Anime Expo in Sendai Miyagi 2023

Tokyo is the anime capital on the planet. People from all over the world visit Tokyo to enjoy anime culture and buy anime souvenirs. Akihabara, Ikebukuro, and Nakano are must-see spots for any true anime fan.

However, if you are a true anime fan, you should know that that there are many more spots throughout Japan that will allow you to experience anime culture. You just have to know where to look.

Some great otaku spots outside of Tokyo include Sapporo, Sendai, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Fukuoka. In reality, you can find an anime-themed shop in every big city in Japan, but these are the well-known ones. We are based in Sendai, so we can talk more about this.

Sendai  Anime Spots

For the best experience, we recommend you take the Sendai Otaku Tour. The tour will take you to anime spots at Sendai Station, Parco Dept. Store (Shonen Jump, Pokemon Center), EBeanS (anime, manga, game, figures), Sendai Asaichi Market 2F (anime shop, Sendai Ginza,). These shops are conveniently located in three spots near Sendai Station. So, if you feel like you want to explore by yourself, feel free to do so.

if you are a Wake Up Girls! New Chapter fan you can check out places that are depicted in the anime as it is based on the life of a girls idol group formed by a small-time management company in Sendai.

Haikyu fans, don’t worry, we have got you. Sendai City Gymnasium was the venue for Block A and B team matches and the finals matches in the Miyagi Inter-high Volleyball competition. You can see the gymnasium here.

ISHINOMORI MANGA MUSEUM

Though not being in Sendai, the Ishinomori Manga Museum is a must-see for anyone who is visiting Miyagi and has an interest in anime. At the museum, you can enjoy permanent exhibits, which include 3D objects and 2D videos. The museum store carries many exclusive items and over 6000 comics that you can read there.

Tokyo without question is the capital of anime-planet Japan, but if you find yourself in Sendai Miyagi, there are anime places to go and things to see. You simply  ‘Gotta catch ‘em all.’

For a deeper dive, go directly to Animate and Toranoana.

Top Ten Anime of All Time

Anime culture is vast and when getting to know it, one can get easily overwhelmed. That’s why we have compiled a list of the top 10 anime of all time. You can get started with these or just laugh at our list if you disagree.

Death Note

At number ten, we have an anime known by both kids and adults worldwide. The mystery and horror anime Death Note, inspired by the manga published on the Weekly Shonen Jump from 2003 to 2006, is highly rated by both local and international anime fans.

The plot revolves around the protagonist Light Yagami who finds a Death Note which makes people die if their names are written on the note. You can enjoy watching it on many streaming services like Amazon Prime and Netflix.

Pokemon

Pokémon is one of the most popular Japanese anime and games around the globe now, and it was first aired in Japan as the Japanese title Pocket Monsters in 1997. Pokemon follows the story of the young boy Satoshi who travels all over the world with various Pokemon like Pikachu to become a Pokemon master.
Pokemon is referred to as an anime for beginners which makes it a great introduction to anime culture. You can watch it on both Amazon Prime and Netflix.

Re: Zero -Starting Life in Another World

Re: Zero -Starting Life in Another World, which is also called Re: Zero, is considered as one of the best Japanese anime released in the 2010s. Season 1 started with 25 episodes in 2016, and the last season aired in 2020.

Season 2 of Re: Zero was released with 25 episodes in 2020 and 2021. The main character Subaru finds himself in another world with no superpower. The story proceeds with the encounter with the heroine Emilia and the interactions between the two characters in the unknown environment.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

The popular manga and anime franchise JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure began to be published in 1987, and the series consists of 8 parts from Phantom Blood to Jojolion. The story focuses on the mysterious adventures of the Joestar family. The main character varies by the part, but they all are from the Joestar family. The highlights of the anime include intense battle scenes and unconventional characters.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis EVANGELION is known as one of the symbols of Japanese anime in the 1990s. The famous anime mainly portrays the story of 4 teenagers: Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Soryu, and Kaworu Nagisa. They fight with villains called Angels by piloting the giant humanoid robot Evangelions.
You can watch it on Netflix and Amazon Prime Japan.

One Piece

The most famous and top-selling ongoing anime is One Piece without a doubt. It was a manga that became an anime two years after it was released. Over 900 episodes have been aired since then.

The story is about the adventures of the main character, Monkey D. Luffy, and his crew of pirates. They travel around the world. He goes sailing in a search of a special treasure called “One Piece”.

Monogatari Series

The first season of the Monogatari Series started in 2009. Monogatari means story or tale in English, and many unique stories are presented focusing on unique characters such as the high schooler Koyomi Araragi and other characters.

Clannad

The third place in our list of the best anime list may be well-known to many Japanese anime fans, even though it is less known worldwide. There is no action scene or supernatural event in this anime, but there is much focus on the complexity of life. The story follows the daily life of two high schoolers, Tomoya and Nagisa. It is totally worth spending the time on the 44 major episodes.

Naruto

Naruto was initially released in 1999 and lasted until 2014. Naruto is set in a fictional ninja world. The story follows the life of a teenage boy, Naruto. Naruto gets life advice from many friends and masters.

Lots of life topics such as relationships with friends and family, betrayal, and others are represented in this anime. Many anime fans love Naruto for those reasons.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was a manga before it was turned into an anime. The anime is set in the Taisho period (1912-1926) in Japan where demons exist with human beings. The main character, Tanjiro Kamado family, is killed by the attack of demons and his only sister Nezuko changed into a demon. He becomes a demon slayer to restore her to a human.

Photo by FranceKinJapan Pixabay.