Top 5 summer spots in Miyagi, Japan

When I think summer, I think islands and beach time. With that in mind, here are my top five summer spots for Miyagi Prefecture, arranged in order of convenience.

1) Namiuchihama: Matsushima's Little Beach

    This little beach is nestled between MatsushimaKaigan station (41 minutes, 410 yen from Sendai on the Senseki line) and Oshima island, which is connected to the shore by a small bridge.

    Unless you know where it is already, it can be hard to find. From the station, cross the street walking towards the park. Go through the park and take a right, heading from there down a little back road. A pathed park path will veer toward the left and eventually you will see the little beach. Swimming, fishing, and fires are strictly forbidden here but if all you were looking for is walking in the water and playing in the sand, it's a close, free, and usually fairly empty option. Even when the Matsushima Park festival brings pedestrians all over the coastal town, this area is usually not too busy.

Address: Namiuchihama-24 Matsushima, Miyagi-gun, Miyagi 981-0213

2) Fukuurajima Island in Matsushima

    When you get off the train at MatsushimaKaigan Station, this is the island out at the end of that long red bridge in the distance. While the walk to the bridge can take a little effort, the walk around the island combines the best bits of a nature hike with more stable pathways and hand rails to help those with slight mobility problems. This nature walk can take as little as thirty minutes and does offer some unspoiled views of the sea as it stretches out into Matsushima Bay and beyond.

     Tickets for bridge access must be purchased from the small shop at the base of the bridge and there is a small ice cream shop on the island as well, but these places keep normal Japanese business hours, so don't plan to come late in the afternoon or you won't have access.

Address: Senzui-39-1 Matsushima, Miyagi-gun, Miyagi 981-0213

3) Shobutahama Public Beach in Shichigahama

    I have seen posters advertising it for the last two summers, celebrating a bit of a renewal since much of the coast in this prefecture was devastated back in 2011 and some places have yet to recover. There are maps and tips on how to get there on this website, but I recommend googling the name and getting driving directions on the Maps app. There are many parking lots near the beach, all charging 600 yen for the day. It is best to come early on as they will kick people out of the water for their safety when the tide starts coming in, sometimes as early as 4PM. Weekdays even during Obon are a good time to go as there aren't too many people about. There is a lifeguard on duty and the beach closes at 5PM. 

    From either Tagajo Station (200 yen and 20 minutes from Sendai) or HonShiogama Station (320 yen and 30 minutes) on the Senseki line, you can board an appropriate bus and be at the beach in around 30 minutes. For more information, check out the website.

 Address: Nagasuka Hanabuchihama, Shichigahama, Miyagi District, Miyagi 985-0803

4) Tashirojima Cat Island in Ishinomaki

    While technically further from my home in Shiogama than either of the later entries on my list, this one gets bumped up to number three for two reasons: 1) Easily navigated ferry information and 2) Cats. While this spot does lack the beach quality of other entries, visitors to the cat island still get great views of the ocean from certain points on the island and healthy nature walks besides. There are only a couple of shops on the island, neither open terribly long, so visitors are advised to bring their own food and drink and to take all garbage back home with them.

    The train ride from Sendai will cost ¥840 and last about 40 minutes on the rapid route or an hour and a half on the local. After a short taxi ride to the ferry terminal, (less than 10 minutes and around 1000 yen) a round trip ticket on the ferry will cost 2500 yen per adult and last about an hour. Exact times for that days ferries will be provided at the Ajishima Line building.

The address for Tashirojima is: Tashirohama, Ishinomaki, Miyagi 986-0023

The address for the ferry terminal is: Ajishima Line 網地島ライン 3-chōme-1-19 Kadonowakichō, Ishinomaki, Miyagi 986-0834

5) Katsurashima Beach of the Urato Islands

    This beach I visited back in 2015 and didn't like too much. The reasons why this makes the final addition to my list and not higher up are two fold.

    First, I felt that the ferry times when I went were not as obvious as they could have been. The only time I had been to the Urato islands previously, all the tourist ferries had been cancelled for the rest of the day (midday during Golden Week!), stranding my group on an outlying island until we could get a speed boat to bring us further in. I had to lean almost onto the floor of that seat-free speed boat to keep the baby strapped to my chest in place. Never wanting to do that again, I have trouble trusting the time charts of all ferries to the Urato Islands.

    The second reason I do not personally prefer this beach is the wildlife. I'm no entomologist nor a marine biologist, so I cannot tell you if the tiny biting things that flew from the sand to my calves and attacked were small vicious shrimp or sand mites or something else altogether. What I can say is that I in no way enjoyed their pervasive presence, but no one else seemed to mind the biting, so I guess many of the locals are used to this kind of thing.

    The trip will cost 1000 yen round trip for the Shiogama City ferry (bound for Hojima 朴島, stopping at Katsurashima 桂島) from Marine Gate in Shiogama. The first ferry out leaves at 5:50AM and the last ferry back will leave Katsurushima at 5:01PM. There is no English language assistance and no handicapped accessibility. More information is available on the website.

Address: Uratokatsurashima, Shiogama, Miyagi 985-0192

Marine Gate Address: 1 Chome-4-1 Minatomachi, Shiogama, Miyagi 985-0016