At a Glance
A bowl of spilled hatto, Hatton! The mascot of Tome!
|
Tome is known for its rice. There's actually a sign in Tome that reads: "No rice, no life." Tome is a lovable city that has plenty to offer and is worth paying a visit if you haven't already. Tome is mostly flatlands, but mountains cut through the eastern border. Tome is well known for its scenic beauty all year round. If you like hiking, there are plenty of mountains, trails, and other venues!
In 2005, the towns of Hasama, Minamikata, Nakada, Towa, Ishikoshi, Yoneyama, Toyoma, Toyosato, and Tsuyama merged to form modern-day Tome - each town bringing in its unique charm and traditions to Tome. |
Cafés
|
One World cafe & books
Probably the Tome ALTs' favorite café to go to. The café has a nice homey atmosphere and there's a whole wall of books both in English and Japanese to read from. The owner is very kind and has traveled all over the world. Unlike most cafes, he sells muffins, cheese toast, vegetable stew with homemade bread, and quiches. The coffee is ground daily, and the tea is never too bitter. There is yoga once a month with a local guru and other events are often hosted here. ＣＯＦＦＥＥ ＩＰＰＯ - 自家焙煎珈琲店 A secluded coffee cafe along a very narrow road in the mountains of Tome. Many bikers pass by this cafe on their way to the highway. If you ever wanted a cozy cabin in the woods and a sophisticated café experience, then this is the place for you. They offer a fantastic range of coffee and sweets that are well worth the price. You can actually see their bean collection on a wall near the register. Café Gati Café Gati has probably the best view of the Toyoma rice fields in summer. It has a lot of natural lighting which is good for photos. Café Gati has a rotating seasonal menu which has refined portions and great flavors. Highly recommended for special occasions. |
Restaurants
|
Kurara - 喰膳 蔵．らー
A cafeteria style eatery located inside the Toyoma Tourism and Local Produce Center, next to the Meiji Village Education Museum. They offer Tome's specialty; hatto. Hatto is a soup dish that can include many different ingredients, but the most important one is the flat dumplings. You can get a lot of food for around 1000 yen. There's also a souvenir shop where you can get merchandise of Tome's official mascot, Hatton! Blue Moon - ブルームーン Blue Moon is a popular restaurant in Sanuma. They specialize in Japanese-Italian food, and offer plenty of courses and set meals. Their dinner courses are very generous, visitors often mention the affordable price for a satisfying amount of food. They also have a vast drink menu, and if they have time they will mix drinks in front of guests. |
South Asian Cuisine
|
Shangri La - 印度レストラン シャングリラ
Shangri La is widely considered the best Indian curry place in town. This restaurant has an assortment of curries and naan. You can also pick how spicy you want your dish on a scale of 1 - 20. Be careful though, if you ask for a very spicy menu item, Shangri La will provide it. |
Patisserie
|
Sabun Patisserie - パティスリーサブン
A quaint patisserie that has delicious cakes, cookies, and even macarons. It's desserts are beautiful and popular for special occasions! |
|
Miyagi PokeLid - Lotad and Lapras
Did you know that Miyagi's Support Pokemon is Lapras? There are 35 decorative Lapras Manhole Covers all over Miyagi! You can see this one at Byodonuma Fureai Park which is known for its cherry blossoms in spring! Tome is famous for it's blooming lotus in the summer at its lakes. |
Windmill
|
Hakucho - 白鳥
One of Tome's major icons. Featured in a lot of Tome's merchandise, Hakucho is one of the few actual functioning windmills in Japan. It was actually gifted by the Netherlands in 1991. There is even a mini museum about Hakucho inside with windmill. There is also a large slide next to the windmill. It's popular among residents and visitors. Hakucho also has its own mascot, Fu-shan! A cute girl who wears Dutch inspired clothes whose red hair is in the shape of a tulip! |
Shrines
|
Haguro Shrine - 羽黒神社
This shrine is hard to miss as you're driving around Sanuma. It's right by the Haza River. There's also local festivals held here. Tsushima Shrine - 津島神社 Another popular shrine in Tome. This shrine is across from Kadacho and while sparse, it has a lot of interesting things to see; a small purification rock pool, a ring made of rice tillers that you can walk through, and a charm shop. |
Lakes
|
Lake Naganuma, Izunuma and Uchinuma - 長沼・伊豆沼・内沼
Naganuma is the biggest body of water in Tome. For nature lovers, you can take a boat ride around Izunuma or Naganuma to see the blooming water lotuses in early July or August. Annual Lotus Festivals are held here. In winter, you can watch geese from Siberia migrating overhead from the Izunuma-Uchinuma Sanctuary Center. The geese's call is considered one of the 100 Sounds of Japan. |
Road Stations
|
Michi no Eki - 道の駅
Did you know that Miyagi has fifteen Michi no Eki's or Roadside Stations? Tome has five! Yoneyoma, Mitakido, Tsuyama, Minamikata, and Rinrinkan. They all have restaurants that offer meals often made from local ingredients! At each Roadside Station, there usually is a store that sells local products that can range from local produce, local sake, small souvenirs, to wooden crafts! |
Parks
|
Naganuma Futopia Park - 長沼フートピア公園
At Naganuma Futopia Park, there is a big Dutch-style windmill called Hakucho (白鳥) that stands at the center of the park. There's also a gift shop that sells local produce and ice cream as well as a cafeteria that's open in the mornings. Here, there are tulip gardens, camp sites, and other recreational facilities. The park is also the venue for the fireworks festival held in mid-August as well as the Tohoku Food Marathon in April. Hanashobunogo Park - 花菖蒲の郷公園 Hanashobu is a kind of Japanese iris and this park is teeming with them. They are in peak bloom in Spring. There are about 800,000 Japanese irises and 300 different varieties spread out over five hectares. The park also has sculptures by local and international artists. Emisawa Shizen Park - 笑沢自然公園 On a hill in the center of Toyosato you can find Emisawa park. The park boasts a beautiful view of the town from the top of the hill. In the spring, the hill is covered in beautiful blooming cherry trees. By fall, you can find many fallen chestnuts all around the park. Byodonuma Fureai Park - 平筒沼ふれあい公園 Byodonuma attracts people year-round. It's a well regarded nature preserve in the area. No matter the season, this park provides beautiful, natural views. The Fureai Bridge spans the entire lake, which gives a great vantage point of the surrounding scenery. Byodonuma Fureai Park is part of one of Miyagi's seven Olle Trails; hiking trails aimed to promote the local landscape. |
Museums
|
Ishinomori Shotaro Furusato Memorial - 石ノ森章太郎ふるさと記念館
The collected works of Shotaro Ishinomori as well as some other famous comic book artists are exhibited here, including his masterpieces, "Masked Rider" and "Cyborg 009". Some of Ishinomori's belongings are also on display in the museum. Ishinomori was born in Ishinomori, Nakada. An apartment complex called Tokiwaso, where he lived while he was in Tokyo, is reproduced and exhibited at the memorial. His original house, located near the memorial, is also open to visitors, and exhibits some of his favorite books and doodles during his childhood. During winter, they have an impressive illumination! Meiji Village Education Museum - 登米町教育資料館 Another iconic place in Tome. The Meiji Village Education Museum is known for it's unique architecture representative of the Meiji Period. You can get an all around ticket and see the Education Museum, Prefectural Office, and the Police Museum. Meiji Village Police Museum - 警察資料館 A museum where you can see Meiji Period police uniforms, cars, photos, and even records. They're preserved very well. There's even an entire police car inside you can look at up close! Meiji Village Mizusawa Prefectural Office Memorial - 水沢県庁記念館 A quaint museum that's a part of the Meiji Village Museum collection. It displays old Meiji Period architecture and furniture that was used in the old Prefectural Office. |
Boat Rides
|
Izunuma and Uchinuma Boat Rides
During late spring and early summer, you can rent a boat out on one of the lakes and admire the blooming lotus up-close. If you take a tour, the tour guide might pluck a seed from the lotus for you to eat! |
Theme Parks
|
Chacha World Ishikoshi - チャチャワールドいしこし
Tome's amusement park. Located in Ishikoshi, this theme park quite popular with locals. It has a mountain train that goes on a rail for two minutes. It also has a different train that you can ride across the park if you get tired. The attractions are mainly carnival rides and inflatables. The park has water attractions in the summer. |
Events
|
Tohoku Food Marathon
Every spring, Tome hosts the Tohoku Food Marathon. During the event, many people from Tohoku gather at Lake Naganuma for a weekend in April to eat, drink and run! The Tohoku Food Marathon often has an annual theme and participants are encouraged to dress up, so you may see some cosplayers running along the lakeside in full costume. There is a full marathon, half marathon, relay marathon, 5km stretch, parents' marathon, and a ASICS Tomorrow Run. The full marathon is two times around Lake Naganuma. For more information about the Tohoku Food Marathon please check out the site! |
