Discover Higashimatsushima

Higashimatsushima offers themes ranging from traditions and cultural heritage on Miyatojima to Sagakei, regional cuisine and possible sightings of the Blue Impulse aerobatic team. When planning your trip, it helps to decide what matters most to you: Would you like to explore cultural sites, experience the landscape and take a boat trip, or try regional dishes? The following places and experiences offer specific ideas to help you decide.

Tradition and remembrance

On Miyatojima, Tsukihama’s Enzu no Wari is observed as a New Year ritual to drive away birds. The ritual has been practiced for more than 200 years and is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The Satohama Shell Mound (里浜貝塚), designated a national historic site of Japan in February 1995, offers another way to explore cultural heritage. Together, a ritual passed down through generations and an archaeological site appeal to different interests in the area’s history and culture.

Ohtakamori Yakushido also brings together architectural and registration history: the building on the mid-slope of Ohtakamori was completed in 1915 and registered as a nationally registered tangible cultural property on June 29, 2022. These two dates mark different stages in its history. The Higashimatsushima Disaster Recovery Memorial Museum offers another perspective on the city’s past. It presents records of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the city’s recovery.

Landscape and getting around

Ohtakamori is a 105.8-meter-high mountain in the center of Miyatojima. Sagakei, one of Japan’s three great gorges, lies at the island’s southeastern tip. Small sightseeing boats on the Sagakei route operate irregularly, taking visitors close to the sea and the rock faces. If you plan to take this trip, check the schedule: the irregular service is a practical difference from a regularly scheduled activity.

Aomina is both the start and end point of the Miyagi Olle Oku-Matsushima Trail and a tourist hub for Oku-Matsushima. Its address is 5 Kawahara, Miyato, Higashimatsushima. This gives you two distinct points of reference: Aomina for the Miyagi Olle Trail, and the Sagakei route for the boat trip.

Aerobatics and regional cuisine

The Blue Impulse aerobatic team is based at Matsushima Air Base in Higashimatsushima. Training flights take place regularly over the city, and, if the timing is right, you may see so-called smoke art in the sky. This is a possible sighting, not a detail that can be scheduled as a definite activity. If you are interested, keep in mind that visibility is not guaranteed.

Regional specialties also give your trip a distinctive focus. Chanko Haginoi in Higashimatsushima serves nori udon made with nori from Ōmagahama that was presented to the Imperial Household. Restaurant details may change, so check them before visiting. Higashimatsushima oysters can be grilled at oyster huts or enjoyed at restaurants in hot pots, fried, and in other dishes. This lets you choose between a specific nori udon dish and the many ways oysters are prepared. For your trip, choose the themes that interest you most, then find a hotel for your visit to Higashimatsushima.

Discover more destinations: Ōsaki, Tome, Kurihara, Shichikashuku, Kesennuma, Miyagi District, Shiogama, Misato

For the broader travel overview: Miyagi Prefecture.