[Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture] “Roadside Station Takada Matsubara” is a symbol of Rikuzentakata’s recovery

Takada Matsubara Roadside Station located within the Takada Matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture is adjacent to the Iwate Prefecture Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Memorial Museum

Takata Matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park, located on National Route 45 along Hirota Bay, the "Miracle Pine Tree," and serves as a place for memorializing and consoling the victims of the disaster, as well as passing on the lessons of the disaster.

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A roadside station in Rikuzentakata that has existed for 30 years

In July 1991, Rikuzentakata Seaside Terminal (TAPIC 45) opened in Rikuzentakata city next to the current building.

the Capital Hotel 1000, famous for being funded by singer Sen Masao , and was a popular tourist spot that also served as a base for Takada Matsubara Beach. Although the interior of Tapic 45 was destroyed by the tsunami, the building remained intact, saving the lives of three people who fled to the roof, and it remains as a relic of the disaster.

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Takada Matsubara Roadside Station and Iwate Prefecture Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Memorial Museum

After the earthquake, a new roadside station was built next to the old roadside station Tapic 45, along with the Iwate Prefecture Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Memorial Museum, and "Takada Matsubara Roadside Station" opened on September 22, 2019.

The building, which resembles a bird taking flight towards Hirota Bay, was designed by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma. There is a basin filled with water in the center, and a path called the "Axis of Prayer" runs from there to the newly constructed seawall

Looking from the parking lot, the left side of the water basin is the Iwate Prefecture Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami Memorial Museum, and the right side is Takada Matsubara Roadside Station

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Introducing the facilities at Roadside Station Takada Matsubara

the Seafood Sales Area , you can purchase the rich seafood caught along the Sanriku Coast, including oysters, scallops, and wakame seaweed from Hirota Bay, which are renowned for their deliciousness.

the "Local Products and Farm Produce Direct Sales Area," you can find rice, apples, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, and other vegetables, as well as sweets and bread, all from Rikuzentakata, where reconstruction is progressing, as well as local brewed products such as sake, soy sauce, and miso, and crafts.

Additionally, a new baseball field was opened in the nearby Takata Matsubara Sports Park in 2020 with the cooperation of the professional baseball team, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, which has signed a sports exchange activity partnership agreement with Rikuzentakata City

The first baseball stadium "Rakuten Eagles Miracle Ipponmatsu Stadium ," and Rakuten Eagles supporter goods are also on sale in the roadside station's merchandise area.

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Restaurants at Takada Matsubara Roadside Station

There are two restaurants that serve meals, both of which offer self-service meals that you can pick up and enjoy in the food court inside the station

Takata's meal

You can enjoy Takada's local cuisine, including seafood bowls made with the local original brand of rice, "Takada no Yume."

the "Three Seafood Greedy Bowl," which allows you to enjoy three types of seasonal mini seafood bowls "Daily Obanzai Set Meal," which allows you to choose four small dishes from a wide variety of Takada's local dishes .

The seaweed miso soup that comes with the set meal is also popular

Matsubara Restaurant

This restaurant also specializes in seafood bowls and is run by the Hirota Bay Fisheries Cooperative

Being a directly managed store of the fishing cooperative, the seafood is delicious, and the conger eel "Ipponmatsu Tendon" (Tempura Bowl), which represents the "Miracle Pine Tree," is highly rated. The "Jaja Reimen" (Cold Noodles), which is a combination of Morioka's specialties "Jajamen" and "Reimen," is also popular

the "Salted Sea Urchin Onigiri" (rice balls with salted sea urchin) , which are sold in limited quantities , are large and packed with rich, delicious salted sea urchin, making them popular and selling out quickly.

Sunaba Coffee Takada Matsubara Branch

This is a store of Sunaba Coffee, which is famous for the saying, "There's no Starbucks, but there's Sunaba (the sand dunes: referring to the Tottori Sand Dunes)."

During the earthquake, the president and staff of Sunaba Coffee rushed over from Tottori and volunteered by providing meals and other support, which led to Sunaba Coffee opening its first store outside of Tottori Prefecture

In addition to delicious coffee, you can also enjoy gelato made with Tono milk

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Rediscover the lost Takada Pine Grove!

Takada Matsubara was once a scenic beach area with a colony of approximately 70,000 pine trees over 300 years old and a 2km stretch of white sand

Over 70,000 of these pine trees were knocked down by the tsunami, but miraculously, just one remained, and it is still fresh in our memory that this tree was dubbed the "Miracle Pine Tree."

The Miracle Pine later withered due to saltwater damage caused by subsidence, but it was treated with preservatives and its branches and leaves were replicated, so it will remain forever as a relic of the earthquake disaster

The white sandy beach was also mostly lost due to the tsunami and subsidence, but it has been restored outside the newly constructed seawall, and the restoration of Takada Pine Grove is underway with the planting of approximately 40,000 pine seedlings

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summary

In Rikuzentakata, which was devastated by the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, a new city has been completed by building up soil on the pre-earthquake urban area

The Takada Matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park, where the Takada Matsubara Roadside Station is located, is considered to be a facility that symbolizes this reconstruction

The numerous remains of the earthquake within the park are a source of sadness, but on the other hand, the newly constructed facilities convey the hope and recovery of the Sanriku region. If you are in the area, be sure to visit Takada Matsubara Roadside Station

Takada Matsubara Roadside Station <Information>

• Name: Roadside Station Takada Matsubara
• Location: 180 Dotekage, Kesen-cho, Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, Takata Matsubara Tsunami Reconstruction Memorial Park
• Phone number: 019-22-28411
• Business hours: 9:00-18:00
• No regular holiday
• URL: Roadside Station Takada Matsubara Official Website

Google Maps

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