Miyagi Prefecture (宮城県 Miyagi-ken) is in the northeastern Tohoku region of the main Japanese island Honshu.
On 11th March 2011 the prefecture was hit by an earthquake with a 9.0 magnitude followed by a tsunami and several aftershocks. Though some damages remain in areas along the coast, the rest of the prefecture is operating as usual.
Understand
[edit]Miyagi was once part of the province of Mutsu (陸奥), which spanned the Pacific Coast all the way up to Aomori. Legendary samurai warlord Date Masamune, the "One-Eyed Dragon", conquered the area by 1589 and set up a new capital at Sendai in 1600. To this day, Miyagi is the most populous prefecture in Tohoku and Sendai its largest city.
And oh yes: the name has nothing to do with Mr. Miyagi of Karate Kid fame. While the Miyagis have the same name, meaning "Palace Castle", this one comes from Tagajo while the movie karate master supposedly hails from southern Okinawa, the home of karate.
Tourism information
[edit]- The prefecture's official guide site (Japanese-only, with integrated machine translation).
Cities
[edit]
- 1 Sendai — The prefectural capital
- 2 Ishinomaki — An industrial and fishery port town, home to the Mangattan Manga Museum.
- 3 Kinkasan — Gold mining mountain island just off the coast.
- 4 Tashirojima — known as "Cat Island"
The prefecture also has a very beautiful sawtooth coast line.
- 3 Kesennuma — Northern city in the prefecture where fishery market is famous. Delicious abalone, sea urchin, shark fin and various kind of fish are available.
- 4 Matsushima — A bay of craggy pine islands, traditionally considered one of Japan's Top 3 views.
- 5 Shiroishi — Shiroishi Castle and Miyagi Zao Fox Village (and its wild foxes) are the main reasons to visit
- 6 Shiogama
- 7 Wakuya
Other destinations
[edit]
- 5 Naruko — hot spring resort deep in the mountains.
- 6 Zao - Known for Togatta Onsen and the Okama Crater
Get in
[edit]Sendai is the largest city in Tohoku and hence its main transportation hub.
By plane
[edit]Sendai's airport serves domestic and some international flights.
By train
[edit]The Tohoku Shinkansen connects Tokyo to Sendai and points north.
By bus
[edit]Get around
[edit]See
[edit]Do
[edit]Eat
[edit]- Gyu-tan — grilled cow tongues with salt or miso are traditionally the famous dish in Sendai. On the second floor of Sendai Station, you can find several restaurants dedicated to this local favorite.
- Sushi — There are many sushi restaurants in Sendai and coastal locations.
Drink
[edit]There are excellent sake brands, namely Urakasumi and Ichinokura, but there are also plenty of other sake brands.
Go next
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