In Ishinomaki City and Tashirojima Island in Miyagi Prefecture, 350 km north of Tokyo, visitors can enjoy delicious fish, roads lined with manga character statues, and the cat island “Tashiro ” respectively, and learn about The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake.
How to get to Ishinomaki City and Tashiro Island
Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, can be reached by first taking the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Sendai, and then by train from Sendai.
Tashiro Island can be reached in about an hour by taking the “ajishimaline” ferry from Ishinomaki Port.
Ishinomaki Manga Road
As you exit Ishinomaki Station, statues of numerous characters created by Shotaro Ishinomori, one of Japan’s most famous manga artists, who is associated with Ishinomaki, stand here and there.
Delicious fish from Ishinomaki
At ISHINOMAKI GENKI ICHIBA, a 12-minute walk from Ishinomaki Station, you can enjoy delicious Ishinomaki fish at the store on the first floor or at the restaurant on the second floor, including kaisendon and sashimi (a dish much like “sushi” as it is commonly known).
Tashiro Island, where you can see many cats
On Tashirojima Island, which can be reached by ferry from Ishinomaki City, many cats are cherished as symbols of the island’s development. These cats are friendly to humans and can be petted and played with.
The outbound ferry departs from Ishinomaki’s Central Terminal at 12:30 pm and arrives at Tashirojima’s Nitoda Terminal at 13:34 pm. (during summer).
The return ferry departs from Nitoda Terminal on Tashiro Island at 15:30 and arrives at Kadowaki Terminal in Ishinomaki at 16:20.
There is a spot to learn about The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake near the Kadowaki Terminal, so get off here on your return trip.
Caution!
The 15:30 ferry from Nitoda to Ishinomaki is the last one of the day, so be sure to catch it.
Tashiro Island cats
There is a sign at the entrance to the island’s road, and the one marked 「多い」 (on the left) has more cats, so proceed this way.
Learning about The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake
Walking around the Kadonowaki Arrival and Departure Station, you will see an elementary school that was destroyed by the tsunami caused by the earthquake.
A museum summarizing what occurred at that time stands nearby, where one can learn a great deal about the disaster.
Model Course
Model course for a one-day trip from Tokyo to Ishinomaki, leaving Tokyo at 7:00 AM and returning at 9:00 PM.
