Higashimatsushima

Higashimatsushima, written Higashi-Matsushima in some sources and meaning East Matsushima, is a coastal city in eastern Miyagi Prefecture in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu, with Matsushima Bay to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Wikipedia reports an estimated population of 39,580 in June 2020 over about 101.36 square kilometres. The city was created on 1 April 2005 by merging the towns of Naruse and Yamoto, and it has traditionally been a center for commercial fishing, especially oyster cultivation, and for tourism. On 11 March 2011 it was severely hit by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which destroyed roughly two thirds of the buildings in the city limits and killed at least 1,039 people. The Japan Air Self Defense Force Matsushima Air Field is located here.