🗺️ Minamisanriku SUNSUN Shopping Street南三陸さんさん商店街

The shopping street, which opened as a temporary market in 2012, relocated to its current location in 2017 and became an official shopping street. The design of the shopping street was crafted by the renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, utilizing a large amount of wood from the Nansemuraku cedar, known as "bijin-sugi," to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. The shopping street has endured crises such as the earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic, and currently, 28 shops, including restaurants and fresh fish stores, continue to operate. A recommended lunch option is the luxurious local seafood bowl "Minamisanriku Shining Seafood Bowl," which features a generous amount of locally sourced seafood. Among the 12 shops participating in the Shining Seafood Bowl project, 6 are located in the shopping street. In 1960, a tsunami triggered by the Great Chilean Earthquake caused damage to Minamisanriku Town, leading to a friendship between Minamisanriku and Chile. A Moai statue, symbolizing this friendship, was originally placed in Matsubara Park in the Shizugawa area but was destroyed during the Great East Japan Earthquake. Subsequently, the people of Easter Island learned of the severe earthquake damage and sent a genuine Moai statue symbolizing disaster recovery, which is now displayed within the shopping street.

A shopping street with a warm wooden atmosphere. Seafood bowls made with local seafood ingredients are extremely popular. The real Moai statues can only be seen on Easter Island and in the shopping street. There are not many express bus services, but it is the simplest mode of transportation.