Matsushima

Matsushima is a bay town on the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, where some 260 pine-topped islets scatter across calm water. The scene has been ranked among Japan's three great views for centuries, and poets and warlords alike made their pilgrimages here.

Cruise boats thread the islands from the harbor, and the little Godaido pavilion sits on its own islet beside the pier. Zuigan-ji, the temple the Date lords rebuilt in grand style, anchors the town behind an avenue of cedars, its inner chambers painted in gold.

Winter is oyster season, when shacks around the bay serve them grilled by the dozen, and morning light makes the calmest cruise. The Senseki line runs up from Sendai, making Matsushima an easy half-day from the city. Red footbridges to Fukuura and Oshima islands extend the walk.