Summary
This time we went to Miyagi Prefecture for two days and one night! On the first day, we went to the Kesennuma area to enjoy delicious seafood in the port town.The more I learned about Kesennuma, the more attractive and nice it was.It is easy to get to from Tokyo, so please refer to this page when you go on a trip.
*Please note that information and prices listed are subject to change.
Travel Itinerary
10:15am Sendai Station（仙台駅）
Starting from Sendai Station! It takes a little over an hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen bullet train. It’s great and more accessible than I thought it would be.
Sendai Station, located in Chuo, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, is a station of East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Sendai City Transportation Bureau (Sendai City Subway). The area in front of the station is prosperous and convenient for sightseeing. Many delicious restaurants can be found on Beef tongue street inside Sendai Station, and beef tongue is a particularly popular gourmet dish.
10:50am Miyako Sendai Highway Bus Center（宮交仙台高速バスセンター）
Buy your ticket at the Highway Bus Center, a 5-8 minute walk from the West Exit of Sendai Station.From here, take the bus bound for Otani Kaigan and move on again. It takes about two hours to get there from Sendai!
Miyako Sendai Highway Bus Center, located in Chuo, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, is an express bus stop for Wheeler and Tohoku Kyuko buses. It is a 5-8 minute walk from the west exit of Sendai Station and is a convenient means of transportation. There are many restaurants and shopping facilities nearby, making it a popular destination for tourists.
Otani Kaigan Station (bus)
This area lost its rail line due to the earthquake, and BRT buses now run on the route that was originally the rail line. Although it is a bus stop, it is named “station” and you can feel the remnants of the trains that used to run there.
Otani Kaigan Station was renovated in 2021. They reopened as a new roadside station.
Otani Kaigan Station, located in Mishima, Motoyoshimachi, Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, is a bus stop on the East Japan Railway (JR East) Kesennuma Line BRT (Bus Rapid Transit System). This area lost its rail line due to the earthquake and tsunami and is now served by BRT buses. The bus stop is named “Eki” (station), a remnant of the trains that once ran through the area; it will be renovated and reopened as a new roadside station in 2021.
13:05 Roadside Station, Otani Kaigan
It is said that this roadside station was featured in the popular movie “Suzume no Tojimari”! This is a must-visit place for fans as they can eat the gourmet food that was shown in the theater.
The roadside station was very impressive with many delicious foods from Kesennuma.It is still a new and beautiful facility since it was revived after the earthquake with increased power!
in the building
The ceiling is designed to look like a fish bone.
Appeared on Suzume no Tojimari
Fresh farm corner
Here, visitors could find a wide selection of Kesennuma’s marine products, specialties, and souvenirs!
Souvenirs can be found here!
peanut cream sandwich
This is the peanut cream sandwich that appeared in the theatrical version of “Suzume no Tojimari”. It is also famous as Kesennuma’s local bread.
By the way, this package is only available at this roadside station, so you should definitely buy it when you come here. Although quite large, the price is reasonable at 180 yen per piece!
Specialties of Kesennuma
They’re also focusing on craft beer.
one-cup sake
Hoya Boya, a tourist character of Kesennuma City
2nd floor rooftop deck
It was cloudy that day, but it was a nice view of the ocean nearby✨
Take your time until the next bus arrives.
I had a peanut cream sandwich on the terrace.
I ate it after my ramen, but the bread was fluffy and light, so it went down quickly!The sweet and savory peanut cream was delicious!
aquarium tunnel
Michi no Eki Oya Kaigan (Hamanasu Station) is a roadside station located in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture. It has a parking lot and is close to the station for convenient access. It was featured in the movie “Suzume no tojimari” (The Sparrow’s Door), and is a great place to visit because of the many delicious foods available in Kesennuma.
1:30pm UMICOCO
Lunch at a restaurant in the roadside station. There were many menus that used plenty of seafood from Kesennuma! There is also a menu that was featured in the movie “Suzume no tojimari,” and those who come here on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land should definitely try it here.
Since I was there, I also had a bowl of seafood ramen (1,300 yen). It was delicious with plenty of wakame seaweed and mekabu (root of the wakame seaweed) turnips from Kesennuma! There were set meals and rice bowls that looked good!
Menu
Exterior
Interior
Located in Motoyoshi-cho, Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, the UMICOCO spot is a restaurant in a roadside station. Here, a wide variety of menu items using plenty of seafood from Kesennuma are offered. Some of the menu items appeared in the movie “Suzume no Tojimari” and are especially recommended for those who visit the area on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Otani Kaigan Station (bus)
From Otani Beach, take the BRT bus again!
Minami Kesennuma Station
We came to Minami Kesennuma Station near the hotel.
The exterior of the station is round and very cute!
Minami Kesennuma Station, located in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, is a bus stop on the East Japan Railway (JR East) Kesennuma Line BRT. It can be reached by BRT bus from Otani Beach and is located near the hotel. The station’s round exterior is very cute and well-received by word of mouth. It is used by tourists and locals alike as a bus stop for getting around Kesennuma City.
Ice Aquarium
Kesennuma is also famous for its ice-making technology, and we went to the “Ice Aquarium” to take advantage of this.The admission fee was 500 yen per person!
The fish are in the ice as if they were swimming, a strange sensation.We were also lent warm jackets since the temperature was minus 20 degrees Celsius. It was crazy cold inside, but the ice world lit up in various colors was beautiful and magical!The fantastic world is also photogenic.It was very interesting, so please stop by!
Entrance
Photo spots are also available.
To the world of minus 20 degrees Celsius…
Illumination is fantastic.
Hoya Boya made with ice
Free cold-weather gear rental
The Ice Aquarium in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, is an innovative aquarium using ice. The aquarium displays 450 fish of 80 species landed at Kesennuma Port in transparent ice frozen over a week at minus 20 degrees Celsius, using the advanced ice-making technology of Kesennuma, a fisheries city. Admission is 600 yen per adult.
3:00pm Kesennuma Sea Market（気仙沼「海の市」）
We came to the symbolic spot of Kesennuma! With gourmet food, amusement and souvenir stores, this facility is full of Kesennuma’s attractions.
The large red building is the landmark!
The facility includes a “Shark Museum,” an “Ice Aquarium,” and a store selling marine products✨
in the building
Product exhibitions, restaurants, etc.
Kesennuma Sea Market in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, is a symbolic spot in Kesennuma where gourmet food, shopping, learning, and the attractions of the sea come together. The facilities include a “Shark Museum” and an “Ice Aquarium,” where fresh seafood is sold. This is the best place to buy seafood and souvenirs from Kesennuma.
Isokura（磯蔵）
Visit a store selling processed marine products from Kesennuma! It is difficult to buy living things when traveling, so it is nice to have a processed goods store. Seafood that goes well with rice makes a great souvenir!
Isokura, located in Kesennuma City, is a store that sells processed marine products from Kesennuma. Kesennuma is a region rich in seafood, and its abundance of seafood that goes well with rice makes it an ideal souvenir. Isokura is a popular place to enjoy the bounty of the sea in Kesennuma, and is a great place to get a taste of the local flavor.
Hoya Boya Shop（ホヤぼーやショップ）
Next was a store across the street that sold goods featuring Hoya Boya, the mascot character of Kesennuma! Kesennuma was also the setting for the TV series “Okaeri Mone,” so goods related to that were also on sale.
Interior
Hoya Boya Shop, located in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, is a store themed on Hoya Boya, Child of the Sea, a Kesennuma City tourist character. In addition to Hoya Boya goods, the shop also carries goods related to the TV series “Okaeri Mone” (Welcome Home Monet).
4:00pm Sun Marine Kesennuma Hotel Kanyo（サンマリン気仙沼ホテル観洋）
It is a 10-minute walk to the hotel where we will be staying! The rooms have a great view of the ocean.There is a large public bath and a spacious outdoor bath for relaxation! It seems to be a natural hot spring…the best!
Exterior
Room
It was a spacious and clean Japanese-style room.
Kesennuma Bay can be seen from the room windows!
I stayed on the 7th floor so the view was more lovely…
washroom
Bathrooms in guest rooms
toilet
Lobby
It was a gorgeous lobby!
San Marin Kesennuma Hotel Kanyo is an accommodation facility located in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture. The hotel rooms overlook the ocean and offer a wonderful view. There is also a large open-air bath and a large public bath where you can relax. The hotel seems to use natural hot spring water, and word of mouth says that you can feel the benefits of the hot spring water.
4:30pm Anchor Coffee Naiwan Store（アンカーコーヒー内湾店）
Before dinner, we stopped at a cafe!Take a relaxing break at a stylish cafe with an international atmosphere.It was cold that day, so I got a rich hot chocolate (550 yen)!It was a waste to drink it because of the cute art on it.
They also offer curry using Kesennuma ingredients and special coffee.
Exterior
Interior
Warm and cozy space
Colorful chairs
Morning and Lunch Menu
Drink Menu
Sweets and Coffee Menu
Anchor Coffee Naiwan Store is a coffee shop located in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture. In a stylish foreign-style atmosphere, you can enjoy curry made with Kesennuma ingredients and coffee with a view of the sea.
5:30pm Hama no ie（浜の家）
As it is a port town, I want to eat seafood.So, we went to this restaurant for dinner to have a bowl of seafood. We had the luxurious and hearty Hamanoya Kaisen-don (2,380 yen)!
The fresh plump fish was so delicious …After all, there is no better place to enjoy fish than in a port town! Kesennuma offers delicious seafood throughout the year, so you can enjoy gourmet food any time of the year.
Exterior
A popular restaurant that was bustling soon after opening!
signboard
I made a reservation and when I got there, it was a private room.
Menu
Hama no ie, located in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, is a restaurant serving local seafood dishes, Yamagata beef, and Yamagata soba noodles. According to word of mouth, the gorgeous kaisen-don rice bowl filled with fresh fish is very popular, and the restaurant is known for its delicious port town delicacies. Kesennuma is a great place to enjoy gourmet food because of the delicious seafood available all year round.
7:00pm BLACK TIDE BREWING（ブラック タイド ブリューイング）
Kesennuma seems to be putting a lot of effort into craft beer, so I came to a restaurant where I could drink craft beer.I rushed in just before closing, but they were willing to accommodate me….Even if you are not familiar with craft beer, the waiter will kindly teach you about it!
This time, we were served four types of today’s drink (1,500 yen)! I enjoyed drinking some interesting beers, some with the savory flavor of bacon and some with a salty taste.
comparison of strokes of the day
draft beer
Exterior
Interior
BLACK TIDE BREWING is a restaurant where you can enjoy craft beer in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture. Kesennuma focuses on craft beer, and the staff will explain it to you in detail, so even craft beer beginners can enjoy it with ease. You can also enjoy today’s drink comparison set in the store, and enjoy various kinds of beers such as bacon flavored and salty interesting beers.
10:00pm Sun Marine Kesennuma Hotel Kanyo（サンマリン気仙沼ホテル観洋）
Back at the hotel, day 1 is over!