This is "Minamisanriku Hamare Utatsu" in the Utatsu district of Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture. It's a commercial complex with shops lined up and restrooms in between. I visited on May 18, 2026, and noticed that there were more vacant shops than five years ago, and the decorations in the facility had also decreased. Next door is the Hamare Exchange Facility "Kamome-kan," and the observation terrace on the second floor offers a good view of the bay.
This shopping street is located a few kilometers from Utatsu IC on the Sanriku Expressway.
The premises are also home to a post office🏣 and a museum of fossils excavated in Utatsu.
While Minami Sanriku San San Shopping Street caters to visitors from outside the prefecture, this one seems to prioritize infrastructure and convenience for local residents. The Moai statues🗿 scattered throughout the shopping street are also eye-catching.
Across the road, on the coastline, construction of breakwaters and roads is still ongoing. This reminds us that even 15 years after 3/11, reconstruction is still only half-way complete.
You can also find Pokefuta here!
When I visited on Monday, most of the stores were closed, and it was hard to tell the difference between the closed stores and the vacant ones... The stores that were open were having closing down sales, which was sad news. The soccer team flags were still there, but there were fewer of them and they had been replaced with larger flags.
It was a charming, laid-back shopping street. There was even a fossil exhibit.
It's about a three-minute drive from the Utatsu IC on the Minami Sanriku Expressway, along National Route 45. As I mentioned earlier, this shopping street is only good for light shopping. If you're looking for Minami Sanriku souvenirs and food and drink, I recommend heading to Minami Sanriku San San Shopping Street, about a 15-minute drive from here.
I visited on a Sunday in August 2024, and it was fairly quiet. There are about seven stores, and it's a great place to grab a bite to eat (they serve seafood bowls) and take a break. (They also sell stag beetles.)
There's also an adjacent facility called the Hamare Utatsu Shopping Street Kamomekan, which I stopped by as the meeting point for the Minami Sanriku fossil excavation tour.
So, while the facility itself is a bit deserted, it's quiet enough that it's perfect for a break. Minami Sanriku San San Shopping Street is crowded, so if you're not looking for fossils, I think it's perfectly fine to skip it.
