Shichikashuku (七ヶ宿) is an interesting town, especially in winter. The town itself is a beautiful spot in winter – a snow paradise with lots of interesting elements.
Driving in Shichikashuku is like driving in the fairytale world – where the Snow White plays with the seven dwarfs.
Snow sculptures can be found everywhere in the city.
Some are extremely interesting.
七ヶ宿ダム-The Improved Version of Hover Dam in Japan
Many years ago when I was studying in U.S, I paid a visit to the world famous Hover Dam. But Hover Dam piles in comparison with the Shichikashuku Dam (七ヶ宿ダム), as the latter provides me with the very opportunity to see what’s within the dam.
The passageway inside the Dam is like the scenes in blockbusters – that’s the scene you can find in movies and action games.
To cater the taste of tourists, the Shichikashuku Dam has special light decorations with holiday mood.
Fluorescent light in the gate makes the “fishes” dancing lively in the dark.
The Shichikashuku Dam provides water for most of the cities and towns of south Miyagi. It’s a dam of high efficiency and technology.
The Shichikashuku Dam is self-sustained, its electricity comes from the water gate.
Outside the dam is very windy, but one can enjoy the grand view of the water gate.
This trip is more fun than educational, it’s a nice place for tourists from 3 years old to 75.
The address of the Shichikashuku Dam is as follows. Join the adventure of the dam and learn about how advanced Japan is in water transportation.
そば吉野屋-An 150-Years-Old Noodle Restaurant in Shichikashuku
Imagine this, your grandfather told you about his life when he was young, and you get to experience the same life-style, although only for 30 minutes, in the same restaurant your grandfather used to go. The Soba Yoshinoya (そば吉野屋) is not simply a noodle restaurant, but rather a kind of life style – the elder generation uses to have in the end of Edo (江户) years.
This noodle shop is next to the Ando (安藤) House – a famous historical courier station for Samurais in ancient times.
Going inside Soba Yoshinoya, one can find all kinds of stuffs with history and memory. I felt honored to take a seat in this old Japanese house. I closed my eyes for a while, feeling time passes by, as if I traveled back into a period of time I don’t know.
The food is fantastic, as the Chef hand-picked all the food material by himself; the disadvantage of the restaurant is that it can only serve limited customers each day.
Soba may not be my favorite food, but when combined with other Japanese snacks it suddenly become magical. The chef really knows what works best with Soba.
The sunlight comes in directly from the front window of the noodle shop, so it’s not just the food that delights me.
“My son will be back and inherit this shop, just like I inherited it from my father 23 years ago.” The chef smiles with proud, and all that I remember is the taste of the noodle.
The address of the Soba Yoshinoya is as follows, go and experience what your grandfather used to experience.
七ヶ宿くらし研究所-Don’t be Fooled by its Name
The Shichikashuku Kurashi Kenkuzyo (七ヶ宿くらし研究所) is not a real Kenkuzyo (research institute), instead, it is a café, a four-season-activities host as well as an accommodation information center.
The Shichikashuku Kurashi Kenkuzyo building is more than 100 years old, and the internal decoration is purely Japanese-style.
The host of Shichikashuku Kurashi Kenkuzyo is professional in making coffee, he always holds the researching spirit and likes trying the newest fashion in coffee making.
Shichikashuku Kurashi Kenkuzyo is a good place to spend the afternoon, when people gathered around the table, the wonderful time begins.
The address of Shichikashuku Kurashi Kenkuzyo is as follows, it offers the state-of-art local activities in spring, summer and autumn.
七ヶ宿の白碳-The Diamond-Material Cookie
Carbon, is the most common element on earth. On the other hand, it compounds the main part of the most expensive rock – diamonds. Carbon is always a good thing: some use it as fuels, some make it diamonds, but Sato Mitsuo (佐藤光夫) in Shichikashuku uses carbon to make the delicious cookies. In his shop Shichikashuku’s White Charcoal (七ヶ宿の白碳)，you can find the most healthy and low-fat baked food such as cakes, cookies and snacks.
The carbon itself was produced by Sato Mitsuo, in the workshop near his home. Mr. Sato used to be a teacher in elementary schools, after which he made carbons for 23 years, and he became a real expert in making carbon.
It usually takes hours for the wood to burn in the smelter, and the temperature has to be controlled precisely, as to burn the woods equitably sufficiently. Over the years, Mr. Sato has participated in several academic meetings, showing the world how to make carbon in a better way.
After burning for hours, Sato Mitsuo has to fetch out the woods and then bury it into the ground to cool it down.
The carbon produced by Sato Mitsuo is different from other carbon, in that the color of his carbon is white, known as the white charcoal.
In the past 23 years, Sato Mitsuo have been repeating this process day after day, most of the carbon was then used to make cookies, while the rest of them are used to fuel his house. His carbons are for sale on Tokyo Skytree.
The idea of using carbon to cook snacks is because Sato Mitsuo’s wife is allergic to high-fat food, he didn’t expect that this healthy style food could be so popular. The Sato couple really loves nature, and they live a very light life.
The address of Shichikashuku’s White Charcoal is as follows, this family-shop has a lovely dog – you can always get a warm welcome from the Sato’s family.
