At a Glance
Kana-kun! Mascot of Natori!
Natori borders on the southern end of Sendai's urban sprawl and is a city of 60,000 people. It's also the location of Sendai airport, Nikon, NASPA, Yuriage Morning Market, a very large AEON mall, and the Sapporo Brewing Company's brewery for the Tohoku region. Being central to the prefecture, Natori enjoys all the benefits of it - easy rail access both into and out of Miyagi, easy access to most stores, and yet it still has some small city feeling to it.
Restaurants
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White Gyoza Saganoya - ホワイトギョーザ サガノ家
One local restaurant that Natori ALTs (and locals alike) LOVE is White Gyoza Sagano . Famous for its handmade deep fried dumplings, it routinely has lines. Enak Indonesian restaurant to the south of Natori station. If you've never experienced the flavour trip which is Indonesian cuisine, a definite place to try it out! Primo Casual Italian eatery located close to the AEON mall. Famous for their Japanese styled lasagna which combines unique ingredients like Miyagi Spinach and sasakamaboko with Italian lasagna. Suginoya Right off of Route 4, this popular ramen restaurant often has lines forming outside on the weekends and sells out of soup before night time. The signature sea bream broth is light and savory, making for a surprisingly sophisticated bowl of ramen. Sapporo Beer Garden Located right behind Natori station is Sapporo Beer's regional brewery. You can take tours, or you can stop in to the restaurant for an all-you-can-eat buffet. Mochimochi no Ki - もちもちの木 While originally from Saitama, they've made their way to Sendai. Serving some of the best spicy ramen, definitely a place to check out! |
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Cafe Shokudo Laugh - Cafe 食堂 Laugh
Cozy and quaint, Café Shokudo laugh’s signature menu item is probably the gapao rice featuring seri (Japanese parsley) grown in Natori. There’s also light and fluffy chiffon cakes and French toast for sweets lovers. Natu Lino A popular gelato store with a wide variety of flavors. Although they have recently opened an outpost in Sendai city, the original store is based in Natori and offers more than just gelato. The parfaits and shaved iced are perfect summer time treats. Mellow Day Coffee - メロウディーコーヒー A small cafe located in a residential area in Natori's mountainous side. The prices might be cheap, but the portions and quality are not! Cafe & Session Pablo The location in Natori if you're into jazz, wanting to get into it, or just wanting somewhere with one helluva atmosphere. Not only does the owner have an entire wall full of various jazz records, but sometimes local jazz bands will perform live. The coffee and food are also quite decent, with the beans being roasted on site. Cafe Nijineko - カフェにじねこ Not just any cafe, Nijineko specialises in doughnuts. If you're tired of all the chain doughnut stores, definitely try them out. They have all kinds of different variety, including some cat shaped doughnuts! Alice Garden Cafe - アリスガーデンカフェ Another residential area cafe, this particular cafe takes cues from Alice in Wonderland - complete with an "adult's kid's set" (a massive 40cm plate lined to the brim with all kinds of dishes - apparently limited to only seven per day!). It's not the cheapest, but it's worth it. |
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R Baker
Spacious bakery with a large dine-in area. Apart from bread and coffee, they also serve pancakes and hamburgers for lunch. Ag:re Bread and Cafe - アグリブレッドカフェ Located right next to (and part of) a berry farm, this bakery/cafe serves various fresh breads and fancy lunch plates to sate your desires. Most of the sweets also feature fruit which were picked right next door! Knights Bridge Specializes in tarts of all kinds. The store is take out only, but it also offers baking classes on certain days of the week. It’s recommended to come early, as they can sell out before closing time on weekends. Miyu Kitchen - みゆキッチン A chiffon cake shop. Very light and fluffy, they're a unique eating experience compared to the usual cake. There's not much selection (or many cakes!) so get there early before they sell out. Kakapo Bakery - カカポベーカリー Named after the New Zealand bird, this small bakery is just as cute as its namesake. In addition to offering all kinds of baked goods, they also offer sandwiches and coffee. Definitely a place to check out if you're looking for crusty baguettes! Bagel Maruco - ベーグルマルコ Do you miss bagels from your respective country? Look no further than Maruco! They specialise and only sell bagels, from the classic plain to various unusual takes on what a bagel can be. |
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Sora to Buzuo - 空とぶぞう
An Indian restaurant close to city hall and the event center. The butter chicken curry here is incredible and portions very generous. Unica Asian Restaurant - ユニカアジアンレストラン An Indo-Nepalese restaurant serving generous amounts of curry, plus massive mounds of Indian rice for reasonable prices. |
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Miyagi Lapras Pokelid - Shiny Lapras
Did you know that Miyagi's Ambassador Pokemon is Lapras? There are 35 decorative Lapras Manhole Covers all over the Sanriku Coast of Miyagi! Find the rare Shiny Lapras at the Natori Memorial Park whichhas some lovely chrysanthemums! |
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Raijinyama Kofun - 雷神山古墳
A kofun is a keyhole shaped tomb, and the one in Natori dates to around the 4th or 5th century. Not much is known about it aside from the rough estimate of when it was constructed. Currently though, it's a very popular park among Natori locals, with many people spending time on the weekend there. It's also a popular cherry blossom spot in spring. |
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Kumano Nachi Shrine - 熊野那智神社
Overlooking the city, this shrine offers unobstructed views of Natori and the coast in the distance. At night it's quite beautiful seeing the twinkling city lights down below, and the warm summer's breeze on your face. There's a market held here in the spring, featuring local craftspeople and food trucks. |
Shopping Centers
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AEON Mall - Natori
Also called Diamond City, it's a proper shopping mall. It has a AEON Cinema, Jusco, Aeon Super Center, two food courts, Mitsukoshi, HMV, Lush, a massive ton of clothing and specialty stores AND the train stops right at the front door! There's even one (of the two) Hard-Offs in the eastern Miyagi region located right next to it. Yuriage Morning Market and The Maple Museum - ゆりあげ港朝市とメイプル館 . Don't let the name dissuade you - the "fish" market has much more than fish for sale. In addition to all forms of delicious sushi and fresh fish, there's greengrocers and even a cafe at the market! The Maple Museum was built by Canadians for the people of Tohoku. It is the Canada-Tohoku Friendship Pavillion. There's a gallery, a bookstore, and a kitchen inside. They sell local food and treats. Kawamachi Terrace - かわまちてらす Another marketplace, though slightly less famous (not by much) than Yuriage Morning Market. Much like the morning market, there's plenty of fresh vegetables/fruit on offer along with fish. There's even a cafe! |
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Natori Cycle Sports Center - 名取市サイクルスポーツセンター
Built in 2020, this sleek center does more than just cycling. There's a skate park on offer, fustal court, and even a natural onsen after you've done your workout (or popped some ollies) for the day. You can even stay there overnight if you want! Michinoku Shiokaze Trail Center - みちのく潮風トレイルセンター An information center about the coastal trail running the length of Tohoku - it also features a campground will all new facilities. |
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Yuriage Brewery - 宮城マイクロブルワリー ゆりあげ麦酒醸造所
A brewery located near the morning market. Featuring all kinds of brews, definitely a place to look into if you're into beer! Their dunkel is just like the true German, and their strawberry ale packs a punch! |
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Sendai Airport - 仙台空港
Much like how Tokyo Disneyland isn't in Tokyo at all, Sendai Airport is much the same and instead located in Natori (likely where the "Natori = Sendai" confusion comes from but eh...). There is a small flight museum and simulator here, along with occasional events and markets. You can also go to the observation deck and watch the planes take off and land; or head over to the road which passes in front of the runway to get right up with the landing planes. Natori Library - 名取市図書館 A very stylish building, the Natori library is right next to Natori station making for convenient access. There is a small museum at the top floor dedicated to 3.11, and a cafe called Mozart on the second floor where you can have coffee while reading a book or magazine. |
