[Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture] “Roadside Station Taro Yamase no Oka” is the gateway to the Sanriku Geopark, which is undergoing reconstruction

The roadside station in Taro, Miyako City opened in April 1995.

At that time, the roadside station was located on high ground north of the city of Taro, so it was spared from the tsunami damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and was used as a base for volunteers involved in urban relief efforts.

However, with the opening of the Sanriku Kita Jukan Road as a reconstruction road, traffic volume on National Route 45 near the roadside station is expected to decrease, and there are also problems with land leases, and the center of the city, which was left vacant due to the tsunami, is expected to decrease. It has been decided to move to.

After a tentative opening in July 2016, it officially opened as a new roadside station on April 7, 2018.

What is there at Roadside Station Taro?

​​``Roadside Station Taro'' is now much larger than when it was previously located on a hill.It has the following facilities: .

Tourist information center “Taro Shiosato Station” and facilities providing road information, etc.

It not only functions as an information center for surrounding tourist spots such as Sanriku Geopark, but also displays disaster prevention information and earthquake records for the Taro area.

There is also a space where small children can play, and you can take a relaxing break.

There are new and clean restrooms, free Wi-Fi is available at the rest area, information on surrounding roads such as National Route 45, and a model that recreates the streetscape of the Taro district before the earthquake is on display.

Taro Farm Direct Association “Torero”

In addition to seasonal agricultural products from around Taro such as wild vegetables, matsutake mushrooms, tomatoes, eggplants, and apples, and processed marine products centered on seaweed such as wakame and kelp, you can also purchase live seafood from live fish tanks. Masu.

You can enjoy rice balls and seafood skewers, and there are also crafts and miscellaneous goods.

Yamacho store

In addition to freshly caught seafood and dried fish, you can also purchase fresh produce such as vegetables and fruits.

Matsubaya Mochi Shop

we also sell local sweets sutogi (mameshitogi)

The large size grill is recommended as it contains plenty of red bean paste.

Zensukeya Shokudo

Zensuke-ya Shokudo is famous for its deep-fried donko ( -fried donko), which includes the "Donko-fried fried rice bowl" locally known as "donko" , and the "wakame ramen (soy sauce flavor)" which is loaded with seaweed. ” is popular. You can also take out Donko's fried chicken bowl from the restaurant and direct-from-the-farm restaurant ``Torerou.''

fast food corner

The coffee and soft-serve ice cream (available from April to November) are delicious, and the freshly fried fries are also popular.There is a counter where you can eat while standing, and light meals such as mekabu soba, udon, kakiage soba, and udon are also available.

Yamazaki Daily Store Roadside Station Taro Branch

It's open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., making it convenient for you to buy bento boxes, rice balls, sandwiches, etc. even early in the morning or late at night.

“Kids Park Taro” and Dog Run “One Taro”

The kids park has play equipment such as a rockery lawn slide and a ropeway for children to play on.

The dog run ``Wan Taro'' is divided into two areas, one for small dogs and one for medium and large dogs, so even small dogs can play safely, and it is open 24 hours a day for free.

Taro Baseball Stadium (Kit, Sakurasaku Baseball Stadium)

Adjacent to the south side of the roadside station is the baseball field, which was located outside the seawall and was completely destroyed by the tsunami, and has been relocated and rebuilt.

Nestlé Japan's recovery support campaign "Kit Zutto Project ," the company acquired the naming rights and named it "Kit Sakura Saku Baseball Stadium."

This is the home stadium of Sanriku Railway Kitto Dreams, a baseball team made up of Sanriku Railway employees and others

History of Taro Town and Tsunami

Before becoming Miyako City through a merger in 2005, Taro Town had a history of fighting tsunamis, so much so that it was nicknamed "Tsunami Taro (Taro)."

In the early Edo period, the Keicho Sanriku earthquake and tsunami of 1611 nearly destroyed the village, and in the Meiji Sanriku tsunami of 1896 (Meiji 29), all 345 houses in Taro village were washed away, accounting for 83% of the population of 2,248. 1,867 people have died.

After the tsunami, there was talk in the village of relocating the low-lying village using earthquake relief funds, but the relocation plan was scrapped due to objections from the villagers, and the village was rebuilt in its original location.

In the Showa Sanriku Tsunami of 1933 (Showa 8), 500 out of 559 houses were washed away, leaving 911 people dead or missing, making it the worst-hit village among the villages along the Sanriku coast.

A huge seawall called the "Great Wall of China"

Taro Village lacked high ground to which the entire village could be relocated, and the tsunami recovery plan centered on building a seawall.

After the first construction was completed in 1958 (Showa 33), by 1966 (Showa 41), a huge X-shaped "Great Wall" with a height of 10.45 m and a total length of 2,433 m was built, surrounding the city area. A sea wall called ``'' will be completed.

In the 1960 (Showa 35) Chile Earthquake Tsunami, the height was low, and although damage was caused along the Sanriku coast, Taro was safe and the media reported that ``Taro's seawall was a success,'' making Taro a town of disaster prevention. The X-shaped seawall became famous.

However, in the Great East Japan Earthquake, the tsunami easily overcame the seawall, leaving nearly 200 people dead and missing in the Taro area.

There was testimony that ``many people delayed escaping due to their trust in the splendid seawall,'' and the residents were relocated to higher ground, and the seawall was raised to 14.7m. Private houses are sparse and vacant land is conspicuous.

summary

Roadside Station Taro is a recommended roadside station for families to take a break from driving, as if you are traveling with children or your dog, you can let them play in the kids park and dog run.

In addition, near the roadside station there is the earthquake ruins ``Taro Kanko Hotel'' , and along with the records displayed at the roadside station, you can learn about the ferocity of the tsunami that hit the Taro area.

Why not stop by when you are in the Miyako area?

INFORMATION

• Name: Roadside Station Taro
• Location: 2-4-5-1 Taro, Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 0193-87-3988
• Operating hours: 24 hours (road information facilities and restrooms)　
• Business hours: 9:00-17:00 (Taro Shiosato Station, Taro Farm Direct Association "Torero") (Fast food 10:00-17:00, Yamazaki Daily 7:00-20:00, Yamacho Shoten 9: 00-18:30, Matsubaya Mochi Shop 9:00-18:00)
• Business hours (Zensukeya Shokudo): 11:30-15:00, 17:30-20:00
• Closed: Some stores are closed during the year-end and New Year holidays (other fast food stores: Mondays, Yamacho Shoten/Zensukeya Shokudo: Wednesdays, Matsubaya Mochi Store: Tuesdays)
• URL: Miyako City Hall official website (Information about Roadside Station Taro)

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