Sightseeing Guide to History museums in Toyoma, Tome City

Education Museum
The building was used as an elementary school under the old system of education. It was built in 1888 during the Meiji Era and is representative of the western-style architecture of the time. The building has been deemed a National Cultural Asset by the Japanese Government.

Open: 9:00 to 16:30(The same as the other three locations)
Close: over the new year period (usually from December 28 to January 4)
Admission Fee: Adults(individual)400 yen
A group charge applies to 20 people or more. (The same as the other three locations)

Police Museum
This western-style building was built in 1889 and was used as the police station up until 1968. Various artifacts relating to the Police force and Fire Brigade are exhibited here. It is the only police museum in Japan and is deemed a Cultural Asset by the Miyagi Prefectural Government.

Admission Fee: Adults (individual) 300 yen

Mizusawa Prefectural Office Memorial
The building was built in 1871 as a government office building. At the time, Toyoma was the northern political center of Miyagi Prefecture. Later on this building was used for different reasons such as to house a local court and then as an elementary school. The building is deemed a Cultural Asset by the Tome Local Government.

Admission Fee: Adults (individual) 200 yen

Mori Butai: Noh Theatre and Museum
In Toyoma, Noh Theatre has flourished since the 17th century. Performances involve traditional instruments and masked characters. "Okayachi Nanbu Kagura (Shinto Religious Music and Dance numbers)" are also performed. These performances have been handed down from one generation to the next and continue to be performed by local residents during festivals.

The building was designed to convey the Noh traditions of the area. Traditional masks and costumes are on display in the adjoining museum.

Admission Fee: Adults (individual) 200 yen
(Economy tickets for groups of 5 ) 800 yen
Contact us for guided tours, bicycle rental and other information.
Toyoma Promotion Group *English language services are also available.

Early Christian Community - Kirishitan no Sato (Towa, Tome City)

Sankyohzuka
During the feudal era in Japan it was prohibited to be Christian. However, in some areas people privately followed the teachings of Christianity. It is believed that they hoped this religion would bring new meaning and importance to their lives.

This phenomenon occurred in the Towa area of Tome. In a small area called Yonekawa, there was a metal mine where local people were employed as labors. It is believed that many of them were Christians. In the late 1700s government officials of the Date Clan heard of their beliefs and came to the area to capture and later execute them. Their bodies were buried in three mounds in the areas of Oinosawa, Kainashisawa, and Hohnosawa. Collectively the three mounds were called Sankyohzuka however only one of the original mounds remains.

Yonekawa Catholic Church
In 1954, old documents were discovered in Yonekawa. They proved the claims that the area was once the site of Christian martyrdom. Local people dedicated a church there to the memory of their ancestors. The church is open to visitors and it is not necessary to make a reservation before you visit. Valuable documents and important articles are on display in the church.

Text and photos quoted from Miyagi City official English website.

Summer is the season when the whole city gets excited and energetic.

Hydrangea Viewing Festival (Ishikoshi)
From July 1 to July 20

About 30,000 hydrangeas of 70 varieties are in full bloom at Chacha World in Ishikoshi.

Yosakoi & Neputa in Toyosato (summer festival)
August 14

Yosakoi is a very energetic and active form of dancing and Neputa is a parade of combining dancing and floats.

People of all ages come to Toyosato to join the performances. The area is crowded and people get excited to see and join the festival. There will be a parade including taiko (Japanese drum) performance, and about 20 floats.

Naganuma, Izunuma, Uchinuma Lotus Flower Festival (Hasama)

This festival is held from the beginning to the end of August, when the surface of the pond is covered with beautiful lotus flowers. A sightseeing-boat is operated during the festival. Seeing the pink lotus flowers from the boat in the center of the pond is a unique experience.

Mokkori Gyu Festival (Minamikata)
The festival is held on August 14

This is the last event of the summer. You can stuff yourself with high-quality beef at the festival's outdoor BBQ party. The demonstration of whole roasted cow is the most popular event. Cows are carefully raised by farmers in Minamikata, and they are fed organic rice and fresh grass.

Guide to summer festivals and events
July
* From July 1 to July 20 / Hydrangea Viewing Festival (Ishikoshi)
* July 26, 27 / Sanuma Summer Festival (Hasama)
* July 25 / Kappa Ichi (night shop fair)
　　　Kappa is a mythical creature that lives under the water.

August
* From the beginning to the end of August / Naganuma Lotus Flower Festival
* From August 1 to August 31 / Izunuma, Uchinuma Lotus Flower Festival
* August 2 (the first Saturday of August every year) /
　　　Toyoma Meiji Mura Summer Festival (Toyoma)
* August 13 (every year) / Naganuma Fireworks Festival (Hasama)
* August 14 (every year) / Bon dance festival (Toyoma)
* August 14 (every year) / 2008 Mokkori Gyu Festival (Minamikata)
* August 14 (every year) / Yosakoi & Neputa in Toyosato (Toyosato)
* August 15, 16 / Grand Festival at Mirokuji Temple (Nakada)
* August 16 (every year) / Fireworks Festival in Maiya (Towa)
* The end of August / Kazeoi Matsuri Festival (Yoneyama)
Spectators come to downtown area to see the float parade and traditional dances.

*Please note that these festivals and events may be cancelled due to inclement weather or emergencies.
For more information, please contact the tourist information department at Tome City Hall.

Text and photos quoted from Miyagi City official English website.

Hitomebore, which is widely grown in Japan, is one of the most popular brands of rice.

The Hitomebore growing area was ranked 2nd in 1994. It is a hardy kind of rice, and is not liable to being damaged by natural calamities.

Hitomebore tastes good when it is cooked and warm as well as when it gets cool.

We cook bamboo sprout rice of soy sauce taste. Some vegetables such as carrots,
kidney beans as well as bamboo sprouts are cooked with Hitomebore. Some people add
chopped fried bean curds.

We also make ONIGIRI (rice ball) of cooked Hitomebore. We put pickled plums
inside and put black sesame seeds outside. Plain boiled Hitomebore is also delicious.

I used to bring ONIGIRI for lunch when I went to work. I prefer to put the mixture
of dried sea plants and white sesame seeds outside of Onigiri.

My familiy loves rice and we have rice at least twice a day.

Mr. Onodera, one of the reporters, grows Hitomebore on his rice fields

HITOMEBORE literally means "falling in love with a person at first glance."
If you visit our area to try HITOMEBORE, you may certainly fall in love with its taste
at first sampling.

As part of their hometown education, Yonegawa Elementary School carried out agricultural work experience in the form of rice planting. The mainly 6th-grade students enjoyed rowdily planting the rice seedlings.

In my elementary school days if there was a lot of farm work to do, I would have to take the day off school, wake up early and help at home. Children were an important source of manpower, so those people who had only a little land would go and help those who had a lot of land to work on.

At our household Shinto shrines, rice seedlings are made as offerings and we pray that this year's harvest may also be bountiful.

The other day, Miyagi Television Broadcasting came to cover this blog, reporting on the rice growing environment conditions here in the "Home of Fireflies."

Tome City in Miyagi Prefecture has been designated a protected habitat, as it is the northernmost area in which Genji Botaru fireflies (Luciola cruciata)--known as being an "environmental barometer"--gather en masse. Genji fireflies inhabit the clear waters of the Masubuchi River and usually are considered as a good sign of a clean environment and safe rice cultivation.

These clear waters are drawn by pump and are used in rice cultivation. Water is the very lifeblood of rice.

The photograph shows staff from Miyagi Television filming the clear waters of the Masubuchi River.

A few days ago we were visited by children from a Junior High School in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. They came to Tome City to participate in a farm stay, during which they would live and work on a farm.

Four enthusiastic and polite female students were assigned to stay at my family home. As soon as they arrived they got changed and started helping with the rice planting.

I hope that the students from Tokyo, a huge metropolis, will have much to take away from this experience. I also think that the students living in the countryside should, in the same way, have the chance to experience a culture different from their own.

We planted young rice plants a few days ago. Here are just some quick photos. We'll report you many details later.

During April and May, farmers in our area are busy preparing for the transplantation of rice seedlings.

Some of the farmers have jobs in addition to tending the fields, thus they were very busy during the annual Golden Week vacation period. In Japan, we have consecutive national holidays during the first week of May, so the week is called Golden Week. Their work is not as hard as it used to be, because they use modernized farming machines.

Young rice plants are growing well and strong. Farmers plant rice seeds in the middle of April and wait about a month before they sprout. These plants will be transplanted to the rice fields in May.

Before transplanting the rice seedlings, farmers plow the rice fields and spread fertilizer, flood the fields and then till the fields until the soil becomes soft. This process is called Shirokaki in Japanese. It is also important for the farmers to cut the grass covering the footpaths between the rice fields. After this, they mend the footpaths to fill in any recent holes.

In more recent times, women play more active roles in farming.

A woman is driving an agricultural tractor. She is plowing her rice fields and then will move on to till the fields.

A farmer is spreading calcium based fertilizer for soil enrichment. This is very useful to make the rice plants strong.

He is mending the footpaths and drains between rice fields to ensure the rice fields retain the water.

Farmers also fill in the holes made by moles or field mice. It is commonly believed that 3.75kg of each rice crop is eaten by moles. If we leave the holes as they are, a great deal of damage can be done to the rice crop.

Local people in our area cooperate in protecting the natural environment. They do their best to keep the water clean. Water sources and the natural environment are very important in farming. They also combine forces for the prosperity and development of the community.

The trees and plants around us have turned green and we feel happy to see them. Small brooks murmur as they run through our area. Larvae that grow in the swamp will soon burrow into the ground and return in the beginning of July as fireflies.