sendai 00:02 Matsushima terminus, but the final route from Matsushima Station to the beachfront accommodation is different from Matsushima Kaigan Station. For late arrivals, please contact the accommodation first to determine whether station pick-up/taxi is available and the final check-in time.
Allow immigration, baggage collection and the station walk before choosing a departure. Trains are not guaranteed to wait for a delayed flight. Check remaining departures after reaching arrivals. If trains have finished, compare the official taxi stand and your hotel’s late check-in arrangements.
Sendai Airport Taxi: Distinguish between regular rides and reserved fares
1st floor arrival lobby → Official taxi stand in front of the terminal → Present accommodation Japanese address, number of people, and luggage → Accommodation entrance
For taxis at the ordinary taxi stand, check the meter fare for the vehicle. The reservation company's flat rate table is not applied as the common fare for ordinary taxi stands. Time and cost vary depending on road congestion, waiting for a ride, and accommodation location. Please inquire before departure about payment methods, late-night surcharges, tolls, and suitcase loading.
Confirmed fixed-rate booking: Sendai Taxi Group
For eligible addresses between the airport and central Sendai, Sendai Taxi Group lists 6,500 yen per ordinary vehicle using regular roads, or 9,000 yen using toll roads, with tolls extra. A 20% surcharge applies 22:00–05:00. Check your hotel’s exact Japanese address against the operator’s coverage before booking.
The same amount does not apply to all hotels in Sendai city.
Advance reservation by phone is required, and stopovers other than the departure and destination locations are not permitted. It is informed that the flat rate will not be applied if there is a route change or cancellation due to user circumstances. If your flight is delayed, inform the company of your reservation number, flight number, and changed arrival time, and check with the company about waiting, additional fees, cancellation, and meeting location.
If your flight is delayed, please check the reservation conditions for free waiting time and additional costs.
If you are traveling alone late at night with large luggage, save the entrance/contact information of your accommodation and the walking route from the selected exit. If long walks and transfers are burdensome, you can compare taxis that go to the front of your accommodation.
Even if you are staying near the airport, you should check the actual available rooms, check-in deadlines, and transportation methods from the airport to your accommodation.
Official tickets and reservations
Ordinary airport railway tickets are sold at the airport station. Reserved flat-rate taxis require a booking with the participating operator. Give the operator your flight, destination, passenger count and luggage details, and check delay, waiting and cancellation conditions.
These are official operator links, not affiliate links. Fares in this guide and online offers may have different conditions. Confirm direction, date, exchange, reservation and refund rules before paying.
If there are strong winds, heavy snow, or flight delays
Check notices from the airport, airline, Airport Railroad, JR, and city subway. Weather alone cannot determine whether individual flights or all trains will operate. For reservation pickup and rental car, you must notify the reservation sales office and the actual company of the delay and check the acceptance deadline, change, and cancellation conditions.
Moving from Sendai Airport to the city, frequently asked questions
How do I get from Sendai Airport to Sendai Station?
Go up from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor of the arrival lobby and cross the connecting passage to Sendai Airport Station. After purchasing a ticket or passing through the ticket gate with a recharged transport IC card, take the local train to Sendai. A one-way adult ticket costs 680 yen, IC 672 yen, and the standard on-board time is about 25 minutes. Immigration, baggage, moving to the station, waiting for the train, and walking to the accommodation are separate.
Do I need to transfer at Natori Station when going to Sendai Station?
Currently, the Sendai-bound train in the official airport departure timetable continues through Natori Station to Sendai Station. From Natori, the Airport Railroad section and the JR section are connected, but there is no need to transfer just because the route name or operator changes. Please check again at the platform for the day's destination and notice of change in operation.
What is the difference between regular trains and rapid trains?
Local trains call at Sendai Airport, Mitazono, Morisekinoshita, Natori, Minami-Sendai, Taishido, Nagamachi and Sendai. The airport timetable effective 14 March 2026 does not list rapid departures. Use the local-train estimate of about 25 minutes and your actual train’s arrival time rather than an older rapid-service time.
Can I use a transport IC card or rail pass on the Airport Railroad?
You can use transport IC cards provided by operators such as Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, and icsca. PiTaPa must be charged in advance. Currently, JR EAST PASS lists the Sendai Airport Transit Line, but not all JR passes include it. Check the exact product name, expiration date, and whether the exchange has been completed for the pass you have. Sendai City Subway fares are separate from the Airport Railroad fare.
How do I get from Sendai Station to my accommodation in the city center?
For west-side hotels, use the West Exit; for east-side hotels, cross the public east–west passage. For Ichibancho, take the subway Tozai Line towards Yagiyama Zoological Park one stop to Aoba-dori Ichibancho. North 1 serves the northern shopping streets and South 1 serves Sun Mall Ichibancho. JR Aoba-dori is a different station.
How do I get from Sendai Airport to Matsushima?
After arriving at Sendai Station by Airport Railroad, change to a Senseki Line train that stops at Matsushima-Kaigan. The standard station for coastal sightseeing is Matsushima-Kaigan Station, about 40 minutes on the train from Sendai. Matsushima Station on the Tohoku Main Line is another station, adding about a 20-minute walk to the tourist center. Also add the transfer/waiting time at Sendai Station and the walking time after getting off.
What if I arrive late or miss the last train?
The timetable effective 14 March 2026 gives the last airport train as 23:23 → Sendai 23:51. Only 8 minutes remain before the 23:59 last subway, so the transfer is not guaranteed. The 22:52 last Senseki train serving Matsushimakaigan has already left. Allow immigration, baggage and the station walk; after trains finish, compare an official taxi, confirmed pickup or accommodation.