Walk Sendai under its zelkova trees
Sendai is the largest city in Tohoku, known as the city of trees for its avenues of zelkova, with a castle site on a hill above the river. FOG starts the map dark and clears only what you walk, and the long tree lined avenues draw straight lines across it.
The avenues
Jozenji Dori and Aoba Dori are wide avenues lined with zelkova trees, with a walking path down the middle of Jozenji Dori. In December, the trees are lit for the Pageant of Starlight.
Covered shopping arcades, Clis Road and Ichibancho, run through the centre between the station and the avenues.
The castle and the river
Aoba Castle, built by the lord Date Masamune, stood on a hill west of the city across the Hirose River. Only stone walls and a reconstructed turret remain, with a statue of Date Masamune on horseback and views over the city.
The Zuihoden, his mausoleum, stands in cedar woods on another hill nearby. The Hirose River has paths along its banks, and Tohoku University sits on its west side.
Seasons
Sendai has cold winters and humid summers. The Tanabata festival, in early August, hangs huge paper streamers in the arcades.
The centre is compact and flat, and the walk to the castle site adds a climb. A day covers the centre and the castle.
Bring the walks you already did
An empty map is a slow start in a city you already know. FOG Unlimited imports Google Timeline exports and GPX files, so years of past walks in Sendai clear straight onto the map, and you open the app to a real picture with obvious dark gaps in it. It is one purchase, never a subscription.
From then on FOG records by itself, with the app closed, and the trail never leaves the phone. No account, no ads, no tracking. The logbook writes a page for every month and year you were out, with the new ground and the new places you set foot in.
Questions people actually ask
Why is Sendai called the city of trees?
For its avenues lined with zelkova trees in the centre.
When is the Sendai Tanabata festival?
In early August, with giant streamers hung in the arcades.
Does FOG work for running and cycling too?
Yes. It clears fog for walking, running and riding, anywhere on Earth, in the same way.
Start with a dark map.
FOG is free to explore. No account, no subscription, and your map never leaves your phone.
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