The Shiogama City Tsunami Disaster Prevention Center is located along the wharf at the Shiogama port within walking distance of JR Hon-Shiogama Station. It is a learning center whose main exhibit focuses on the week following the 2011 tsunami—what actually occurred and what damage was suffered—to communicate the lessons learned and raise awareness of disaster preparedness.
Visitors can enjoy an interactive learning experience using a jog dial to control a three-screen display system that simulates the seven days following the earthquake, based on actual images and records. The three-screen display system is called “Seeds of Knowledge.” Also on display is the actual compass from a Miyagi Coast Guard patrol vessel, the Matsushima, which was about 5 kilometers off the coast of Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, when it encountered the massive tsunami. The boat managed to ride over the towering 10-meter-high waves by facing them head-on. Visitors can virtually experience that encounter at sea through actual footage.
Marine Gate Shiogama, adjacent to the center, is a shopping and dining complex that also serves as the boarding point and information center for the Matsushima cruise boat that tours the islands of Matsushima Bay and the public ferry that takes people to the Urato Islands. The first floor has souvenir shops and the second floor has restaurants where visitors can enjoy fresh Shiogama cuisine. The third-floor observation deck offers a view of the ships coming in and out of Shiogama Port.