SHIOGAMA 塩竈 or 塩釜
Shiogama is a port town in Miyagi located between Sendai and Matsushima. The city supports a large fishing industry, and a significant portion of Japan's tuna and swordfish catch is processed along Shiogama's waterfronts.
Shiogama Fish Market supplies fresh seafood to Sendai, Tokyo and elsewhere. Auctions of raw tuna fish are well worth watching as Shiogama has the biggest unloading of tuna for distribution in Japan due to the high quality catches sought after by buyers all over the country.
Shiogama is a port town in Miyagi located between Sendai and Matsushima. The city supports a large fishing industry, and a significant portion of Japan's tuna and swordfish catch is processed along Shiogama's waterfronts.
Shiogama Fish Market supplies fresh seafood to Sendai, Tokyo and elsewhere. Auctions of raw tuna fish are well worth watching as Shiogama has the biggest unloading of tuna for distribution in Japan due to the high quality catches sought after by buyers all over the country.
Not surprisingly, Shiogama is famous for its local seafood, especially its sushi, and boasts the highest number of sushi restaurants per capita in Japan. To the right of Shiogama Station (near Yokubenimaru) is Shiogamako Kaisenzushi Restraurant (廻鮮寿司塩釜港) which has the BEST sushi in all of Japan! Feel free to ask for the English menu. The map is shown below.
The famous sushi restaurant in Shiogama is Shiogama Sushitetsu Honten (塩竃すし哲 本店).
If you like seafood, 海鮮料理魚長亭 is quite a good Japanese restaurant located on the border of Tagajo and Shiogama.
The famous sushi restaurant in Shiogama is Shiogama Sushitetsu Honten (塩竃すし哲 本店).
If you like seafood, 海鮮料理魚長亭 is quite a good Japanese restaurant located on the border of Tagajo and Shiogama.
The city derives its name ("salt furnace" or "salt cauldron") from an ancient method to harvest salt by boiling seawater in large kettles. The ritual is still performed every July at Shiogama Shrine, the oldest Shinto shrine in Tohoku.
The best time to visit the shrine is probably during hanami (cherry blossom viewing) season in late April/early May.
There are a wide variety of sakura trees including the 'shiogama-zakura', a sakura unique to the shrine.
The best time to visit the shrine is probably during hanami (cherry blossom viewing) season in late April/early May.
There are a wide variety of sakura trees including the 'shiogama-zakura', a sakura unique to the shrine.
The main hub of the city is around Hon-Shiogama Station. There are many restaurants, bars, coffee shops, Aeon Mall, and Marine Gate. La Gita Pizzeria has delicious pizza and it's located across from Marine Gate. Marine Gate has a couple of restaurants and souvenir shops. At Marine Gate you can by ferry tickets to Shiogama's Urato Islands and Matsushima.
There are 5 islands that you can visit and prices vary according to the distance. Katsurashima is the first stop on the ferry. There is a post office, a nori factory, Katsurashima beach where you can swim. The next stop is Nonoshima. There you can find the General Development Center, Urato ES and JHS, a Christian Budda statue in the Kumano Shrine, and a curious group of caves. The third island is Ishihama, and there isn't much there except fisherman and a view of the other islands. The largest of the Urato Islands is Sabusawajima. It is the birthplace of Tsudayu and Sahei, who were the first Japanese to travel around the world. During the Edo period, Sabusawajima had thrived as the Date Clan's port. There are objects that show former prosperity today such as the stone compass of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, statues of bound Jizo in Hiyoriyama Mountain, and the monument for the very first Western-style warship "Kaiseimaru" built by the Date Clan. The last island on the itinerary is Hojima Island. This island's main industry is fisheries with raw oyster and fry oyster cultures. https://www.city.shiogama.miyagi.jp/urato/access/index.html