You can actually go inside and climb up the Kannon statue. It's located in the suburbs of Sendai, on a hill, so you can see it from the city.
I visited on New Year's Day. Even though it was the morning of January 1st, there were hardly any people, which felt a bit strange. I took the elevator to the top floor and walked down the stairs. I paid a mysterious 500 yen entrance fee. By the way, it was freezing cold inside the statue.
