At a Glance
Osaki City is a sprawling region in the Northwest corner of Miyagi, nestled against the mountains of Yamagata. It is definitely a rural area and there are many locations with natural beauty to be found. But the rail coverage in the area is sparse and trains run infrequently so Osaki ALTs spend a lot of time in their cars. Traditionally, ALTs gathered in the central city of Furukawa, but with the city changing from JET to private ALTs it has become difficult to find places to spend the night. (Don’t forget: driving after even one beer is verboten in Japan!)
It is big. Too big. The multiple towns that make up Osaki will be listed down below. We may provide some towns with their own page if there is enough support.
It is big. Too big. The multiple towns that make up Osaki will be listed down below. We may provide some towns with their own page if there is enough support.
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Furukawa 古川
A post-modern backwoods town that tore down its trees in favour of cement low rises and the right to be called a city. Some may even call it ugly. But to those of us who know the ‘Fu, it is a place of restaurants and bars, of Russian hostesses and English conversation schools, of oversized grocery stores and overstuffed electronics shops, and a gateway to Sendai and Tokyo via the Shinkansen. In short this old river city is not so bad. Iwadeyama 岩出山 Date Masamune, famed warlord of Sendai, had his samurai training school here. It is an interesting diversion for a few hours. There is a physical science museum based on the five senses. Downtown you can find a bar called Mama-san’s, run by a Mama-san who loves foreigners and has expensive karaoke. Every autumn, Iwadeyama hosts a hot air balloon festival. Kashimadai 鹿島台 Located on the Tohoku train line it has good access to both Matsushima and Sendai. The gym, a short distance behind the train station, has a minimal fee with free membership. There are many decent restaurants and izakayas and one small restaurant offering “the best eel North of Fukushima”. There is also a new pizza restaurant. Yay pizza! Nango 南郷 It’s only 5 minutes south of Wakuya and although it doesn’t have much to offer, it does however have a great swimming pool. 8000yen for a 3 month pass. Unfortunately, Nango doesn’t have a train line, so you will need to drive or hitch-hike (not officially endorsed by MAJET). |
Kami 加美
This town is an amalgamation of three towns, Onoda (小野田), Miyazaki (宮崎), and Nakaniida (中新田). Onoda and Miyazaki are beautiful, with rolling hills and valleys filled with rice fields, but not much else. Nakaniida has the shops, including Lucas video, a Yoku Benimaru, a coffee and spaghetti restaurant called Liverte, a few izakayas and a hair salon where the hairdresser speaks English. Mt. Yakurai, situated in Onoda, casts its small shadow over Kami and makes for a good hour long hike. There are also restaurants, a nice hotel, (rentable) cabins, an onsen, and a water park at the base of Mt. Yakurai. When not swimming, you can practice karate in the evening at Nakaniida High School. Kami town is one of the few places in Miyagi to offer 4th and 5th year JET positions in their elementary schools. Kogota 小牛田 A popular place to spend an hour or two waiting for a train change when going from Furukawa to Sendai. You can kill the time eating curry udon in the restaurant across the street. Go a little farther and you can find a cozy little izakaya. Sanbongi 三本木 This town has fields filled with sunflowers during the summer. During the other three seasons the action is at the Cowboy Complex shopping strip mall on route 4 (complete with bowling, skating, karaoke, videos and batting cages). Fill your belly at Global Viking, an all you can eat restaurant featuring yaki-niku, ice cream and cotton candy. Wakuya 涌谷 Wakuya is a peaceful town about a 25 minute drive from Furukawa with a population of 19,000 plus 1 JET. It has a samurai castle called Wakuya Castle (which is famous for its cherry blossom festival in April). There is a gold museum (天平ローマン館), as gold was discovered here during the Heian Period. The gold was used to cover the Daibutsu of Nara, and for 600 yen, you can pan for your own gold! There's also an old temple on top of a mountain called Konpoudera (こんぽう寺).There's a golf course, an awesome karaoke place, and a couple of Western-food restaurants. Luckily for you, Wakuya is train-accessible. |
Shikama 色麻
Home to the mischievous river god, Kappa (who will remove and eat your liver by reaching up your anus if you’re not careful). The Rice Field is an all-natural restaurant on the 457 that has great live music on Friday nights. The ‘Zen’ course is vegetarian. For the meat-eaters, follow the little green Kappas eating green steaks to find the family style steak restaurant which sits on the small hill overlooking the town. Naruko 鳴子 Tourist hotspot of northern Miyagi. Come here for great onsens, outdoor sports and a wide selection of kokeshi dolls. With all those mountains there are some great hiking opportunities. The Naruko Gorge is a beautiful walk by yourself or with friends. Ten minutes from the bridge you can hike up to the museum on a small path. In Onikobe, you can walk through “Hell” (a hot sulfur spring) and rest at the nearby geyser and outdoor public onsen. There is also a small ski resort at Onikoube that is great for an easy day of skiing and boarding. To get to Naruko, it is easiest to drive, but there are buses and trains from Sendai. If you come in the fall, when the leaves are changing color, be prepared for traffic. Tajiri 田尻 There is a nice hill to view cherry blossoms in this town plus a public sports facility where you can reserve a “football” field for an afternoon or two. Tajiri is also home to the local park golf course. Park golf is a cross between golf and croquet and a round of fun with the local 80-year olds will cost you less than 1000yen. Tajiri is one stop north of Kogota on the Touhoku Honsen train line. |
Restaurants
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Sushi Restaurants
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Cafés
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Patisserie
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Lapras Pokemon Manhole - Rosellia
There are 35 decorative Lapras Manhole Covers all over Miyagi! You can see Rosellia in Kami, which is known for their famous Rose Garden! Lapras Pokemon Manhole - Dugtrio and Spearow You can see Dugtrio and Spearow in Osaki City outside the Kamuro; a popular eatery and tourist spot! Lapras Pokemon Manhole - Lombre You can see Lombre at Atagoyama Park near Kappa Pond! Lombre = Kappa? Shikama legend has it that a Kappa God lives in Shikama and there is a shrine dedicated to the water spirit. Lapras Pokemon Manhole - Mudsdale You can find Mudsdale by walking a bit from Wakuya Station. It's in a weird spot inside the parking lot area at the meeting hall area next to the pachinko parlor. Why Mudsdale? Because Wakuya is where the first gold mine was created! Now Wakuya is known for it's rice production. |
Shrines
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Koganeyama Jinja - 黄金山神社
In Wakuya, you can find Koganeyama Shrine which literally means Golden Mountain in English. It is the site of the first gold mine in Japan. It is protected as a National Historical Site. |
Road Stations
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Osaki Michi no Eki - 道の駅おおさき
Ala Datena Michi no Eki - 伊達な道の駅 Sanbongi Michi no Eki - 三本木 Did you know that Miyagi has fifteen Michi no Eki's or Road Stations? Osaki has THREE! They all have restaurants that offer meals usually made from local ingredients! At each Road Station, there usually is a store that sells local products that can range from local produce, local sake, small souvenirs, to wooden crafts! Please check out your closest Michi no Eki for unique goods! |
Museums
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Tenpyo Roman-kan - 天平ろまん館
Located right next to Koganeyama Shrine in Wakuya, this museum is a great visit! This is the place where much of the gold used in the construction of the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple was mined from. For 1100 yen, you can take a look inside the museum for a quick history lesson on how gold was mined in the Nara Period AND you can try your hand out gold panning yourself! |
Hiking Spots
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Hot Springs
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