Kesennuma

Kesennuma is a fishing port city on the Sanriku Coast of Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, set around a deep natural harbor. The 2011 tsunami devastated the town, and its rebuilt waterfront now tells a double story: a working port back at full strength and a community that chose to remember.

The harbor again lands more fresh bonito than anywhere else in Japan, and waterfront markets serve the catch within sight of the boats. Cross the long bridge to Oshima island for quiet beaches and hilltop lookouts over the ria coastline, and let the memorial museum tell the disaster's story with care.

Seafood is the reason to linger, with bonito the summer standard-bearer, and the view from Mount Anba stretches across the bay you came to eat from. Trains and buses connect via Ichinoseki, and an overnight here supports the town's recovery in the most direct way possible.