Aoba-ku, Sendai

nihongo|Aoba-ku|青葉区 is one of five wards of Sendai, the largest city in the Tōhoku region of Japan. Aoba-ku encompasses 302.28km² and had a population of 282,903 as of August 12005.

Government, transportation, and commerce

The Miyagi Prefecture government office and the main city government offices are located there, along with JR Sendai Station, a busy train station that houses and is surrounded by stores of all kind. Just a short walk from the station is the Ichibancho shopping district, which is a popular and lively destination. The outdoor shopping mall is home to countless shops and restaurants, from McDonalds to kimono stores. Eight stations of the Sendai Subway Nanboku Line are also located in this ward.

Tourism

Also in Aoba-ku is Jozenji-Dori. The zelkova-lined street is beautiful in the spring and summer, when the trees are full and green, as well as in the winter, during the city's Starlight Pageant. Photographs of El Greco's sculptures in the middle of Jozenji-Dori make for popular postcards.

Education and resources

Sendai International Center is just a short way from the busy Ichibancho district, near the campus of Tohoku University. The International Center offers information for foreigners in city, including a library of books in languages other than Japanese (predominantly English).

Points of interest

* Botanical Garden of Tohoku University

Transportation

Train stations

* JR East
**Tōhoku Shinkansen: Sendai
**Jōban Line: Sendai
**Senseki Line: Aoba-dōri
**Senzan Line: Sendai - Tōshōgū - Kita-Sendai - Kitayama - Kunimi - Kuzuoka Station - Rikuzen-Ochiai - Ayashi - Rikuzen-Shirasawa - Kumagane - Nishi-Sendai Hi-Land - Sakunami - Yatsumori - Okunikkawa
**Tōhoku Main Line: Sendai
*Sendai Subway
**Nanboku Line: Asahigaoka - Dainohara - Kita-Sendai - Kita-Yobanchō - Kōtōdai-Kōen - Hirose-dōri - Sendai - Itsutsubashi

Highways

* Tōhoku Expressway (Sendai-Miyagi interchange)
* Route 4, Route 45, Route 48, Route 457