Sanriku Coast

Rias Ark Museum of Art

リアス・アーク美術館 | Rias Ark Museum of Art

Learn about the culture, history, and art of the Sanriku Coast

Photo by Ryuma Kanaya

Photo by Ryuma Kanaya

Photo by Rias Ark Museum of Art

Photo by Ryuma Kanaya

  • Monder Rehamnia

    Writer

    Last Update
    November 22, 2022

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  • Located in the hills of Kesennuma City, from afar this museum looks like a large ship. The Rias Ark Museum of Art features exhibits designed to educate visitors about different aspects of life on the Sanriku Coast area, including folk culture, local history, contemporary art, and the tsunami disaster.

    The first floor of Rias Ark Museum of Art is an invitation to reflect, to feel and to understand the scale of damage inflicted by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. A permanent exhibition documents the effect it had on Kesennuma City through hundreds of photos and historical articles, as well as items found among the debris. Its captions and short stories vividly portray what the authors felt when they took the pictures. An extensive English guide is available at the entrance desk with translations of the exhibits.

    The second floor feature exhibits related to Sanriku Coast culture. Some highlight the Sanriku Coast fishing lifestyle and food culture. Others showcase modern and traditional art of the area. There is also a glass-walled observation deck jutting out twelve meters above the ground, plus a restaurant and a souvenir shop.

    The first floor disaster exhibits are very moving. Seeing the remains of everyday objects laying in the condition they were found in the aftermath of the tsunami is a sobering experience. Visiting the second-floor art and culture exhibits afterwards will help raise your spirits.

    WEBSITEhttp://rias-ark.sakura.ne.jp/2/en/

  • Sanriku Coast

    Tags

    Art & Culture Do & See Earthquake & Tsunami Recovery Gallery/Museum History Sanriku Coast

Details

ADDRESS

138-5 Akaiwamakisawa, Kesennuma-shi, Miyagi-ken 988-0171

ACCESS BY PUBLIC TRANSIT

About 20 minutes by taxi from Kesennuma Station, or about 5 kilometers by rental cycle.
Taxi vouchers are available through the tourist information centers in Kesennuma Station & Umi no Ichi. For more details about the vouchers, please contact the Kesennuma Tourism & Convention Bureau by phone at 0226-22-4560, or e-mail at [email protected] (English OK for email).

ADMISSION

¥700 yen adults
¥600 yen college/community college/vocational school students
¥500 yen high school students
¥350 yen children ages elementary to junior high

CREDIT CARDS

Not accepted

LANGUAGES

Limited English

HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE

Yes

HOURS

9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30)

CLOSED DAYS

Mondays*, Tuesdays*, the days following national holidays**, & the New Year's holiday period (late December–early January)
*If Monday or Tuesday is a national holiday, it will remain open.
**If the day following a national holiday is a Saturday, Sunday, or national holiday, it will remain open.

PHONE

0226-24-1611

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