Rikuzentakata

Rikuzentakata is a coastal city in Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Honshu, lying between the Pacific Ocean and forested mountains. The city includes a flat plain by the sea, several river mouths, and hills inland that open toward the water.

The area was inhabited during the Jōmon period by the Emishi people, until it came under the control of the Date clan during the Edo era. The present city gained official status in 1955 after several villages were merged into a single administrative unit.

The name translates as "land before the high hill" and refers to its position between mountains and ocean, where fishing and farming intertwined for centuries. Fishers still bring their catch to local harbors, while the community sees post-2011 reconstruction as a shared commitment.

Access is via the JR Tohoku Shinkansen to Ichinoseki Station, then by regional train and bus toward the coast. Paths in the city center are wide and level, as the terrain was reshaped after 2011.

The entire city center was raised by more than 10 meters (33 feet) after the 2011 tsunami, creating one of the largest earth-moving operations in Japanese urban planning. Visitors can walk the new streets on the elevated level and look down at the former shoreline.

Location: Iwate Prefecture

Inception: January 1, 1955

Shares border with: Ofunato, Ichinoseki, Sumita, Kesennuma

Website: https://city.rikuzentakata.iwate.jp

GPS coordinates: 39.02042,141.63306

Latest update: December 5, 2025 16:32