When you visit an unfamiliar city, what do you want to know? There are probably many things, such as delicious restaurants and tourist attractions. Among them, many people surely want to experience history and culture.
For those people, this article introduces 7 spots where you can learn about the history and culture of Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture. It's a city where you can experience a mix of old and new history and culture, from the Jomon period to the new culture born after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Whether you've never been to Ishinomaki or you live there, please read on.
Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, as you all know, was severely damaged by the tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and there are several organizations and facilities that were established to pass on that memory. This time, I'd like to introduce just two of them.
The coastal area of Ishinomaki City called "Minamihama" was swept away by the tsunami. In Minamihama, the "Ishinomaki Minamihama Tsunami Memorial Park (hereinafter referred to as the Memorial Park)" opened in 2021 as a symbol of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Footpaths and other facilities have been developed in what was a residential area before the earthquake, and many trees have been planted, operating as a place to "pass on history while moving forward into the future."
The glass-enclosed building in the center of the Memorial Park is the "Miyagi Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami Memorial Museum," a facility that exhibits records of tsunami damage in Miyagi Prefecture. In addition to records from the Great East Japan Earthquake, you can also learn about the history of tsunamis in Miyagi Prefecture and the mechanism of tsunami generation, making it a facility that raises disaster prevention awareness.
As someone living in Japan, a country prone to earthquakes, I felt that even if you're not an Ishinomaki citizen, it would be worthwhile to visit once.
Location: 2-1-56 Minamihama-cho, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture 986-0835 Business days: Tuesday-Sunday (closed Mondays) Business hours: 9:00-17:00 Access: 10 minutes by car or bus from Ishinomaki Station Parking: Available Official HP, SNS:https://ishinomakiminamihama-park.jp/
Two heavy topics follow, but I would appreciate your patience for a little longer.
The "Ishinomaki City Disaster Remains Kadonowaki Elementary School" is a memorial facility that preserves "Kadonowaki Elementary School," which was engulfed in flames by a tsunami fire during the Great East Japan Earthquake, and has added new exhibition spaces. The exterior photo is a bit shocking, isn't it?
It's a facility where classrooms remain as they were, and you can learn about the tsunami damage in Ishinomaki. However, the unique feature of this "Ishinomaki City Disaster Remains Kadonowaki Elementary School" is that you can learn "how to live daily life that leads to protecting your own and others' lives in an emergency." Even for a single evacuation drill, they were highly conscious of "why are we doing this evacuation drill?" and as a result, the entire school was able to take swift evacuation actions on 3.11, minimizing the damage.
I won't elaborate further, but the citizens of Ishinomaki hope that you will take what you see and learn at this memorial facility back to your communities and homes and share it.
Location: 4-3-15 Kadonowaki-cho, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture 986-0834 Business days: Tuesday-Sunday (closed Mondays) Business hours: 9:00-17:00 Access: 10 minutes by car or bus from Ishinomaki Station Parking: Available Official HP, SNS:https://www.ishinomakiikou.net/
Walking along the former Kitakami River, you'll see a distinctive spherical facility. This is the "Ishinomori Manga Museum," which exhibits numerous manga works, including those by Shotaro Ishinomori, the creator of Kamen Rider.
Many manga characters greet you from the entrance.
It's a three-story building, and you first go to the exhibition space on the second floor. There are both permanent and special exhibitions, and when the author visited in the spring of 2022, there was a special exhibition on Kaiketsu Zorori (by Yutaka Hara). It wasn't just a display of past works; you could also learn behind-the-scenes stories like "why was this story written this way?", making it a very interesting exhibition.
The permanent exhibition features works by Shotaro Ishinomori, such as Cyborg 009 and Sarutobi Ecchan, in addition to Kamen Rider works. Many of the works were unfamiliar to the author, who was born in the Heisei era, but it was still an exhibition that made me want to read them.
The third floor has a library where you can read many manga, as well as exhibits showing the damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent recovery. The encouraging messages from famous manga artists are truly moving.
After seeing all the exhibits, you can buy souvenirs and goods on the first floor. They would make great gifts for family and relatives.
Location: 2-7 Nakaze, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture 986-0823 Business days: Monday-Sunday Business hours: 9:00-18:00 Access: 10 minutes walk from Ishinomaki Station Parking: Available Official HP, SNS:https://www.mangattan.jp/manga/
The "Maruhon Maki Art Terrace," a museum with a distinctive chimney-like shape, is a multi-purpose exhibition facility that just opened in the spring of 2021. Within the same facility, there are two spaces: the "Ishinomaki Art and Culture Center" and the "Ishinomaki City Museum."
The former, the "Ishinomaki Art and Culture Center," hosts art-related events as they arise, while the latter, the "Ishinomaki City Museum," allows you to learn about the history and culture of Ishinomaki City. Just to give one spoiler, humans apparently started living in what is now Ishinomaki City about 9,000 years ago!
The facility also houses a branch of "Coffee Kobo Ishikawa," a famous coffee shop in Ishinomaki, so it's nice to relax with a cup of coffee after viewing the exhibits.
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