Houraijima island <Otsuchi Town>

A gourd-shaped island floating in Otsuchi Bay. At the shrine on the island, Benzaiten, which is deeply believed by the fishermen and the residents of the district, is celebrated in the hope of good fishing and the safety of the voyage. And a memorial tower for fur seal is built at the base of the red lighthouse. Although the island is said to be a model of the NHK drama “Hyokkori Hyotan-jima”, the lighthouse and shrine's torii collapsed at the base by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the 340-meter breakwater between the land and the island was washed away, but the shrine has remained and is loved as a symbol of reconstruction.