Shiogama, Miyagi

is a city in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The city was seriously affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. However, between 1 March and 31 August 2011, less than 1% of the people left the city.

Geography
Shiogama is in the central part of Miyagi Prefecture. It is between Sendai and Matsushima. The city is surrounded by water and mountains: Matsushima Bay is on one side and Matsushima Hills on the other.

The flat areas of the city are mainly reclaimed land. About 60 percent of the urban area is on reclaimed land and 40 percent on hills. People living in the town are crowded into a narrow area. Not much land is good for stripmalls.

Writing the name of the city
The Japanese language has several writing systems. One of them is kanji. Different kanji may have the same pronunciation. Some kanji are similar in form and meaning. There are two ways to write the name of the city. Both ways have the basic meaning "a pot for boiling salt". Both sound the same, but have slightly different meanings.

One way is to write 塩釜. The other way is 塩竈. The first way to write the city name is often used, such as on the post office, train station, many brand names, and on signs.

The second way comes from the history and an important landmark in the city. Shiogama shrine is at the top of a hill in the city. It is an important Shinto shrine in the Tohoku region. The city got its name from the shrine, but the shrine is written 鹽竈神社. The first character, 鹽, is an old character for salt. It has been replaced in the list of kanji for general use by a simpler character, 塩. The second character, 竈, or kamado/kama, means a large cooking area made of earth. The newer name uses 釜, which means an iron pot.

Transportation

Train stations
 Tōhoku Main Line: Shiogama
 Senseki Line: Nishi-Shiogama, Hon-Shiogama, Higashi-Shiogama

Major roads
National Highways
Route 45
Miyagi Prefectural Highways
3 Shiogama—Yoshioka
10 Shiogama—Watari
11 Shiogama-kō (Shiogama—Shiogama-kō)
23 Sendai—Shiogama
35 Izumi—Shigoama
58 Shiogama—Shichigahama—Tagajō

Culture

Festivals
 Shiogama 'Hote' festival (10 March)
 Shiogama Flower festival and Shiogama Citizens Festival (late April)
 Shiogama Harbor festival (Eve：before Marine Day/festival：Marine Day July)

Visitor attractions 

 Shiogama Jinja
 Shiwahiko Jinja
 Shiogama Jinja Museum
 Okama Jinja
 Magaki Jinja
 Shiogama Port
 Shiogama Fish Market

 Urato Islands
 Nagai Shiyouiti Manga Museum
 Shiogama-city Community Center （Fureai ESP Shiogama）
 Shiogama Kyokusui
 Noda no Tamagawa（One of Japan's six Tamagawa）
 Mother and child　stone
 Marine Gate Shiogama

Notable people from Shiogama
Kōnosuke Fuji (Lyricist)
Miyuki Hatanaka (Mogul skiier)
Itaru Hirama (Photographer)
Masao Maruyama (Anime producer)
Takemasa Moriya (Defense vice president)
Katsuichi Nagai (First editor-in-chief of Garo)
Makoto Nakahara (Japanese chess player)
Kōhei Ōtomo (Musician for "HOUND DOG")
Tadashi Satō (Mangaka)
Hitomi Takahashi (Singer)
Sū Wakai (Author)
Nobunaga Shimazaki (Seiyū)
Kōichi Yamadera (Seiyū, actor, tarento)
Koichi Saura (President of The Sake Samurai Association)

References

Other websites 

 Official website 
 Shiogama tourism and industry association 
 Shiogama tourism and industry association 
 Shiwahiko Shrine & Shiogama Shrine Official website 
 The Shiogama Chamber of Commerce and Industry 
 ShioNavi-Shiogama Navigation 

Cities in Japan
Settlements in Miyagi Prefecture