Arahama: Harako-meshi, Coast and Fishing

Arahama brings together a traditional food culture, coastal activities, and a memorial site. If you are looking for a hotel in Arahama, these specific themes can help you choose a destination based on your interests. Harako-meshi, the fishing port, and Chinkon no Mori offer different perspectives on the area.

Harako-meshi: a traditional food culture

The origins of Harako-meshi (はらこめし) are traditionally linked to Arahama fishermen serving salmon roe with rice to the Sendai lord Date Masamune when he visited construction work on the Teizan Canal. The story connects the dish with Arahama fishermen and a specific occasion at the canal.

Member businesses of the Arahama Harako-meshi Association (荒浜はらこめし会) serve the dish and preserve the original preparation methods passed down within each business or family. The food culture thus encompasses both the traditional story of the dish’s origins and the passing down of its preparation. Those who make Harako-meshi a central interest on their trip will find a specific connection to Arahama here.

Coast and fishing

Along the Arahama coast, the offshore breakwaters often create compact waves suitable for surfing. Families can also fish from the shore at Watari-Arahama Fishing Port; the species caught there include flounder and goby. The two activities differ in their focus: surfing centers on the waves, while fishing centers on catches made from shore.

More than 80 kinds of seafood are landed at the fishing port, and seaweed is also cultivated there. This information broadens the perspective from individual catches made while fishing from shore to the variety of seafood landed and another form of fishing. Together, these details show different aspects of Arahama’s connection to the sea without equating angling with commercial fishing.

Chinkon no Mori and remembrance

Chinkon no Mori (鎮魂の杜) is a memorial site in the Arahama district. The Arahama District Town Development Council established it to commemorate the victims of the earthquake on March 11, 2011, and preserve the memory of the disaster. Beside the memorial site are panels summarizing the earthquake and bearing a warning inscription for future generations.

The memorial site therefore encompasses remembrance of the victims, a written account of the disaster, and a perspective on future generations. This focus differs from the themes of food, coast, and fishing, giving Arahama another historical dimension.

A regional landscape

In the wider Watari travel area lies Torino umi (鳥の海), a brackish lake on the Pacific coast. As a regional landscape feature, the lake adds a perspective on the wider Watari area to the themes of Arahama.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Shiroishi, Tagajō, Higashimatsushima, Kinosaki, Miya, Matsushima, Kurihara, Minamisanriku

For the overview of the wider travel area: Miyagi Prefecture.