Tourist Information Centers in Kamaishi, Japan

When arriving in Kamaishi, if you need any travel information, please visit one of our two information centers. Right next to Kamaishi station is our main information center. Here you can collect brochures, taxi information, hotel information, etc. This tourist information center is open from 9:00AM-18:00 and is closed every other Wednesday. If you need information the day this center is closed, please visit our second information center located in Sea Plaza. You can also scroll down to view listings of all the hotels and popular restaurants in Kamaishi, Japan. If you have any questions for the information center prior to your visit to Kamaishi, please email us at: kankou@kamaishi.iwate.jp or call us at 81-193-22-5835 Tourist Information center 22-4 Suzuko-cho, Kamaishi-shi, Iwate-ken, 026-0031 JAPAN Visit our facebook page: www.facebook.com/kamaishikankou If traveling to Kamaishi from Tokyo station by shinkansen, please follow these directions: Take the Tohoku Line Shinkansen from Tokyo station to Shin Hanamaki Once at Shin-Hanamaki station, board the local train to Kamaishi. Total travel time is roughly five hours and costs about $150.00 If you are in Kamaishi and want to travel to neighboring cities in Japan, you can use the Sanrikutetsudou Line Shinkansen

The Neighboring City of Kamaishi, Tono

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit the neighboring city of Kamaishi, Tono. This city is renowned for having preserved farm houses dating back to the Edo period. Here, the land is mostly used for agriculture. On our way by car to a the biggest shrine in Tono, Hachiman Shrine, we stopped for lunch at a popular yakiniku style restaurant. This shop is renowned for its lamb meat which is ordered raw. Then, you self cook it on a miniature grill built into the table. This is a great restaurant to visit with friends. Afterwards, we arrived at the Hachiman Shrine where a priestess personally showed me around the temple grounds. I learned through the priestess, that this shrine is dedicated to thanking wildlife for giving their lives to hunters.  Many festivals are held at this shrine year round. 

Afterwards, we visited an area that is historically preserved. This historical area contains wealthy farm houses, as they were, during the Edo period. The uniqueness of this sight is that people are allowed to freely venture in and out of the houses. There are also many historical items that you can touch. The grounds were very beautiful. A small stream of water traveled in-between the houses. Occasional stone bridges were made so that the farmers could cross over the stream. When we reached the second house, this house contained a white horse. The stable was attached to the house since family members wanted to always have sight of their horses. During the Edo period, horses were extremely valuable and families relied on them for farming purposes. 

One of the best things about Tono is the possibility of going horseback riding. I highly recommend that if you have time, you take a day to visit the peaceful countryside of Tono.

Top Ten Restaurants in Kamaishi, Japan

Map of Kamaishi City

Green Agricultural Tourism in Kamaishi

When most people travel, they expect to be the onlookers. Green Tourism was designed in Kamaishi specifically to give tourists a on hands experience doing activities that have to do with cultivating and preparing food specific to this area. Although there are many different activities available, two of the most unique experiences that I highly recommend is the Capturing and deshelling of scallops, and the deshelling and preparation process of uni, sea urchin.

The Clams that have Grown to Full Size after One Year are Ready to be Harvested

The activity of harvesting and cleaning scallops was the first example of Green Tourism that I experienced. In the late morning, I was driven to a sea port. After putting on a life vest, I climbed in the fisherman's boat and we sailed out to the various round buoys in the ocean. The fisherman then anchored the boat and lifted a long rope out of the ocean where baby clams were attached about a year ago. Now, these clams have grown to the adult size and were ready to be harvested. We were able to collect them as well as the sea plants that had grown on the bottom of the rope which are often eaten as well. Once back at port, we climbed out of the boat onto the dock where the fisherman gave a demonstration on how to open, clean, and collect the scallops. Then, I was able to collect the scallops using his instruction.　I had never had the opportunity to actually collect, open, and clean clams before but I found this, along with the ride in the ocean, to be a fun and different late morning activity.

Fisherman Giving Us a Demonstration on How to Open the Clams

The View of the Inside of a Clam Once It's First Opened

The Finish Product: a Cleaned Fresh Scallop

The second Green Tourism that I partook in was the deshelling and preparation of uni, sea urchin. When I first arrived, I was shocked to see about a hundred balls of sea urchins on a table moving around their `thistles'. At first, I was a afraid of even touching one of them for fear of being stung. The demonstrators assured my safety and I held one in my hands and found it to be exciting and fun. I felt like a small child experiencing a petting zoo for the first time. The first step was to open the sea urchin using a special tool. Next, a person removed the inedible parts as well as the `bony' mouth. Next, the eggs of the sea urchin are passed to us in a strainer where we separate any leftover inedible parts and wash them in water. It was very cool to not only feel and touch the sea urchins, but also to almost experiment the dissection of it; kelp that the sea urchins had eaten could be seen. Although I am personally not a fan of uni sushi, I absolute loved this activity and completely new experience. 

The Inside Edible Parts of a Sea Urchin

Live Sea Urchins and the Tool Used to Open them 

The Kamaishi Daikannon

 The Sekiohzenji Temple Kamaishi Daikannon is a 48.5 meter tall statue in Kamaishi City's Odairacho area. The statue is considered a sacred place on the Sanriku Coast. People visit the statue to pray for peace in both this world and the world after death. The statue was completed in 1970 and by Ono Rikizo and commissioned by Segawa Seiro, the seventeenth Head Abbot of Sekiohzenji Temple.  When traveling up the stairway, the seven deities, gods of good fortune, can be seen. These deities are worshiped for success in business and marriage, household safety, good catches at sea, and more. The Japanese believe that these deities guide humans through misfortune. Visitors can climb up the spiral stone stairway of the Daikannon to the very top where a beautiful view of the sea can be viewed. From this location, remains of the former World Record Tsunami Breakwater can be seen.

In a separate building on the temple grounds is the Stupa which enshrines a bone fragment of the historical Buddha who passed away 2,600 years ago. Buddhists believe that these remains have the power to expiate bad karma in the past, present, and future. In the lower level, is the Hall of the Eight Founders. This area is dedicated to the founders of Japan's eight modern Buddhist sects. The Kamaishi Daikannon is a beautiful place that offers religious history as well as a breathtaking view of the Pacific ocean. From this location, remains of the former  

Remains of the ruins of the former World Record Tsunami Breakwater Wall can be seen afar in the ocean

One of the Seven Gods fo Good Fortune

Tea Time in Kamaishi

In Japan, having `tea time' has become very popular. In Kamaishi, a new cafe has recently been opened which serves typical tea time drinks such as tea, coffee, ice cafe ore, etc. as well as beautiful Japanese sweets. These sweets look beautiful but also taste sweet but simple. The sweets are most often used in traditional tea ceremonies. This cafe has taken the Western concept of tea time and added a Japanese spin. 

Visiting the Hashino Blast Furnace

A steam train used in Japan in the 1800s

The Historical Museum of Iron displays historical iron, including exhibits on iron-making and how it was developed by Oshima Takato. The actual blast furnace relics are located in the Hashino mountains which can also be visited. This museum has received an award plate from the American Soceity for Metals designating the Hashino Blast Furnace Relics as a historical landmark. These first Western-style blast furnaces in Japan succeeded in producing pig iron from iron ore in 1857, and is thus the birthplace of modern Japanese steel industry.  The first piece of history that I encountered was a huge steam train engine from the eighteen hundreds. When entering the museum, you have the opportunity to watch a ten minute movie and re-enactment of how iron was first produced in Japan. For those like me who do not know much about the technicality of iron production, this demonstration was a great introduction to the museum. As all of the descriptions for the displays are in Japanese, for those who are not fluent, I strongly suggest watching this video and re-enactment before viewing the displays. When viewing the historic displays, many different types of iron are displayed and some of these displays are interactive with the use of magnets. What I found most interesting was the history of Oshima Takato, Japan's father of modern iron production. Letters, books, maps, contracts, and collected clocks and products produced by the iron are a few examples of things on displayed for those who would like to focus on the history behind the production of iron in Japan. 

Lights are used in the re-enactment of iron production in Japan during the introduction film

A miniature reproduction of the Hashino Blast Furnace

A display of the tools used for collecting iron from the mines

Visiting a Local Fish Market in Town

Originally, the local fish market in Kamaishi was located alongside the ocean. Recently however, the market was moved into a large cooled building only a short walking distance from Kamaishi Station. Here, local fishermen sell their fresh catches of seafood and seaplants to customers. While walking through the building, the individual seafood stands all offered a variety of seafood. The fish was obviously fresh and some, even still alive. Some of the stands specialized in particular sea products such as uni, sea urchin, or wakamame, a type of seaweed. Although I had visited the famous Tsujiki Fish Market in Tokyo, I enjoyed the experience of a local fish market much more to a fish market aimed at tourists. During my visit to this market, I was able to get a much better sense of the types of food Kamaishi locals purchase. The venders were also very approachable and eagerly did their best to explain to me what a particular fish was and how it was usually prepared and eaten. Seeing the different types of fresh fish, I began to crave a good meal. Upstairs are two traditional but elegant seafood restaurants with a variety of options to choose from. One can find fresh tempera, sashimi, pickled sea vegetables,  or even an assortment of each. If you are looking for an up close experience of a display of seafood unique in Japan, this is a great place to visit in Kamaishi, Japan.