Ishinomaki - city in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan

Ishinomaki (; ishinomaki-shi) is a city in Miyagi. It has a population of around 165,000 people.

Understand

Ishinomaki was one of the towns hardest hit by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, with the tsunami reaching up to 5 km inland and some 3,400 people killed.

Get in

Get around

See

• The replica of the Japanese-built galleon San Juan Batista
• Mount Kinka
• Ojika Whale Park
• Ishinomaki St. John the Apostle Orthodox Church
• Kadanowaki area, once a sandy beach that completely disappeared after the tsunami.

Do

Buy

Eat

The fishing port of Ayukawa (鮎川) is one of the homes of Japan's controversial whaling fleet, and whale (鯨 or くじら, kujira) is a local speciality served in many restaurants. Ethics aside, few locals are enamored with the stuff: in addition to tasting like fishy meat, it's commonly associated with wartime deprivation and school lunches.

Drink

Sleep

• Conbini Ayers Rock Hotel (コンビニＡｙｅｒｓＲｏｃｋホテル), 立町1丁目6-21 (exit Ishinomaki Station, go 1 block south and 3 blocks east; across from Ishinomaki Grand Hotel), 38.43348°, 141.307295°, +81 225-23-5030. Check-in: 16:00, check-out: 10:00. This hotel is a remodeled dormitory. There are vending machines and laundry machines. Single room for ¥3,980, twin room for ¥6,480, parking costs extra
• Ryokan Tochigi (旅館とちぎ), 鋳銭場２－１２ (From the SE corner of Ishinomaki Station, this ryokan is 50m south down a footpath.), 38.434228°, 141.304414°, +81 225-93-0510. Check-in: 15:000, check-out: 10:00. This is an old business ryokan. It has many single and double rooms. There are shared baths and bathrooms. The friendly staff only speak Japanese. Fare includes breakfast and parking.

Connect

Go next

• Ishinomaki is a 30-minute drive from Matsushima, a beautiful bay with tree-covered islands.
• Ferries run from Ishinomaki to Tashirojima, Tohoku's Cat Island.
• Sendai, the biggest city in Tohoku, is less than an hour away, by train or car.
• Onagawa
• Minamisanriku
• Tome
• Wakuya
• Misato
• Higashimatsushima