Ōfunato, Japan
大船渡市
Ōfunato is a town of 35,452 people in Iwate, Japan, founded in April 1, 1952.
Why visit Ōfunato
Townapedia lists 37 museums and landmarks, 43 parks and trails, 69 places to eat, 30 places to stay and 27 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Mt. Tateishi, 碁石崎灯台, Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum and 陸前高田市立博物館.
Weather in Ōfunato
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Ōfunato
Ōfunato (大船渡市, Ōfunato-shi; Japanese pronunciation: [ò̞ó̞.ɸɯ̈́.nä̀.tò̞, -nä́.tó̞.ɕì, ó̞ó̞-]) is a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. As of 30 April 2020, the city had an estimated population of 35,452, and a population density of 110 persons per km2 in 14,895 households. The total area of the city is 322.51 square kilometres (124.52 sq mi).
From the Wikipedia article Ōfunato (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do27
15 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks37
Nakazawahama Shell Mound
Monument and historic site · 13.1 km
Archaeological site in Japan
Ōhora Shell Mound
Monument and historic site · 2.5 km
Archaeological site in Ofunato, Japan
Shimofunato Shell Mound
Monument and historic site · 3.7 km
Archaeological site in Japan
Takonoura Shell Mound
Monument and historic site · 4.6 km
Archaeological site in Ofunato, Japan
Hirota Bay Underwater Aged Sake Experience Tour
Monument and historic site · 9.7 km
25 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds43
Sanriku Fukko National Park
Park
National park in the Tohoku region in Japan
31 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes69
57 more on the map.
History
The area of present-day Ōfunato was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jōmon period, and numerous shell middens around Ōfunato Bay have been excavated by archaeologists. During the Sengoku period, the area was dominated by various samurai clans before coming under the control of the Date clan during the Edo period, who ruled Sendai Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate.
The village of Ōfunato was created within Kessen District, Iwate on 1 April 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. The 1896 Sanriku earthquake caused a 25-meter tsunami which killed 27,000 people in the area. Ōfunato was elevated to town status on 1 April 1932. The 1933 Sanriku earthquake had a magnitude of 8.4 and caused a 28-meter tsunami which killed 1522 people.
The neighboring town of Sakari and the villages of Akasaki, Takkon, Massaki, Ikawa and Hikoroichi merged with Ōfunato on 1 April 1952, forming the city of Ōfunato. The city became internationally famous when it was hit by a tsunami caused by the Valdivia earthquake in Chile 22 May 1960. On 15 November 2001, the town of Sanriku (from Kesen District) was merged into Ōfunato.
From the History section of Ōfunato on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay30
Churches and places of worship29
Shopping26
Gas and EV charging10
Schools, colleges and libraries31
Healthcare16
Map of Ōfunato
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Hanamaki Airport (HNA) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 64 km away.
- Rikuzen-Takata 8 km southwest, about 8 min by car
- Setamai 13 km northwest, about 13 min by car
- Tōno 31 km northwest, about 31 min by car
- Ōtsuchi 36 km northeast, about 36 min by car
- Ōshū 48 km west, about 48 min by car
- Yamada 48 km northeast, about 48 min by car
- Ichinoseki 53 km west, about 53 min by car
- Ishinomaki 81 km southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Ōsaki 84 km southwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Morioka 85 km northwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- OfunatoCityHall cropped, OfunatoCityHall.jpg : Wakkubox derivative work: 0607crp ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ōfunato - 20120902 tsunami damage4, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ōfunato - 20120902 tsunami damage2, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ōfunato - 20120902 tsunami damage8, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ōfunato - 20120902 tsunami damage, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ōfunato - 20120902 tsunami damage7, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ōfunato - 20120902 tsunami damage3, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ōfunato - 20120902 tsunami damage9, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ōfunato - 20120902 tsunami damage6, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ōfunato - marker from past tsunami, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ōfunato - 20120902 tsunami damage5, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Jyoudogahama, Junpei Satoh, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Reforested Takata Matsubara, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Shinagawa-ohimachi, WebGroup, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ofunato Municipal Ofunato Junior High School, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Iwate Prefectural Ofunato Higashi High School, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Iwate Prefectural Takata High School 2017, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- 陸前高田市 普門寺 本堂, Yoshio Kohara, CC BY 3.0
- Rikuzentakata Municipal Takata Elementary School, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Amaterasumioya-jinjya,Ofunato, Ty19080914, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Rikuzentakata Municipal Takata Daiichi Junior High School, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Takatamatsubara Memorial Park Line of Prayer, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Michinoeki Takatamatsubara and Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rikuzentakata City Museum, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ofunato Municipal Daiichi Junior High School, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Naganohonsya, WebGroup, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fumonji Temple,Rikuzentakata, Ty19080914, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Takata-matsubara, Sennin-G, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Iwate Prefectural Ofunato Hospital, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Operation Tomodachi (Image 2 of 52), DVIDSHUB, Public domain
- Iwatekenkotsu Ofunato Bus Garage, まも, Public domain
- Iwatekenkotsu Ofunato Bus Garage-2, まも, Public domain
- Ofunato Civic Cultural Center and Library Rias Hall, Yasu ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Entrance to Ofunato City Library, Yauchi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- US Navy 110315-N-2653B-118 A fishing boat is among debris in Ofunato, Japan, following a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami, U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Matthew M. Bradley, Public domain
- Defense.gov photo essay 110315-N-KK192-082, Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew M. Bradley, Public domain
- Ofunato, Japan-2011-01, DVIDSHUB, CC BY 2.0
- Ohfunato , Iwate 2012.3.18 - panoramio (4), Kaz Ish, CC BY-SA 3.0
- US Navy 110315-N-2653B-107 An upended house is among debris in Ofunato, Japan, following a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami, U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Matthew M. Bradley, Public domain
- Search-and-Rescue Workers Arrive in Ofunato -Image 15 of 23- (5532294492), DVIDSHUB, CC BY 2.0
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