Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Umi no ichi 海の市, Shark Museum シャークミュージアム

Visited 11.10.2015 (Sun)

Revitalised. This was one of the attractions we visited during our day trip in Kesennuma. Prior to Tohoku Earthquake in 2011, Umi no ichi 海の市, a two storey building located just beside Kesennuma fish market, was already a well known shopping and eating hideout in this quaint fishing town. Even though the building structure managed to survive the earthquake and subsequent tsunami attack miraculously, its operation had to come to a halt to facilitate major repair to reinstate its integrity. The lull period took as long as three years before it was officially opened to public again on Jul 2014. Today, the entire building has been revitalised with shops selling fresh and processed seafood and eateries on the ground floor, while Kesennuma Tourist Information Center and Shark Museum シャークミュージアム occupied the second storey.

Fresh seafood on sale.

A marker depicted how high the water level rose to when the tsunami hit the coastal settlement.

Umi no ichi and Kesennuma fishing market, just adjacent to one another.

Kesennuma Tourist Information Center located on the second floor of the building.

Shark town. Kesennuma fishing port tops the chart for the highest catch of sharks in Japan. In addition to that, the weather conditions in Kesennuma are ideal for drying of shark fins, thus making here a well known producer of dried shark fins in the world. Because of its strong relationship and dependency to sharks in their livelihood, Kesennuma city is also referred affectionately as “Shark town” (サメの町). Therefore, the set up of Shark Museum in Keseunnmua is not surprising. In fact, currently in Japan, this is the only place where you can only find a museum of such theme. Sharks (same サメ), saury (sama サンマ) and skipjack tuna (katsuo カツオ) made up large part of the locals' harvest here in this fishing town.

Memory. The museum can be divided into two main zones. A portion documents the state of Kesennuma when the Tohoku Earthquake struck Japan on 11 Mar 2011 and the arduous journey endured by locals to rebuild their homeland. As the main industry that support the livelihood of locals here in Kesennuma is commercial fishing, they depend heavily on the sea for its bountiful harvest. Having said that, the outbreak of tsunami has proven that the sea can be unforgiving, therefore the locals have to face the looming dangers that the sea can bring about to their lives. Through the exhibits, it is especially heartening to feel the strong sense of optimism instilled in the community as the people of Kesennuma continue to look forward to the future and maintain the harmonious coexistence of mankind and nature.

Shark zone. The other zone is specially dedicated to sharks. Here, the ecology of sharks can be better understood through engaging exhibits and visual media. There is a realistic model of a great white shark put on display, with detailed explanations on the various part of the shark. The other highlight is the whale shark model which is constructed to be 1/3 of its actual size, and the beautiful projection mapping on its body brings the shark into life! As the description on the exhibits is only available in Japanese, this museum may be less appealing to the non Japanese speaking visitors. Personally, I felt that despite the language barrier, I could roughly make up what the exhibits (the videos in particular) were portraying. Therefore, I will still encourage all to pay this place a visit if you plan to drop by Umi no ichi.

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Umi no ichi 海の市

〒988-0037 宮城県気仙沼市魚市場前7-13
Operating hours:
May - Sep: 0800 - 1800 hrs
Oct - Apr: 0800 - 1700 hrs

Shark Museum シャークミュージアム

Operating hours: 

- May to Sep: 0900 - 1800 hrs (Last entry at 1700 hrs)

- Oct to Apr: 0900 - 1700 hrs (Last entry at 1630 hrs)
http://www.uminoichi.com/

How to get there?

(1) By city loop bus. 

Board the city loop bus clockwise direction 市内循環バス (時計回り) from Kesennuma Ekimae bus stop 気仙沼駅前 (less than a minute walk from Kesennuma JR Station, situated along Kesennuma Highway). Alight at Umi no ichi mae 海の市前. Bus journey takes approx 10 mins.
Bus fare = 200 yen