Sanriku-Fukko National Park
Sanriku Fukko (Reconstruction) National Park was established in May 2013 to contribute to the reconstruction of the Sanriku region, which was devastated
by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. The park extends from north to south for approximately 250 km. The northern part, also known as the "Alps of the Ocean," features dynamic cliffs, while the southern part offers beautiful ria coasts with a complex topography. The coast serves as a breeding ground for seabirds such as the black-tailed gull and streaked shearwater, and is also a habitat for a diverse collection of maritime plants that have adapted to the unique coastal environment. Visitors have countless opportunities to observe wildlife up-close. The park is home to some of Japan's leading fishing ports, including Hachinohe, Miyako, Ofunato, Kesennuma and Ishinomaki, and fixed nets are set on the ocean. A multitude of floating rafts for farming oysters and scallops, and buoys for farming wakame seaweed are placed in the ria coastal bay area located in the southern part of the park, offering visitors a chance to enjoy scenes of everyday life in a fishing community. The Tanesashi Coast is covered by a vast grassland that has been maintained through horse grazing and other human activities. This national park is unlike any other in Japan as it was created for the purpose of demonstrating reconstruction from a natural disaster, and people from all over the country visit this park to learn about disaster prevention.
Michinoku Coastal Trail (Sanriku-Fukko National Park)
The Michinoku Coastal Trail is one of the initiatives developed by the Ministry of the Environment to contribute to the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011. The Ministry of the Environment, 29 municipalities in 4 prefectures, private organizations, and local residents collaborated to open the entire 1,000km-long National Trail in 2019, linking the Pacific coast from Kabura-shima in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture to Matsukawaura in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, and celebrating its 5th anniversary this June. In addition, the trail has attracted increasing attention as it was selected as the fourth destination in the "14 destinations to visit in Japan" by the "Times" newspaper in the UK in February this year, and many hikers from Japan and abroad have enjoyed walking on the trail.
The trail's route is characterized by beautiful and varied landscapes that are a continuum of dynamic seas, rivers, villages, and forests. People's lives, accumulated history, and culture are linked to the present, overlapping with the harsh yet abundant blessings of nature. The warm human interaction that occurs during the walk is one of the main attractions of this path.