PROGRAMS - MIYAGI NORTH BELT

Explore each area’s unique programs in food, nature, and culture, and find the experience that suits your travel style.

大崎市｜ OSAKI・NARUKO

▶Former Yubikan and Garden: Established by the Iwadeyama Date family, the residence and garden are designated National Historic Sites and Places of Scenic Beauty.
▶Miyagi Brand Rice Tasting Experience: We offer three of Miyagi’s most representative rice brands—
Hitomebore, Sasa Musubi, and Sasanishiki—served as rice balls.
Enjoy tasting and comparing the unique textures and flavors of each variety.
▶Kawatabi Ancient Trees Nordic Walking Tour: Enjoy a Nordic walking experience through the Kawatabi Onsen area,
visiting historic landscapes and centuries-old trees.
It’s a relaxing health-tourism activity that lets you connect with both nature and local culture.
▶Kokeshi Doll Painting Experience: You will paint directly onto the plain wooden kokeshi base and complete your own original doll.

▶Harvest Izunuma Lotus Root – “Lotus Root Digging Experience”: Try harvesting lotus roots grown in the rich soil of Izunuma.
Feel the texture of the mud and enjoy the excitement of digging up fresh roots
while experiencing the region’s agricultural traditions firsthand.
▶Traditional Snack Making – “Gandzuki Steamed Cake”: Make gandzuki, a simple and nostalgic steamed cake traditional to the Tohoku region.
Learn from local residents as you prepare this gentle-flavored treat made with wheat flour, brown sugar, and other rustic ingredients.
▶Healing Light – “Gourd Lamp Craft”: Using homegrown gourds, you will carve patterns and drill small holes
to create your own one-of-a-kind gourd lamp.
▶Mastering Soba – “Authentic Soba-Making Experience”: Learn directly from a soba master how to make soba—from kneading and cutting to cooking the noodles and preparing the dipping sauce.
You can take home the soba you make during the experience.

▶Handmade Pork Bun Workshop: Using premium pork and fresh vegetables, you’ll make juicy handmade pork buns.
The rich broth that bursts out with each bite is truly unforgettable.
You’ll create six mini pork buns, which you can also take home.
▶Prosciutto Owner Program: Izunuma Farm offers a unique “Prosciutto Owner Program,”
where customers can purchase the raw meat and take part in the initial preparation process themselves.
Once the aging is complete, your personalized prosciutto will be handed over to you.
▶Agricultural Experiences in Tome: Through hands-on activities such as planting and harvesting vegetables,
as well as rice planting and harvesting,
participants can deepen their connection with local farmers
and gain a greater understanding of agriculture.
▶Izunuma & Uchinuma Nature Experience: This program offers opportunities to observe wildlife and participate in conservation activities,
allowing participants to learn about the current state of the Ramsar-listed wetlands,
Izunuma and Uchinuma, and explore the relationship between humans and nature.

▶Minamisanriku 3.11 Memorial Learning Program: This program offers an opportunity to learn about the lessons of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake
and the recovery process of Minamisanriku.
Through guided storytelling, town walks, and visits to key facilities,
participants reflect on disaster preparedness, resilience,
and actions that protect lives in the future.
▶KUBB: Based on firsthand stories from local residents who experienced the disaster,
this program includes a mini-workshop that encourages participants
to explore practical disaster preparedness and risk reduction actions
they can start implementing today—and take the learning home with them.
▶Cedar Branch Spoon & Fork Crafting: This hands-on woodcraft workshop uses cedar branches sourced from Minamisanriku.
Through crafting, participants can also reflect on forest stewardship
and the importance of sustainable woodland management.
▶Fossil Excavation Experience: Anyone can make a discovery! Enjoy an exciting fossil-hunting experience.
Even beginners with no prior knowledge can join with confidence,
as instructors kindly and enthusiastically introduce the wonders of fossils,
including ichthyosaurs and other ancient creatures.

▶Social Farm Experience: Participants help with seasonal maintenance tasks in the sweet potato fields.
Through various activities—not only during harvest season—
you will learn about the importance of collaboration between agriculture and social welfare.
▶Ishinomaki Farmers’ School: This program invites you to visit local farmers in Ishinomaki,
experience their daily agricultural work, and gain insight
into a lifestyle rooted in farming.
▶Talk & Discussion: After learning what happened here on March 11, 2011,
and the continuous efforts made toward recovery up to the present,
participants will explore the importance of the “Phase Free” concept
and reflect on ways of living that prepare us for the future.
▶Rural Study Program: Hunters, wildlife experts, yoga instructors, and other unique local mentors
join this rural study program to offer participants new insights
and opportunities for personal growth—an experience possible only in a rural community.