Overview:From the Reconstruction Memorial Park in Rikuzentakata, through Ofunato, Kamaishi, Otsuchi and Yamada, to Taro in Miyako: a model two-day, one-night route along the Iwate coast.
With the full opening of the Sanriku Coast Expressway, the Iwate coast can now be followed in one continuous journey from south to north. Starting at Takata-matsubara in Rikuzentakata, the route passes through Ofunato, Kamaishi, Otsuchi and Yamada to Taro in Miyako. In each town you will visit places left standing as they were damaged, and places of learning for the future.
Route Map
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Positions are estimates from addresses. Please check the official information of each facility before you visit. (OpenStreetMap)
Day 1: Rikuzentakata – Ofunato – Kamaishi
1. Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum (IWATE TSUNAMI Memorial)
A museum of Iwate Prefecture that conveys the Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami under the motto “Protect lives, and live together with the sea and the land.” It is located within the Takata-matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park.
Suggested time: Allow a relaxed 2-3 hours at the Takata-matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park (memorial museum, roadside station, Miracle Pine).
Hours: 9:00-17:00 (admission until 16:30)
Closed: Year-end and New Year holidays (Dec 29 – Jan 3). Temporary closures may also occur
▼ About 19 min by car (about 17.1 km; estimate calculated by a map service)
2. Ofunato City Disaster Prevention Learning Center (inside the Fishing Village Center)
A facility that preserves the conditions of the evacuation shelter at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake just as they were. It conveys the memory and lessons of the tsunami damage, and also teaches preparedness for floods and landslides. Guided tours are available, and you can also look around on your own.
Suggested time: 30 minutes to 1 hour. A telephone reservation at least one week in advance is required.
Hours: 9:00-17:00
Closed: Every Wednesday; Obon (Aug 13 – Aug 16); year-end and New Year holidays (Dec 29 – Jan 3). Temporary closures and openings may occur
▼ About 38 min by car (about 45.0 km; estimate calculated by a map service)
3. Unosumai Tomosu “Inochi wo Tsunagu Mirai-kan” (Hall of the Future Connecting Lives)
A facility that passes on the experience and lessons of the Great East Japan Earthquake to the next generation and aims to protect future lives through disaster prevention learning. It has an exhibition room, a document reading room and a disaster prevention learning room, and the Kamaishi Inori no Park (Park of Prayer) is on the same site.
Suggested time: 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Hours: Japanese page: 9:30-17:30 (9:30-17:00 from November to February). The English page says 9:00-18:00, which does not match, so please confirm by phone
Closed: Every Wednesday; year-end and New Year holidays
Day 2: Otsuchi – Yamada – Miyako (Taro)
4. Otsuchi Town Cultural Exchange Center “Oshacchi” (Earthquake Memorial Exhibition Room)
A town exchange facility with the concept of “a third place that is neither home nor workplace.” On the second floor, the “Earthquake Memorial Exhibition Room” offers videos about the disaster. The videos are played by asking a staff member.
Suggested time: About 30 minutes. You can watch videos in the Earthquake Memorial Exhibition Room on the second floor (ask a staff member).
Hours: 1st-2nd floors 9:00-22:00; Earthquake Memorial Exhibition Room 9:00-21:00
Closed: Every Tuesday (the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday); Dec 28 – Jan 4
▼ About 17 min by car (about 16.4 km; estimate calculated by a map service)
5. Yamada Town Earthquake Memorial Gallery
An exhibition conveying the facts, lessons and recovery process of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Panels introduce the damage in each district of the town, the evacuation of Funakoshi Elementary School, and the rebuilt townscape, and testimony videos are also shown.
Suggested time: About 30 minutes.
Hours: Not stated (please confirm)
Closed: Every Tuesday (the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday); Dec 29 – Jan 3
▼ About 30 min by car (about 39.2 km; estimate calculated by a map service)
6. Miyako City Disaster Archive Hall
A facility that collects and exhibits materials and records of disasters in the city. Its purpose is to pass on the lessons of disasters to the next generation and raise residents’ awareness of disaster prevention.
Suggested time: 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Hours: 9:00-17:00
Closed: Every Monday (the next business day if Monday is a public holiday); year-end and New Year holidays
▼ Same site / nearby (about 1 min by car; also reachable on foot)
7. Tsunami Ruins: Taro Kanko Hotel
A hotel built in 1986. In the 2011 tsunami, the water rose to the fourth floor, and the first and second floors were swept away except for the pillars, yet the building did not collapse. It is preserved as it was damaged, and the interior is toured with a “Manabu Bosai Guide” (disaster prevention learning guide).
Suggested time: Interior tours are guided and by reservation (up to 60 minutes). The exterior can be viewed freely.
Hours: Guided tours: April-October 9:00-16:00, November-March 9:00-15:30 (reservation required)
Closed: Year-end and New Year holidays
Before You Go
- Closing days differ. The Ofunato Disaster Prevention Learning Center and the Kamaishi Mirai-kan are closed on Wednesdays, Otsuchi’s Oshacchi and the Yamada Gallery on Tuesdays, and the Miyako City Disaster Archive Hall on Mondays. If you plan your trip for Thursday to Sunday, all of them are open.
- The Ofunato City Disaster Prevention Learning Center requires a telephone reservation at least one week in advance. Interior tours of the Taro Kanko Hotel also require a reservation.
- For your overnight stay, we recommend the Kamaishi or Otsuchi area, considering the next day’s travel (please check accommodation yourself).
Travel times are estimates for driving, calculated with a map service (OSRM / OpenStreetMap), and vary with road and weather conditions. Suggested visit durations are the editors’ estimates. Hours, closing days and fees may change, so please check each facility’s official website before you visit. Many of these facilities are also places of mourning for those who lost their lives.
This article was compiled by the Tohokuru editorial team based on the official pages of each facility and other sources (checked: October 13, 2026). For details on each facility, please see its individual article.