The Botanical Garden of Tohoku University was built on Mount Aoba in 1958 as a facility for education and research. In 1972, Mount Aoba was declared a Designated Natural Monument. Though it’s in the city, there you can find a beautiful natural fir forest. In the main building are plant specimens and mounted animals from Mount Aoba’s native flora and fauna. In the rock garden are alpine plants, and growing in the wetlands garden are Asian skunk-cabbages and other plants. You’ll feel like you’re on a wilderness hike when you take the walking paths and natural gardens, where you can find precious plants such as the crested iris and lecanorchis hokurikuensis, and maybe even see a serow or squirrel or other wild animal. There are also a great number of birds, amphibians and insects. You can also enjoy some history within the spacious park since there are also the Mongolian and Shoan stone monuments, as well as the remains of the tea house that was built by the fifth Date ruler, Yoshimura Date.