Shobuta Beach, packed withpeople during the summer,opened for tourism in 1888.

THE ROADMAP TOABLUEFLAGBEACH
AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN MIYAGIIn June 2023, a beach in the Tohoku region, in the northeast of Japan, received international environmental recognition
by winning Blue Flag certification. Now everyone can enjoy the beautiful sea there, preserved after the catastrophic
earthquake of March 2011, through the efforts of those who love the region.
Shichigahama (literally meaning“seven beaches” in Japanese) inMiyagi Prefecture is a small town
on a peninsula jutting into theocean along the eastern coast ofJapan’s Tohoku region. Surroundedby water on three sides, it is said tohave got its name from its sevenbeaches, each with a village formed
around it. One of the seven beaches,
Shobuta Beach, is home to a historicbathing resort that opened in 1888,
Tohoku’s first such seaside resort
and the third ever in Japan.
It was also this beach that, in June
2023, won Blue Flag certification:

an international environmental
designation awarded to beaches,
marinas, and sustainable-tourism
boats worldwide that meetstringent criteria for water quality,
safety, and accessibility. Theinternational NGO Foundation forEnvironmental Education (FEE),
headquartered in Denmark, ispromoting the designation aroundthe world in collaboration with
the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and theUnited Nations World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO).
Activities promoting blue

GOKO Akitsugu comes from Murata Town insouth-central Miyagi Prefecture. At the time of
the 2011 earthquake, he was working some 700
km away in Aichi Prefecture, but moved to
Shichigahama having volunteered to help withreconstruction efforts. After working for anNPO providing support for disaster victims,
he joined the staff of the Shichigahama Town
Tourism Association.

tourism, including the acquisitionof Blue Flag status, are becoming
popular in many parts of Japan.
Blue tourism is a type of sustainable
tourism that aims to protect thelocal environment and achievesustainable development by
utilizing the natural landscape andfisheries of coastal areas as tourism
resources.
GOKO Akitsugu of theShichigahama Town Tourism
Association has been instrumental
in campaigning for Shichigahama’s
blue tourism. “Since Shichigahama
is a seaside town, we felt that weneeded to educate residents aboutthe current state of the ocean andwhat should be done to protect it,
and that we as a tourism association
also needed to learn more. It wasthat thinking that fit with the Blue
Flag philosophy,” he remarked.
To become a Blue Flag beach, abeach must meet 33 criteria in fourareas: environmental educationand information, water quality,environmental management, andsafety and services. Shobuta Beach
was able to obtain Blue Flag status
in the space of just one year thanks
to their remarkably fast-paced
actions, including regular waterquality inspections, the provisionof facilities for the physicallydisabled, and the installation ofsigns and making of broadcasts inforeign languages.
Many people enjoy not only
swimming at the beach, but also
engaging in marine sports suchas surfing and bodyboarding;yachting
andtriathlon
competitions are also held there
from time to time. From thecoast, paragliders can be seen

enjoying the view of Matsushima,recognized as one of the three mostscenic spots in Japan, known for
its stunning archipelago scenery.
Shobuta Beach is also awash withdiverse types of seasonal seafood,including the finest seaweed,
designated worthy even of theImperial Household. And despite
its location—just 30 minutes or soaway by car from Sendai, Tohoku’s
largest city—Shichigahama isensconced in the sedate pace ofrich natural beauty.
Let us return our attention backto the story of Goko—who, infact, is not from Shichigahama.
He arrived in the town after theGreat East Japan Earthquake ofMarch 2011 as a volunteer, helping
to take care of the disaster victims
and their mental well-being. “I sawpeople sobbing as they spoke of
their experiences of the disaster,and children painfully saying
goodbye to volunteers. It made me
want to ensure that my relationshipwith them would be more than justa fleeting one, so I extended mystay as a volunteer for quite a while,and we became like family,” he said.
“The people of Shichigahama are
immensely proud of their small
town and do their utmost for
the local community. That’s why

Top: Matsushima as seen from Mt. Tamonzan
in Shichigahama. The area’s landscape, withabout 260 islands dotting the sea, hasfascinated people since ancient times.
Bottom: Shichigahama was formerly home to a
popular summer retreat for foreigners, as
famous as the forested town of Karuizawa in
Nagano Prefecture. Now, the same area
comprises the Shichigahama International
Village, which is the town’s cultural hub where
various events such as concerts and stage
performances take place.

they didn’t give up when facedwith the earthquake and havesuccessfully rebuilt; that, I think, is
one of the attractions of the town.
I want many people to discover
Shichigahama through bluetourism.”
The people of Shichigahama
are still working strenuously
to overcome the earthquake’s
aftermath, as well as to protect andpass on the beauty of the sea. TheBlue Flag that they have gained isone milestone on that journey.