“Kenjo no Sato Ogatsu” Michi-no-Eki Roadside Station

This is a hub for tourism and industry built on a hill in the center of the Ogatsu area overlooking the beautiful sea. At the “Ogatsu Tanakoya” tourism and local products center, visitors can purchase local specialties such as seafood and processed products, and eat sushi or soba noodles.
Ogatsu was one of the areas most severely hit by the tsunami in Ishinomaki City, with 80% of the houses in the village completely destroyed. The Ogatsu Inkstone Museum, which is currently located next to the Tourism and Local Products Center , was completely destroyed by the earthquake and was rebuilt in this area in 2020.
Ogatsu stone, a local specialty, is resistant to compression and warping, and has a low water absorption rate, so it is used in many ways, including for inkstones, roofing material for buildings, and tableware. The Ogatsu Inkstone Museum conveys this traditional culture, and even inkstones damaged by the disaster were washed off and redisplayed. The largest inkstone in Japan, weighing 500 kg and 160 cm in length, is one of the highlights of the museum. Visitors can purchase souvenirs made with Ogatsu stone at the museum shop.