Car hire and driving in Sendai
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In Japan traffic drives on the left. Picking up at SDJ means 15 km (9 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q11185210 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648823 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2807090.
Drives from Sendai
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sendai to Ōsaki | Japan | 37 km (23 mi) | about 34 min |
| Sendai to Ishinomaki | Japan | 41 km (26 mi) | about 38 min |
| Sendai to Yamagata | Japan | 44 km (27 mi) | about 40 min |
| Sendai to Fukushima | Japan | 67 km (42 mi) | about 1 h 2 min |
| Sendai to Ichinoseki | Japan | 76 km (47 mi) | about 1 h 9 min |
| Sendai to Ōshū | Japan | 101 km (62 mi) | about 1 h 32 min |
| Sendai to Tsuruoka | Japan | 104 km (65 mi) | about 1 h 35 min |
| Sendai to Kōriyama | Japan | 105 km (65 mi) | about 1 h 36 min |
| Sendai to Sakata | Japan | 114 km (71 mi) | about 1 h 44 min |
| Sendai to Aizu-Wakamatsu | Japan | 118 km (73 mi) | about 1 h 48 min |
| Sendai to Iwaki | Japan | 135 km (84 mi) | about 2 h 4 min |
| Sendai to Nasushiobara | Japan | 160 km (99 mi) | about 2 h 26 min |
| Sendai to Tokyo | Japan | 305 km (190 mi) | about 4 h 39 min |
| Sendai to Yokohama | Japan | 333 km (207 mi) | about 5 h 5 min |
| Sendai to Osaka | Japan | 623 km (387 mi) | about 9 h 30 min |
| Sendai to Nagoya | Japan | 492 km (306 mi) | about 7 h 30 min |
| Sendai to Sapporo | Japan | 535 km (333 mi) | about 8 h 10 min |
| Sendai to Fukuoka | Japan | 1,073 km (667 mi) | about 16 h 22 min |
| Sendai to Kawasaki | Japan | 322 km (200 mi) | about 4 h 55 min |
| Sendai to Kobe | Japan | 645 km (401 mi) | about 9 h 50 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Sendai?
The left, as everywhere in Japan.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.