Kesennuma

Of Interest: not much

Lodging: one hotel

Tourist Office: yes

Restrooms: Clean with toilet paper and soap

Int'l ATM: There is post office a five to ten minute walk from the station

Kesennuma Station is in a suburban area of Kesunnuma City. As such very little is within walking distance. The city is known for commercial fishing and for seaside tourism. The harbor may be in walking distance for someone who likes long walks.

Two JR lines serve Kesennuma Station. The Kesennuma line, which starts here, follows the coast for most of its journey before heading inland to end at Kogota, Miyagi. Kesennuma is in the middle of the Ofunato Line which runs from Sakari, Ofunato, Iwate to Ichinoseki in Iwate. Both routes are scenic although the Ofunato line from Kesennuma is entirely inland.

Kogota (Misato)

Of Interest: pleasant small town, changing trains

Lodging: No

Tourist Office: No

Int'l ATM: Kogota Post Office

Computer Access: none

Handicapped Accessible: Yes, fully

Bathrooms: Toilet paper, but no soap

Kogota Station is one of the best designed train stations that I have been in . It should be because this station is mainly a place to change trains. Kogota is a major transport hub for Miyagi Prefecture. It is a shopping and agricultural district of Misato, a small town in Miyagi Prefecture. There is a great deal of commuter housing in the area near the station.

As I was here during festival season, I got to watch a couple of dance performances at a local festival in a plaza across from the train station. This plaza is just up the main road from the station. The post office is also on this road.

The station is the terminus for three JR East lines. Kogota is twelve minutes from the nearest shinkansen stop in Furukawa by the Rikuu-tou line. Some of these trains continue on to Naruko-onsen which is about an hour away in the mountains to the east. The Kesennuma line takes about two hours and fifteen minutes to get to (surprise) Kesennuma to the north. The Minami-Sanriku line takes the same route, but because it has fewer stops, it takes an hour less. It also runs less often. The Ishinomaki line runs along the coast north to Onagawa. All of these lines run within the northern half of Miyagi Prefecture.

There are frequent trains to and from Sendai along JR's Tohoku Main Line. This line also goes to Ichinoseki, but trains are less frequent. Both cities are about forty-five minutes away.

Sendai "City of Trees"

Of Interest: downtown, Chuo-dori Shopping Arcade

Lodging: multiple

Tourist Office: Yes, with lots of information

Computer Access: in the shopping arcade

Int'l ATM: Walk right from the station for 5-10 minutes to a 7-11.

Sendai is called the "City of Trees" because it is one of the greenest cities in Japan. It also one of the densest. These two things are not in conflict.

Sendai Station is downtown. Exit to the west and the second floor terrace turns into bridges that connect with nearby hotels and department stores. Go down to street level across from the station to find the Chuo-dori Shopping Arcade, a pedestrian street that extends from one end of downtown to the other. English language books can be found at Maruzen located on the same side of the street as the station.

The Loople Sendai bus also leaves from the West Exit area. Take this bus to get to Sendai's museums and area attractions, and to just see the city. A single ride is 25o yen while a full day costs 600 yen. Buses run from 9 to 4 all year round.

To me, it looks like local buses leave from the west side, while intercity buses leave from the east.

The Sendai Info Board is a website and magazine with information for foreign residents, some of which is valuable for visitors too. The magazine is available at the tourist office in the station.

Several JR East lines serve Sendai Station. The Senseki Line goes east to Sendai's suburbs and the ocean (including Matsushima), the Senzan Line goes west to the mountains and the city of Yamagata, the Tohoku Main Line runs north and south, and the Joban line runs south along the coast. The city also runs a single subway line and rail link to Sendai Airport. It takes about an hour and forty-five minutes to get to Tokyo by Shinkansen and about the same amount of time to go north to Hachinohe.

A two day pass for all buses trains in the Sendai area, including the subway, costs 2600 yen for two days. Both this pass and a Loople ticket can get you discounts at some tourist attractions.