Overview:A model half-day to one-day route visiting the disaster ruins and memorial hall in Kesennuma, where a damaged school building has been preserved, and the Minamisanriku 311 Memorial, where visitors learn from testimony videos.
On the northern Miyagi coast there are disaster ruins that preserve tsunami-damaged school buildings just as they were, and facilities where visitors learn from residents’ testimony. See the “preserved school building” in Kesennuma, then “learn from testimony” in Minamisanriku. Visiting the two in succession lets you see both the fear of the tsunami and how we can prepare 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)
Itinerary
1. Kesennuma City Great East Japan Earthquake Ruins and Memorial Hall
The former Kesennuma Koyo High School building, preserved in its damaged state as a disaster ruin, together with a memorial hall with a video theater and exhibition rooms. It contributes to the goal of “building a town with zero tsunami deaths.”
Suggested time: 1 to 1.5 hours. The video theater, exhibition rooms and the damaged school building.
Hours: April-September 9:30-17:00 (last entry 16:00); October-March 9:30-16:00 (last entry 15:00)
Closed: Every Monday (open if Monday is a public holiday, closed the following day); Dec 29 – Jan 4
▼ About 31 min by car (about 27.9 km; estimate calculated by a map service)
2. Minamisanriku Town Great East Japan Earthquake Memorial Hall (Minamisanriku 311 Memorial)
A facility offering learning programs in which visitors watch residents’ testimony videos and think about disaster prevention. It also has an archive that collects and preserves testimony, photographs and video. It was designed by Kengo Kuma.
Suggested time: About 1 hour. It is inside the Michi-no-Eki Sansan Minamisanriku roadside station, where you can also eat and shop.
Hours: 9:00-17:00
Closed: Tuesdays; Dec 29 – Jan 3
Before You Go
- The Kesennuma ruins and memorial hall are closed on Mondays, and the Minamisanriku 311 Memorial on Tuesdays. Wednesday to Sunday is the safe choice.
- The last entry in Kesennuma is at 16:00 from April to September and 15:00 from October to March. In winter, arriving in the morning lets you take your time.
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.