Sendai’s Anytime GO Stamp Rally: How to Reach All 8 Stops and Get Lapras (No Ticket Needed)

November 4, 2026

Good news for anyone visiting Miyagi: since November 3, 2026, Pokémon GO has a new Anytime GO Stamp Rally in Sendai • Tohoku. You do not need an event ticket, you can visit the stops in any order, and Niantic says there is no planned end date. Collect all 8 stamps and you get an encounter with a Lapras with a Sendai • Tohoku location background (it may even be Shiny).

The catch: the 8 stops are not all in central Sendai. They are spread from the city center out to hot springs, castle towns and the coast. That makes it a good excuse to see much more of Miyagi than most visitors do. Here is what each stop is and how to get there from Sendai Station.

The basics

• Started: November 3, 2026, 9:00 Japan time (November 2, 4:00 p.m. PST)
• Ends: no planned end date at this time
• Ticket: not needed. All Trainers visiting Sendai • Tohoku can join
• Order: any order you like
• Reward: 8 stamps = an encounter with Lapras with a Sendai • Tohoku location background

This is a different rally from the event stamp rally held on the weekend of Pokémon GO Wild Area: Sendai • Tohoku (November 6–8). The weekend rally has its own stops; for that one, see our subway route to the 7 event stamp rally PokéStops.

How it works in the game

• The rally turns on when you enter the Sendai • Tohoku gameplay area.
• Walk up to any stamp rally PokéStop to receive your stamp sheet. A stamp rally button then appears on the map.
• Participating PokéStops show an orange stamp icon, and all of them are highlighted on a dedicated map.
• Spin the Photo Disc to stamp. Like a real rubber stamp, the ink gets darker the longer you press, and each stamp shows the PokéStop name and the date. You cannot re-press a stamp, so take your time.

The 8 stops and how to get there

1. Site of Sendai Castle

The castle of the Date clan, high on a hill above the city. From the old main citadel you can see Sendai and, on a clear day, the Pacific Ocean.

• From Sendai Station: take the Loople Sendai sightseeing loop bus from bus pool No. 16 at the West Exit, about 23 minutes, and get off at "Sendai Castle Ruins" (Sendai-jo Ato).
• By subway: Tozai Line to Kokusai Center Station, then about a 20-minute uphill walk.

2. Sendai Mediatheque

A public library and art gallery in one striking glass building near Jozenji-dori, the zelkova-lined avenue in the city center.

• Access: Namboku Line to Kotodai-koen Station, Exit "Koen 2", about a 7-minute walk. From Sendai Station it is about a 30-minute walk.
• Hours: 9:00–22:00. Closed on the 4th Thursday of each month from January to November (for maintenance) and December 29 – January 3.

3. Sendai Asaichi (Morning Market)

A busy little market street packed with vegetable, fruit and fish stalls. The easiest stamp of all: it is about a 5-minute walk from JR Sendai Station. Opening hours depend on each shop, so morning to early afternoon is the safest time to visit.

4. Akiu Onsen

A hot spring town with a history said to go back to around 531–570 AD. Collect your stamp during the day, then soak in a hot spring in the evening.

• From Sendai Station: about 50 minutes by bus. The Miyagi Prefecture tourism site recommends the Sendai Seibu Liner (Takeya Kotsu), which runs more than once an hour and stops at hotels and ryokan in Akiu Onsen. Miyagi Kotsu buses also go to Akiu Onsen, but from different stops, so check which bus you are on.

5. Tagajo Castle Ruins

The site of the ancient government office of northern Japan, counted with the Heijo-kyo ruins in Nara and the Dazaifu ruins in Fukuoka as one of Japan's three great historic sites.

• Access: JR Tohoku Main Line to Kokufu-Tagajo Station, then about a 15-minute walk.
• Bonus: the Tohoku History Museum is a 1-minute walk from the same station, and its Pokémon × Kogei crafts exhibition runs until December 27, 2026 (separate ticket).

6. Kadonowaki Elementary School Ruins (Ishinomaki)

This school was hit by the tsunami and the fires that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, and the building has been preserved and opened to the public. Inside, videos, real objects and survivors' accounts tell the story of that day. It is a place for quiet reflection, so please visit with respect.

• Access: about 10 minutes by car (taxi) from JR Ishinomaki Station.
• Hours: 9:00–17:00. Last entry is 16:00 from March to October and 15:30 from November to February.
• Closed: Mondays (the next day if Monday is a national holiday) and December 29 – January 3. There is an admission fee; check the facility's website for details.

7. Shiroishi Castle

Home of the Katakura family, senior retainers of the Date clan, for about 260 years from after the Battle of Sekigahara until the Meiji Restoration. It is in the south of Miyagi, away from Sendai.

• Access: about a 10-minute walk from JR Shiroishi Station (Tohoku Main Line), or about 5 minutes by car from Shiroishi-Zao Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen.

8. Matsushima Park

Matsushima Bay, with about 260 pine-covered islands, is one of the "Three Most Scenic Views of Japan". Around the park you will find the sightseeing boat piers, the National Treasure Main Hall of Zuiganji Temple, and Godaido Hall.

• From Sendai Station: JR Senseki Line to Matsushima-Kaigan Station, about 40 minutes. The station is close to Zuiganji, Godaido and the boat piers. (Matsushima Station on the Tohoku Main Line is a different station, farther from the bay.)

How to plan it

Doing all 8 in one day is not realistic for most people. Grouping them by area works better:

• Sendai city: Sendai Asaichi, Sendai Mediatheque and the Site of Sendai Castle (Loople Sendai connects the city center and the castle).
• Toward the coast: Matsushima Park, Tagajo Castle Ruins and Kadonowaki Elementary School Ruins in Ishinomaki are all northeast of Sendai.
• Separate trips: Akiu Onsen (west, by bus; a nice overnight stay) and Shiroishi Castle (south, by train).

Since the rally has no end date, there is no rush. You can collect a few stamps on one trip and come back for the rest next time. Lapras fans can also look for the 35 Lapras Poké Lids around Miyagi along the way.

Bus and train times change, so please check the latest timetables before you go, and always play safely and be aware of your surroundings.

Sources

• Pokémon GO official news: Pokémon GO Stamp Rallies in Sendai • Tohoku and Mexico City (Nov 3, 2026)
• Sendai City: Access to the Site of Sendai Castle
• Sendai Mediatheque: Access and opening hours
• Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization: Sendai Asaichi, Tagajo Castle Ruins, Shiroishi Castle
• Miyagi Prefecture (Visit Miyagi): Sendai – Akiu day trip
• Miyagi Prefecture: Ishinomaki area (Kadonowaki Elementary School Ruins)
• Matsushima Island Sightseeing Cruises: Access to Matsushima

Information checked on November 3, 2026.