Takata Matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park

Overall Description

It has been 10 years since the day of March 11, 2011. The Takata Matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park was opened in September 2019 as a reconstruction effort for the City of Rikuzentakata, planned after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake hit, where the tsunami wiped out a huge portion of the city. It is made up of three facilities, namely the National Memorial Facility opened by the national government of Japan, the Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami Museum (Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum) opened by Iwate Prefecture, and the new Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara (Roadside Station Takata Matsubara) opened by the City of Rikuzentakata.

National Memorial Facility

The National Memorial Facility is a huge open area within the Takata Matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park where people can better remember those whose lives were lost during the Great East Japan Earthquake, offer up fresh flowers and pay their respects to them. With a huge stretch of land lined with trees leading up to the sea wall, the memorial facility has an area where you can place your flower offerings, and if you follow the path and walk all the way to the top of the sea wall, there you can get a panoramic view of the City of Rikuzentakata’s Hirota Bay. The Takata Matsubara used to be a magnificent sandy beach and was the biggest tourist attraction in the City of Rikuzentakata, designated by the national government as a scenic spot and said to be one of the hundred best sceneries in Japan. Behind the beach was a forest of 70,000 pine trees, but all of it was washed away due to the tsunami, leaving only the Miracle Pine behind. However, as reconstruction efforts went along, in 2017, seedlings of pine trees were planted where the Takata Matsubara once was, hoping to revive the beach to its former glory. At the top of the sea wall, you can also view the reconstruction process, looking at how much the pine tree seedlings have grown.

The view from the top of the sea wall at the National Memorial Facility.

Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami Museum (Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum)

This is the museum located just next to the new Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara within the Takata Matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park. Structures that were actually damaged during the disaster, the truth about what happened within Iwate Prefecture during the Great East Japan Earthquake are being conveyed to visitors via videos and pictures taken at that time. In order not for anyone else to go through the same helplessness and despair the local residents felt during the disaster, the museum was created with the aim of passing on the knowledge of those who experienced the disaster, what they learned from it and how they can prevent future lives from being lost. In the museum, there are four zones in total – the first, where you learn about the science and history of earthquakes and tsunamis, the second, where you learn the truth behind the disaster, the third, where lessons from the tsunami are learned, and the fourth, where people can move forward along with the ongoing reconstruction efforts. There is information on how earthquakes and tsunamis are formed, disaster remains – such as a mangled vehicle – that were found after the tsunami, and video screenings of actual footage from the time of the earthquake and tsunami. At the last section of the main part of the museum in zone 3, you can even write a supportive message for the residents of Rikuzentakata and the reconstruction process, stating which country you came from. Please be aware that this corner might be closed for the time being to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

There is no admission fee, so you can freely enter whenever within the opening hours and tour around the museum on your own. However, if you wish to request for a specific English-speaking guide to understand more about the disaster, or if you have any other enquiries, please email visit@city.rikuzentakata.iwate.jp. Chinese-speaking guides are also available if you would so prefer them.

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Opening Hours: 9AM – 5PM (Last entry at 4.30PM)

Closed on temporary closing days and the New Year holidays (29 Dec – 3 Jan)

Admission Fee: Free

Telephone No.: 0192-47-4455

Fax No.: 0192-47-4466

Email Address: AJ0006@pref.iwate.jp

Website: www.iwate-tsunami-memorial.jp (Google-translated English version available)

Address: 180 Dotekage, Kesen-cho, Rikuzentakata-shi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan 029-2204

A mangled rescue truck now on display at the Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum.

The New Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara

A Michi no Eki, which literally translates to “roadside station” in English, is a rest area found along roads and highways in Japan. Apart from providing travelers with a place to rest, they are also there to promote tourism and trade, hence you will find a bunch of local souvenirs in every Michi no Eki you visit. For the City of Rikuzentakata’s new Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara, its opening within the Takata Matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park was something that deeply touched the hearts of local residents. The original Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara, which had naturally been a part of the local residents’ everyday life, shut down 10 years ago due to damage from the tsunami. Its reopening meant that something that was so ingrained in the local residents’ lives came back, and the city is finally moving forward in a positive direction.

The original Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara was opened in 1993, being the second roadside station to ever open within Iwate Prefecture. It was a place where people who had to drive through Route 45 to get somewhere would stop by to rest, or where local residents would relax. There was information on sightseeing, a variety of shops and an experiential corner within the facility. It was damaged badly when the tsunami hit during the Great East Japan Earthquake, but was preserved as disaster remains to relay the horror of tsunamis to future generations and to strengthen disaster prevention measures.

For tourists, the new Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara is a shopping haven for those who wish to get the freshest local produce, local alcohol, local snacks and souvenirs, such as Yonesaki apples, Suisen Brewery’s Yukikko sake, Muscat Cider, Takata no Yume senbei (rice crackers), and wakame seaweed. Live seafood such as scallops and oysters, as well as the local specialty that can only be bought or eaten in Rikuzentakata – ishikage-gai, or “Bering sea cockle” in English – can also be bought to be cooked at home. Feeling thirsty? Stomach starting to rumble? The Michi no Eki has an eat-in space with two food stalls and a café to quench your thirst and satisfy your hunger. Seafood and rice lovers, you are in for a treat. Matsubara Shokudo has its seafood rice bowl made with local seafood fished from the City of Rikuzentakata’s very own Hirota Bay, so the freshness of the seafood is guaranteed. Takata no Gohan sells onigiri made with the city’s local brand of rice, Takata no Yume, which has been recognized by the Japan Onigiri Association as the most suitable rice for onigiri, because of its compatibility with other ingredients and tastiness even when served cold, amongst other factors. Sunaba Coffee, which literally translates to “sandbox coffee”, originated from Tottori Prefecture (famous for its sand dunes). Having been to the City of Rikuzentakata a number of times themselves due to their support for the reconstruction process after the Great East Japan Earthquake hit, the owners decided to open a branch within the Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara. This is the very first branch they have opened outside of Tottori Prefecture. If you are in the area and do not want to travel all the way across the country just to try Sunaba Coffee, come to the new Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara! The soft serve ice cream sold here is delicious too.

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Opening Hours:

9AM – 6PM (Mar – Nov)

9AM – 5PM (Dec – Feb)

Open all year round, except for a few shops within the Michi no Eki

Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara Telephone No.: 0192-22-8411

Takata Matsubara Co., Ltd. Telephone No.: 0192-22-9370

Website: www.takata-matsubara.com (no English version available)

Address: 180 Dotekage, Kesen-cho, Rikuzentakata-shi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan 029-2204

Parking: Free / Open 24 hours / Maximum capacity: 136 (normal cars), 33 (big buses), 4 (for the disabled)

24-hour toilet available at the entrance

The Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara, where local produce and souvenirs are sold.

Personal Review

I personally had the chance to visit the Takata Matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park a few times, mostly when I was bringing a tour group around the city. For the National Memorial Facility, a feeling of calm and serenity always spreads over me when I walk through the open area. The water lightly ripples over in the wind, and the first time I stepped into this area I became aware of the reason why they wanted to build the facility in such a fashion – people would definitely be able to pay respects or give their offerings in peace and quiet this way. Every single time I make my way to the top of the sea wall with the tour group of the day, I think about how the feelings that people usually cannot express into words – the immense sadness they felt at the time of the disaster, their strong wishes that their loved ones would rest in peace, and their wishes for the city to return to at least a bit of how it once was – are all being put into the offering of beautiful flowers. The atmosphere might feel heavy, but there is also a sense of relief that the city is clearly recovering, little by little.

The Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami Museum, or the Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum as it is usually called, has English descriptions on all its exhibitions and displays, as well as English-speaking and Chinese-speaking guides. It would not be a problem to just walk in anytime during its opening hours instead of making a reservation, unless you are going to the museum as a group. The 12-minute video screening brought me to tears as I watched people lose their families and houses in just a matter of a few minutes. Actually coming to the location where the disaster happened and realizing what you see in the town now being the aftermath of a massive disaster is very different from listening to the news from thousands of miles away. The feelings, the emotions, the psychology of why the people did what they did at the time of the disaster cannot be understood unless you feel, hear and see what they experienced, and in my opinion, the closest you can get to that is within this museum. Most importantly, we must learn what we have to do to prevent such casualties from happening if a natural disaster strikes in our own country or region; this was what they desperately want to convey to us. During the section at the end of the tour where we can write messages for the museum as a form of support for the reconstruction process, I wrote “Ganbappeshi”, which meant “Do your best” in the local dialect. It was also really interesting to see other people’s messages, including those from tourists of foreign countries.

As for the Michi no Eki Takata Matsubara, I visit it out of work hours quite often as well, buying local souvenirs for my family and friends back home, or just sitting down at Sunaba Coffee for a cup of iced latte to relax. The interior is very stylish; it has a wooden theme with a very calming atmosphere enveloping the entire space. I also get very tempted to buy every single one of the Takata no Yume-chan (the City of Rikuzentakata’s mascot) goods on display, because they are just too cute to resist. Every time I visit the Michi no Eki, I always buy something, no matter how small it may be, because I know that every tiny thing bought at this place is a step closer to completing the reconstruction process for this city I have come to love so much. Please come and visit when you have the chance!