[Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture] The Shark Museum in “Sea City” is popular! Enjoy shark fin ramen

Kesennuma is one of Japan's leading fishing ports. It is especially known for having the best shark catches in Japan. And of course the specialty is the shark fin.

One of the popular spots in Kesennuma is a building called ``Umi no Ichi''. The first floor is a market with fresh seafood such as shark fins, tuna, bonito, and saury.

Other attractions include a concept shop featuring Kesennuma's mascot character, ``Sea Boy Hoyaboya'', an ``Ice Museum'' with an exhibition of fish trapped in icicles using a special technique, and a shop selling extremely fresh seafood. There are restaurants etc.

On the second floor is the Shark Museum, which is especially popular among tourists. It's interesting and has a lot of trivia about sharks. There are also impressive exhibits, including a giant model of the great white shark that was the model for the movie "Jaws."

This time, we will introduce some particularly recommended places in Kesennuma's ``Sea Market,'' which is filled with its charms.

Shark Museum is the face of “Sea City”

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Learn lots of mysterious information about sharks

Sharks have existed on Earth for 400 million years. They are much older creatures than dinosaurs. It is said that there are especially many unknown shark species, and new species of shark are discovered every year.

Sharks are sea creatures that still have many mysteries. At the Shark Museum, you can find out a lot of mysterious information about sharks.

For example, we learn about the reason why they can swim smoothly even in deep water regardless of water pressure, the fact that they actually use electromagnetic waves to catch fish, and the fact that the male sinks his teeth firmly into the female during mating.

Pass through the shark's big mouth and enter the museum

Enter the museum through the huge mouth of the great white shark (which lived approximately 6 million years ago). First, there is a ``Dive Talk Theater,'' where Dr. Eugenie Clark, a famous shark scholar, gives a brief explanation about sharks.

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The highlight is the project mapping that appears on a large model of a whale shark. A variety of sharks appear on the body of a whale shark, accompanied by powerful sounds and images.

Changing your perception of sharks

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When we think of sharks, many people tend to think of them as scary creatures that attack people, especially in the image of the movie Jaws. However, in reality, only about 30 of the approximately 500 known species of sharks attack humans.

Approximately 10 people worldwide die from shark attacks each year. At the Shark Museum, we learn from this data that sharks are actually not as scary as people think, and that shark fins and other things are important food for humans.

By the time they leave the museum, their perception of sharks has changed, and they are seen as important creatures for humans that should be protected.

``Rias Kitchen'' where you can enjoy Kesennuma seafood

``Umi no Ichi'' has various restaurants on the first floor. Most people who visit the Shark Museum eat here.

One of the most recommended restaurants is Rias Kitchen. Kesennuma is famous as a good port on the Rias coast. Our concept is to provide freshly caught fish. This restaurant can be said to meet the needs of tourists.

Lineup ranges from reasonable items to luxury items

Rias Kitchen has a very wide menu. This is why we offer everything from quick and easy meals that allow you to enjoy the atmosphere of Kesennuma to luxurious menus that use locally sourced, high-quality ingredients.

Popular things that you can eat without spending a lot of money are Negitoro Mekabudon (780 yen) and Bonito Shoyu Ramen (600 yen).

The luxurious and expensive menu items that are particularly popular among tourists are the ``Seasonal Rias-don ``Tokujo'' (2,300 yen) and the ``Shark Fin Ramen (3,500 yen).''

・Seasonal Rias bowl↓

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Recommended is "Shark fin ramen"

If you're stopping by on your way home from the Shark Museum, the "Shark Fin Ramen" is a must-try. You can enjoy the taste of Kesennuma's famous shark. It contains two large shark fins, and the soup is light, easy to drink, and very delicious.

The souvenir is determined by “Kani Monogatari”

In addition to the restaurant area, the first floor has a shop selling souvenirs and a market selling fresh seafood from Kesennuma. A recommended shop for souvenirs is "Kani Monogatari."

As the name suggests, this is a crab specialty store.

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"Kani Monogatari" is a specialty store that sells only crabs. In addition to crab meat, they sell ajillo, bisque, and crab porridge base. The crab used here is the Deep Sea Red Crab, also known as the phantom crab.

I'm particular about the phantom crab.

This "Deep Sea Red Crab" is attractive because it has a large body like a king crab and is sweet like a hairy crab. It is called the ``phantom crab'' because it seems to have the best qualities of all crabs.

A souvenir of "Deep Sea Red Crab" from Kesennuma is sure to please. We also recommend buying some for yourself and enjoying things like crab soup at home.

Summary of Kesennuma “Sea City”

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This time, we introduced ``Umi no Ichi'', a spot that represents Kesennuma City. The most representative of these is the Shark Museum.

At the Shark Museum, in addition to the ``Shark Zone,'' which has shark exhibits and information that we introduced this time, there is also an ``Earthquake Memory Zone.''

Umi no Ichi experienced significant damage during the Great Tohoku Earthquake, with the first floor completely submerged under water and the second floor flooded to above the floor level. Since then, there has been a history of reconstruction centered around the Shark Museum, which is located on the second floor and largely escaped the disaster.

You can feel the history of the seaside city and Kesennuma City, which survived strongly, in the ``Earthquake Memory Zone''. This place and its people are overflowing with energy that has come back strong despite experiencing the earthquake.

Eating delicious food, visiting the shark museum, and being able to experience the history of Kesennuma's hardships and vitality are the big attractions of Umi no Ichi.

INFORMATION