The real fishing town experience is here!

If you want to see what life is like in a real Japanese fishing village, Ogatsu town, Ishinomaki city, Miyagi prefecture offers you a tour called Nagisa-Haku.

NAGISA is Beach or Shore and HAKU is Stay in Japanese. Nagisa-Haku is made for the people who want to have a deep experience in a small and beautiful fishing village in Japan.

Nagisa-Haku is waiting to welcome worldwide travelers.

Ogatsu is located on the Pacific coast in the southern Tohoku Region.

This area is where the tsunami happened in 2011, also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake.

People’s strong and continuous efforts are bringing the life back to this land.

You will feel the strong beauty of the land through its abounding nature, mountains, farm land and the people of this area.

Nagisa-Haku will also provide you the opportunity to learn more about the 2011 tsunami that devastated this area.

You can visit the Ookawa elementary school to learn more about the tragedy occurred here.

Not too far away there is a 93 year old school building being revitalized for the children to learn and experience new things.

The school is called MORIUMIUS and there you can get inspired by their creativity.

Learn more about MORIUMIUS at: http://moriumius.jp/en

Ookawa elementary school

With Nagisa-Haku you can stay in traditional Japanese style homes.

Oppaya is one such home that will provide you with a very homey feel.

Freshly caught seafood and local ingredients from the town are prepared with love and served every night giving you a real Japanese style feast.

You don’t need to speak perfect Japanese, sharing the moment of eating wonderful and exotic food together can really connect people.

In some cases, you may be able to pop into the kitchen to help and learn how to prepare traditional Japanese food.

With Nagisa-Haku you will get to do real scallop or sea urchin picking.

From a boat you will use a glass bottom looking box to spot the sea urchin and use a long pole with a metal fingered scoop to gently harvest them from the seafloor.

Hoya, Oysters and Abalones are available as well.

The taste of their freshness will stick in your memory forever!

If you are interested in making an original souvenir or just like being crafty, be sure to go for Ogatsu-Suzuri (inkstone) carving.

Ogatsu’s inkstone is famous and have been used for many years.

There you can design and carve pictures or words into these stones for yourself, with the tools they provide.

They will send your craft to you after one of the local professionals put some finishing touches to it.

This process helps the local economy by providing jobs.

Close by is Matsushima, which is famous for being one of the three most beautiful scenic spots in Japan. The bay is famous for the oddly shaped white rocks capped with bonsai-like pine trees, which you can stroll around on the relaxing cruise.

The Nagisa-Haku programs and tours in Ogatsu are directed by the Ogatsu Nagisa-Haku Promotion Council. “More contents for the homestay and optional marine activities, such as stand up paddleboarding (SUP) and sea kayaking, should be coming soon, to give you deeper fishing-village experience,” Mr. Hisayoshi Abe from the Council smiles. “I’m sure the beautiful ocean view and Nagisa-Haku will fascinate visitors from anywhere in the world.”

To learn more about Nagisa-Haku, visit here.

記事／さとゆめ編集部