Bokke no Bo-chan likes to surf as Shichigahama's Tourism Character
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At a GlanceIf the name doesn't give it away, Shichigahama is known for it's seven beaches! Peak season for Shichigahama is summer where everyone all around Miyagi comes to Shichigahama to surf!
The seven beaches are:
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Restaurants
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Suzuhiro - とんかつ すず広
A tonkatsu restaurant serving things fresh and ready. When they released (the first and last of) the Miyagi-prefecture Michelin Guide, Suzuhiro was one of the only Shichigahama shops mentioned (though quite a few weren't in full operation yet). The tonkatsu that this place serves in INSANE. It's one of those small house-restaurants. Hiyori - 日和 A tiny soba restaurant with a nice atmosphere and good flavour. They have great soba teishoku! Though it's similarly a house-restaurant kind of vibe, it's much more upscale, but still cozy. Their lunches have so much variety and is seasonal. Minato Hanten - 湊飯店 Chinese restaurant with decent prices, but odd hours Suzuran - すず蘭 A local izakaya with a good atmosphere. Tada - 和食家ＴＡＤＡ The more well-known and centrally located izakaya in town |
Cafés
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Shichi no Cafe & Pizza
A very popular café and pizza restaurant with all kinds of Instagram-ready foodstuffs. Pizza and pasta shop with a waterview. Their pizza is to die for, and they also have fluffy soufflé pancakes. All that while watching the ocean? It's super relaxing and also a popular spot when the weather is nice, so you might have to wait depending on when you go. They also have a beautiful breakfast plate that they serve in the mornings! Café Hanaruri Kaze - ｲﾍﾞﾝﾄｶﾌｪ 花瑠璃の風 Retro café that surprisingly mainly serves ramen and specialises in seafood ramen! They're known for a classic shoyu and asari (clam) shio ramen, and also have seasonal ramen options, like hiyashi chuuka with a seaweed twist. They also serve pancakes and are great for a chill coffee or tea break so that part makes them a café. Café la Luna - カフェ・ラ・ルナ It is located inside the Kokusaimura and features a modern European inspired menu SEASAW (シーソー) Art café and bar located along the Shobutahama beach. Many of the ingredients come directly from the prefecture, some even straight from their backyard! I recommend anything seaweed-related or rhubarb-related on their menu. SEASAW is good at making wafuu-style cuisine but *really* well. I'm a huge fan of their seaweed carbonara pasta. Nana Cafe Kirikabu - 菜菜ｃａｆｅ＊キリカブ It's a café in the afternoon and bar in the evening. They're a health conscious cafe with a cat-loving manager who serves really healthy (think brown rice and green smoothies), vegetarian cuisine. Some of the dishes need to be reserved beforehand as they take time to make, which requires some Japanese.It turns into a bar at night, that serves a lot of local sake! |
Sushi Restaurants
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Kizen Sushi - 喜ぜん
A sushi-ya serving up fresh fish and a great atmosphere. Can't get much fresher! |
Ramen Shops
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Kura Ramen
*technically* in Tagajo, but it's on the same peninsula as Shichigahama. Rated as one of the better ramen restaurants in Miyagi, and it's quite decent. Get there early or face the lines to get in. There are often lines around lunch, but it's a testament to how delicious their ramen is – there's a general consensus by locals that it's the best ramen around. |
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Miyagi Lapras Pokelid - Ditto and Staryu
Did you know that Miyagi's Ambassador Pokemon is Lapras? There are 35 decorative Lapras Manhole Covers all over the Sanriku Coast of Miyagi! Located near the Umi no Eki, you |
Memorials and Monuments
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Tsunami Memorial
A good place for pictures given the statues look towards the lighthouse and village on a cliff |
Points of Interest
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Kashiwagi Ruins - 柏木遺跡
A site of a former ironworks dating back to the Jomon period. Shichigahama Kokusaimura - 七ヶ浜国際村 An event hall which has a lot of concerts, cosplay events, and much more |
Shrines
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Hanabuchi Shrine - 鼻節神社
It was featured in the anime Kannagi, has a private beach, and is about ~1200 years old. Hanabushi was said to have been built over 1400 years ago, and enshrines deities such as Sarutahiko Okami, leader of all earthbound Shinto gods. Every year there is also a matsuri held, where they offer abalone to the gods, to pray for the safety of fishing boats. The trek to get to the first gate of the shrine requires a drive or walk through a narrow, dirt road, but the shrine itself is surrounded by nature and at the top of a hill with a nice view. Kashiwagi Shrine - 柏木神社 It is located in Shichigahama (technically Tagajo), it is one of the older shrines in the region, and is where you can get the stamp for Hanabuchi Shrine, but you have to call for it. |
Temples
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Bishamondo Temple - 毘沙門堂
Bishamondo Temple is at the top of Tamonzan, a small mountain which houses one of the four views of Matsushima Bay. The specific view of the bay is actually right behind the temple itself. It enshrines a 20cm Bishamonten, a Buddhist god of war, that is displayed once every 33 years, scheduled to appear again in 2029. The walk up to the temple is also surrounded by tall trees and nature and Tamonzan itself is a park that also has great sakura and lots of community gardens. Not to be confused with the other hundreds of Bishamondo Temples across Japan. |
Beaches
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Azukihama Beach
A beach famous for surfing. Azukihama is known as a surfer's beach and there are people year round surfing there. Matty's Surf, near the beach, also offers lessons, though you have to contact them in advance (Japanese) to make reservations. Omotehama Beach AKA: Foreigner's Beach . A more secluded version of the previous two. There's also a park nearby as well as a neat cave. Shobutahama Beach One of the more popular beaches in Tohoku which also sets up summer stands selling food and drinks in the summer. It's only an hour away from Sendai by train and a short bus ride from Tagajo Station. Yoshidahama Beach An even more secluded than Omotehama, and doesn't have any barriers, offering a full view of Matsushima Bay and the Pacific Ocean |
Parks
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Daigigakoi Park
Ａ huge park with plenty of small trails! I've gotten kind of lost here before. It has various types of sakura trees and is beautiful during sakura season. It has THE sakura tree that everyone goes to see, called the Daigi Sakura, which is an Edo Higan Sakura. Shichigahamamachi Skate Park - 七ヶ浜町スケートパーク A dedicated skateboarding/rollerblading area in front of Lifelong Learning Center that's free. |
Museums
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Shichigahama Historical Museum - 七ヶ浜町歴史資料館
A small museum featuring artifacts from the Jomon period and town history; completely free |
Gyms and Sport Centers
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Aquarena Health and Sports Center - スポーツセンター・アクアリーナ
Town gym, anyone can use it with a small fee (440 yen as of writing), or get a membership! The building is impressive itself. There are plenty of exercise machines but not many free weights. Shichigahama Lifelong Learning Center - 七ヶ浜町生涯学習センター Not really a sports center but it has sports facilities surrounding it. There is a soccer stadium and the Shichigahama Public Swimming Pool, an indoor pool, behind the Lifelong Learning Center. Shiomidai Golf Club - 汐見台ゴルフガーデン Full course, in front of Lifelong Learning Center, you can borrow clubs and balls from the entrance-way of the Lifelong Learning Center, just write your name down on the clipboard |
Shopping Centers
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Christmas Craft Marche
At Shichigahama Kokusaimura, it's a big craft market held every year that sells lots of handmade ornaments, trinkets, and baked goods. Also has a small Christmas concert and kid-oriented workshops, like card-making or easy cooking activities. Shichi no Shi - 七の市 Every last Sunday of the month there is a farmer's market event called "Shichi no Shi" where you can buy locally caught fish and more. |
Events
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Fishing
You can fish pretty much anywhere in Shichigahama, so on days when the weather is nice, you'll see lots of individuals out on the ports and seawalls fishing! You can take home whatever you catch, but shellfish and seaweed are off limits. Soba-making workshop at Hiyori (Japanese) A local restaurant in town that makes great soba cuisine also holds a workshop that you can reserve where you get to make soba. Shichigahama Sagyou Matsuri A yearly festival held in the parking lot of Shichi no Ya, where local businesses and vendors gather and sell local food and there are stages for performances. It's a bit from normal matsuri--while they sell the classic yakisoba, etc, there's also a focus on local specialties, like bokke soup. International Days Every year the Kokusaimura holds a big, multi-day event themed around a specific country. There's food booths with cuisine native to that country, games, craft workshops, performances, and talks! Due to corona, this year's events are pushed to next, so in 2021, we'll have USA (Plymouth-focused) themed International Days, and *also* an Africa-themed International Summer event! Paraglide Tour You can also take a paraglide tour over the town depending on the weather |
