AreaSendai

Dine at the historic
Shokeikaku Villa

鍾景閣 | Shokeikaku

A fine-dining establishment housed in a former residence of the Date family

Photo by Shokeikaku

Photo by Shokeikaku

Photo by Shokeikaku

  • Wesley Keppel-Henry

    Writer &
    2019–2021 Editor-in-chief

    Sendai

    Tags

    Last Update
    November 22, 2022

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  • The Shokeikaku villa served as the Date family residence from the late 1800s until World War II. The Date family had ruled the Sendai Domain for thirteen generations from Aoba Castle. However, after the Meiji Restoration in 1868 they were forced to turn over their lands to the emperor. In 1884, the emperor granted the family the status of nobility. Shortly after that, the family purchased and moved into the Shokeikaku villa.

    In 1980, the villa was donated to the city and some time after that converted into the fine-dining establishment it is today. It offers multi-course kaiseki lunch and dinner service, plus matcha green tea and sweets during a late afternoon tea time. After the meal, guests are taken on a tour of the residence. Most of the household rooms are well-preserved, giving diners an intimate glimpse into the lives of Sendai nobles.

    Shokeikaku’s signature meal service is called Sendai tansu ryori, a traditional kaiseki meal with a twist. Like traditional kaiseki, the meal consists of seasonal, local ingredients meticulously prepared and served in grand multi-course fashion. The novelty of Sendai tansu ryori is that part of the meal is served in miniature tansu, the traditional multi-chambered wooden chests Sendai is known for.

    The experience of opening the tansu’s many drawers to reveal meticulously plated seafood is fun, like a tabletop treasure hunt.

    WEBSITEhttps://shoukeikaku.jp/

Details

ADDRESS

143-3 Hitokitanishi, Moniwa, Taihaku-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken

ACCESS BY PUBLIC TRANSIT

By complimentary shuttle bus:From Sendai Station. Reservations required at least 3 days in advance.

By city bus: A 40-minute ride from Sendai Station, followed by a 15-minute walk. At Sendai Station Ekimae bus platform 8 (仙台駅前8番のりば), board bus bound for Akiu Onsen or Nogamikami (秋保温泉 or 野上かみ). Alight at Moniwaso (茂庭荘) bus stop. Sendai Station bus departure schedule here.

CREDIT CARDS

Accepted

LANGUAGES

Limited English

HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE

No

HOURS

11:30–20:00 (lunch, dinner, & tea time)

CLOSED DAYS

Wednesday

PHONE

022-245-6665

Food & Drink Details

VEGETARIAN/VEGAN

No

HALAL

No

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE MENU

No

NON-SMOKING

Yes

TABLE CHARGE

No

LUNCH HOURS

11:30–14:00

LUNCH LAST ORDER

13:30

DINNER HOURS

17:00–20:00

DINNER LAST ORDER

19:30

RESERVATION

Required for dinner

Home Dine at the Historic Shokeikaku Villa