At a Glance
A bowl of spilled hatto, Hatton! The mascot of Tome!
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If the kanji that makes up Tome didn't give it away, Tome is known for its rice. There's actually a sign in Tome that reads: "No rice, no life." Although there are are arguably more rice fields than people, Tome is a lovable city that has plenty to offer and is worth visiting. Tome is mostly flat lands with the eastern border being covered in mountains. Tome is well known for its scenic beauty all year round and if you like hiking there are plenty of options!
When the Tome City JETs aren't eating at Coco's, Kappa Sushi, or Shangri La, they are either getting buff at Nakada Arena Gym, participating in community activities like volleyball, kyuudo, futsal, yosakoi, or frolicking in the rice fields -- totally kidding about the frolicking. 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. Although Tome is classified as a city, its remains a fairly rural area. |
Cafés
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one world cafe & books
Probably the Tome ALTs' favorite café to go to. The café has a nice homely atmosphere to it and there's a whole wall of books both in English and Japanese to read from. The owner is nice 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 the way to the highway. If you ever wanted a cozy cabin in the woods but a fancy sophisticated café experience then this is the place to go. 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. CoFFee doctors - コーヒー ドクターズ CoFFee doctors is a small cafe yet it offers a wide variety of drink and food options! The food is plated so beautifully that will make you think you're in a actual restaurant. Located in Sanuma. 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 those food modeling photos. Café Gati has a rotating seasonal menu which has small portions but tastes great. Highly recommended for dates and studying. |
Restaurants
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Coco's Restaurant - ココス
Coco's is a favorite among the Tome JETs for its cheap(ish) fare, unlimited drink bar, and dessert menu. The menu is pretty varied; you can find things like pizza, pasta, steak, and some really great parfaits. if anything, the parfaits alone make this place worth checking out! Marumatsu - まるまつ Marumatsu is the washoku cousin of Coco's. Ramen, soba, or any kind of donburi...they have it all! Their drink bar selection isn't as expensive as Coco's but the prices are a little friendlier for your wallet. Joyfull - ジョイフル Joyfull is another popular family restaurant chain. It stays open until 2AM so it makes a great place to late night study. Like other family restaurants, their menu rotates every season but their drink bar stays the same. McDonald's - マクドナルド Tome has one of the only McDonald's in the tippy top northern part of Miyagi. It may sound strange to include a McDonalds but it's one of the only McDonalds for awhile. The closest McDonalds in the north of Miyagi are in Ishinomaki, Furukawa, or across the border in Iwate in Ishinoseki. In fact, some ALTs drive an hour to Tome just to get their McD's fix. Everyone there is nice and are very understanding if you don't speak Japanese. You often see people studying here as well. Kurara - 喰膳 蔵．らー A cafeteria style eatery located inside the Toyoma Tourism and Local Produce Center that's next to the Meiji Village Education Museum. They offer Tome's specialty; hatto! Hatto is a soup dish that can include many different local ingredients but the main ingredient that makes it hatto is the flat dumpling-like noodle substitute! You can get a lot of food for just around 1000 yen. Next to it is an area where you can get merchandise of Tome's official mascot, Hatton! Blue Moon - ブルームーン Blue Moon is a fairly inconspicuous gem in Sanuma. They specialize in Japanese-Italian food and offer plenty of courses and sets that will make your visit feel like you're having a five course meal that won't break your wallet (around 2500 yen person for dinner set). They also have a vast non-alcoholic menu and alcoholic menu where they will mix it up in front of you if they have time. |
South Asian Cuisine
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Shangri La - 印度レストラン シャングリラ
Shangri La is arguably the best Indian curry place in town. This restaurant has an assortment of curries and you can choose between plain, garlic, or cheese naan. You can also pick how spicy you want your dish on a scale of 1 - 20. Be forewarned though, if you ask for a four star spice, you will be getting a four star spice. |
Ramen
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Kon no Ren - 紺のれん 長沼 （佐沼店）
A great ramen place in Sanuma down the road from the clothing store, Shimamura. The shop's specialty is pork and onion ramen. Their pork is great and melts in your mouth because they marinate it for two days. You can choose between thick or thin noodles as well. They're super fast so if you need a quick bite this is the place! |
Pizzeria
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PIZZA ZUCCHERO - ピザ ズッケロ
A very, very small pizzeria located a bit out of Nakada. This is considered the best place to get pizza in Tome. They use a stone oven to bake their pizzas and they offer very big kakigori (shaved ice) in the summer. If you want to go there with a big group you should call ahead of time to reserve space since it is very, very small. |
Patisserie
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Sabun Patisserie - パティスリーサブン
A quaint patisserie that has delicious cakes, cookies, and even macarons. It's tucked away but you can spot this place by its tall purple sign! |
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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
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Hakucho - 白鳥
Hakucho is Tome's star icon. Featured in a lot of Tome's merchandise, Hakucho is one of the few actual functioning windmills in Japan there were gifted by the Netherlands. Inside the windmill there is a mini museum about Hakucho. Right outside the windmill is a roller slide that will take you back to your childhood days! Fair warning, for the slide you might want to bring something to sit on. Did you know? 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
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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 and there's often local festivals held here. Tsushima Shrine - 津島神社 One of the attended shrines 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
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Lake Naganuma, Izunuma and Uchinuma - 長沼・伊豆沼・内沼
Naganuma is the biggest body of water in Tome. Izunuma is technically half in Tome and half in Kurihara. Uchinuma is in Kurihara, but it's close enough. For the nature lovers (or just 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 with Izunuma with the biggest. 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
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Michi no Eki - 道の駅
Did you know that Miyagi has fifteen Michi no Eki's or Road Stations? Tome has five! Yoneyoma, Mitakido, Tsuyama, Minamikata, and Rinrinkan. 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! |
Parks
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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), 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. You can fancy yourself a picnic as well as enjoy other activities such as camping, dancing, and sports games. Or if you're feeling up for a two minute thrill, slide down the big slide! The park is also the venue for the fireworks festival held in mid-August and the Tohoku Food Marathon in April. Hanashobunogo Park - 花菖蒲の郷公園 Hanashobu is a kind of Japanese iris and man oh man, this park has plenty of them. They are in peak bloom in Spring. There are about 800,000 Japanese irises and 300 different kinds spread out over five hectares. The park also has sculptures by local and international artists. Emisawa Shizen Park - 笑沢自然公園 There is a hill in the center of Toyosato commanding a fine view of the town. Emisawa Park is one of the Top 100 sightseeing spots in Miyagi and for good reason too. This hilltop park has a fine view of the town and has 300 cherry and chestnut trees. in the fall, the ground is crunchy-full of chestnuts! Visit this park and do it for the Instagram. Byodonuma Fureai Park - 平筒沼ふれあい公園 Byodonuma attracts people year-round. In spring, the park is bursting with cherry blossoms. In summer, you can gaze at water lilies and lotus in the lake. In fall, the surrounding forest's leaves turn into fall colors. In winter, you can see the migratory birds overhead. There's the Fureai Bridge that spans the entire lake which gives a great vantage point of the surrounding scenery. Byodonuma Fureai Park is part of one of Miyagi's four Olle Trails; hiking trails aimed to promote the local landscape. |
Museums
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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 the visitor, 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 One of the iconic places 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 all on one ticket! This is also a shooting site for the Spring 2021 NHK morning TV drama. Meiji Village Police Museum - 警察資料館 A small 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 small museum that's a part of the Meiji Village Museum collection. Exhibits old Meiji Period architecture and furniture used in the old Prefectual Office. |
Boat Rides
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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
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Chacha World Ishikoshi - チャチャワールドいしこし
Tome's one and only theme park! Up north in Ishikoshi, this theme park quite small. It has a mountain train that goes on a rail for two minutes and a smaller Choo Choo Train that you can ride across the park if you get tired. Unfortunately there is no roller coaster but there is the Mach Coaster! A metal slide that runs down the you can go down on a sled at "high speeds". The park has water attractions in the summer. |
Events
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Tohoku Food Marathon
Every spring Tome hosts the Tohoku Food Marathon where everyone around Tohoku (mainly surrounding Tome) gathers 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 the only full marathon in Miyagi which is two times around Lake Naganuma. For more information about the Tohoku Food Marathon please check out the site! |
