Ishinomaki
はまぐり堂
Hamaguri Dou
It took me 30 minutes by bus from Ishinomaki station to get to Hamaguri village. I noticed that it was there when I saw a lovely treehouse and an old fashioned bus stop which said 蛤浜 (Hamaguri Hama).
Hamaguri village is the smallest village in the Oshika Peninsula. It’s surrounded by the ocean and mountains so there is plenty of nature. Nine families used to live there but there are only two families after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 3, 2011. My friends and I visited a café , Hamaguri Dou (はまぐり堂) , and interviewed the owner, Mr Kameyama (亀山貴一さん).
Hamaguri Dou is a café and a shop for local products. It also has programs in summer in an about 100-year-old Japanese style house.
Mr Kameyama was a teacher but he started thinking that he wanted to pass down an account of the lives of the village to posterity when he visited Hamaguri Hama after the 2011 disaster. He opened the café on March 11th, 2013, the day exactly two years after the earthquake and tsunami.
The café is developing the sixth industrialization, which means they produce, process and sell things on their own. In case of Hamaguri Dou, they treat cedar trees because there were too many of them planted in a mountain near the café and the number had caused a sediment disaster. So they cut the trees down, make furniture, and sell them to solve the problem.
Mr. Kameyama said that people or a village interacting with more people does not bring more happiness. That comment made an impression on me because I thought that more interaction was a good thing. But actually, it doesn’t go well every time. It could be stressful or a distraction for local people.
I would like the people living in Hamaguri village to save the nature and people’s lifestyle there. Furthermore, I would like you to visit Hamaguri Hama.
We will introduce “Hamaguri Dou”.
Hamaguri Dou provides you with a special cuisine which is cooked with local food. We had Hamaguri Set and “Shika curry (Venison curry), which are very popular dishes and we saw that lots of people were having them when we visited there. As a Hamaguri Set, you get a side dish of miso soup and 2 types of bread (local seaweed bread) or Kamado Gohan (rice cooked with something). The breads are baked by someone who works there and used to be a baker at another shop. And the rice is cooked on a cooking stove, so you can feel the nice flavor, taste, and goodness of the ingredients.
Shika curry (venison curry) is also made from local ingredients. Using deer meat with curry is unusual. So why do they it? We will tell you. There are plenty of food except for meat in the Oshika peninsula. The café owners thought that they would like to provide local meat too. At the time, the number of deer increased in the Oshika peninsula, and the agricultural crops and forests were damaged. Moreover, traffic accidents occurred because of the deer. In this kind of situation, the residents of the peninsula had to exterminate the deer. The café owners thought that there was no another way to effectively utilize the deer than to use the meat, and so the deer curry was created. Interestingly, venison is delicious and healthy --- it is low lipid · high protein, high-iron and doesn’t smell.
Other than those dishes already mentioned, there are desserts made from seasonal produce, drinks and so on. There are many dishes on the menu, and everything looks delicious so you’ll get lost wondering what to order.
The café is located near the sea and the atmosphere is very calm. It’s easy to enter it even if you are alone. Also, we think that if you pay more attention to the roots of the food, you could know more about the charm of Ishinomaki. People’s connection among themselves made the café open and this made us think that the relationships between people are very important. People meet people and share a great time at the cafe. So we felt that this is a wonderful place to connect with people. Connecting with people is not easy but making an effort to achieve that is important. We had a great time and learned many things --- which we wouldn’t have without visiting this café in Ishinomaki.
Hiyoriyama Park
Hiyoriyama is a hill with an altitude of 56 meters at Kyu-Kitakami River estuary in Ishinomaki city’s central part. It has been told that there is a castle in middle ages, and Matsuo Basyou had ever visited this place. Hiyoriyama is known that we can overlook the city, and in spring, azaleas and about 400 cherry blossoms bloom beautifully, a lot of citizens come to watch them and heal their minds.
When East Japan great earthquake disaster happened on March 11th 2011, numerous people took refuge from the big tsunami in Hiyoriyama. At the snow continued, people saw a huge tsunami of over 6 meters that flooded into the city, washing away cars and buildings, and causing irreparable damage not only from the waters, but also the fires that broke out.
Currently, we can see the town which being done reconstruction projects and building tide breakwaters, but lots of time are necessary to regain the scenery before 3.11.
A group of older women who experienced the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunamis in Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture have been active in making handmade small articles and accessories.
These goods were first made from kimono and left-over towels that had been donated to the evacuation centers. The women make commodities while talking pleasantly among themselves, so they named their brand “Odattebaride,” which means “fooling” in a dialect in Miyagi Prefecture.
After the disaster, a lot of people lost their houses and work, so “Odattebaride” began for the purpose of not only creating jobs but also giving people a purpose to live.
At first the women began to make small articles by using used clothing and towels they had received as part of the relief supplies. After a while, the current “Komatchagure towel” and other items were created. “Komatchagure towel” has been sold since September 2011 and more than 8000 have been sold so far. It is the most popular product. Before selling the towel to people, the women made sure not to fray the edges so they discussed many times how to unify the sewing. They were particular about making the items carefully one by one and making them wholeheartedly. So that is why the towels are handstitched. There are other items as well, for example, Japanese-pattern coasters, business card holders, earrings and necklaces made of fresh water clam. These were made from used kimono. A lot of people from all over the country donated their kimono to them to make these products.
The products are popular among foreigners.
Receiving messages from the purchasers of their goods is a joy to the women. To date, more than 500 messages have reached them. Some people still keep in touch with the women even now. “Odattebaride” is their hope.
おだってばりいで
odattebariide
石ノ森萬画館
Ishinomori Manga museam
Walking about 15 minutes along the Manga Road from Ishinomaki Station, we are excited about reaching a mysterious building that looks like a spaceship Ishinomori Manga Museum!
Ishinomori Manga Museum displays the characters that were drawn by the manga artist Ishinomori Shotaro.
We first took a picture with the manga character who welcomed us before entering into the building. We were so thrilled!We were delighted to experience the purikura photo booth that could shoot photos that were available only here!On the second floor, we could not only saw manga characters such as Kamen Rider at the permanent exhibition, but also experienced Kamen Rider and other characters’ attractions!
We could also eat the uniquely cooked original dishes of Ishinomori Manga characters on the third floor cafe! It’s a museum that everyone small children and young people and the elderly can enjoy! So, why don’t you go there?
