A Message from Us
Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, the former Suzumejima Hotel has stood frozen in time.
Thanks to the generous support of so many people, part of the property has been reborn as Jiro’s Garden, welcoming guests once again since July 2026.
Nothing begins unless someone takes the first step.
Our website, our accommodations, and even our garden have all been created with our own hands. This is a humble new beginning, with just seven guest suites.
“Rediscover the beauty of Sanriku. From this cape, find the courage to live and peace for your heart.”
We proudly carry forward the vision left by our late founder, Jiro Onishi, and welcome you to a place where you can experience the gifts of nature.
It will take many decades for the garden to reach its full beauty.
I may not live to see that day, but we will continue to nurture it, passing it on to future generations and adding new chapters to its history.
We hope you will join us in watching this small beginning grow with warmth and kindness.
Fumiko Onishi
Jiro’s Garden
Our Founder, Jiro Onishi, and Jiro’s Garden
Born in 1927, Jiro Onishi lived a life marked by hardship and an unending spirit of challenge.
As a child, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and told he had little time to live. He lost his mother at the age of 13, his father at 16, and his older brother in the war at 17.
Overwhelmed by these tragedies, he volunteered for a kamikaze unit, but survived and lived to see the end of World War II.
Determined to build durable homes for a nation left in ruins after the war, Jiro imported machinery from the United States and embarked on the monumental endeavor of manufacturing concrete blocks—the first such production in Japan. Yet even then, unimaginable hardships awaited him.
People often say that despair and hope stand side by side. For Jiro, however, despair was followed by more despair, and then by yet another hardship.
Even so, he never stopped moving forward, often saying, “Life goes on. We have no choice but to keep living.”
It was later in life that Jiro discovered Shirogane Cape.
“Whenever I stand on this cape, my heart finds peace, and I feel the courage to move forward.”
Captivated by the power of Shirogane Cape, he chose to remain here even after the Great East Japan Earthquake damaged the property. With a single-minded determination, he devoted himself to creating a garden where people could find both the courage to move forward and inner peace.
Sadly, Jiro passed away at the age of 95 before he could see the reopening of the property. Yet his vision lives on.
Today, his wife, children, and dedicated local supporters continue to carry his dream forward, caring for and developing the site as Jiro’s Garden.
The Jiro’s Garden Logo & the Fir Tree
The Fir Tree Remains, a classic novel by Shugoro Yamamoto, is based on a political conflict that took place in the Sendai Domain during the early Edo period. It tells the story of Harada Kai, a chief retainer who risked his life and endured loneliness to remain true to his convictions for the sake of peace and stability in the Date clan’s domain.
Jiro treasured this novel throughout his life and deeply cherished the fir tree growing in the garden.
The majestic fir tree standing along the coast in front of the building appears to be a single tree when viewed from above. In reality, however, it is made up of two trees growing closely side by side, evoking the image of two people supporting one another—a married couple, siblings, or lifelong companions.
The Jiro’s Garden logo was inspired by this fir tree.
