Iwate and Sendai Trip Journal Sunday, Sept. 14th

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We had the earliest possible breakfast (6:30), caught the first train that we could to Mutsu Minato station, and got to the morning market at the docks before 8:00, which was still pretty late. Lots of mostly food vendors were still there, which was good. We had cukes on sticks and konnyaku on sticks. I bought my favorite Kiou apples. Soon, many of the market stalls were starting to pack up. We took some time to look at the fishing boats tied up at the dock, and then we walked back to Mutsu Minato station. 

Early morning view from Route Inn Hotel.

Looking back at our hotel from the Hon Hachinohe station.


Hachinohe Morning Market

Fishing boats flying 大漁旗(たいりょうばた) (Big Catch Flags) .

We had quite a wait at the station for our train the the next station, and there was no bathroom. There was a sign that said there was one, a ten minute walk away. But there was some kind of indoor market across the street, and it was still open. I think it was one of those places where you can get what you want from the various vendors, and make a rice bowl, or perhaps have items cooked there for you. Anyway, most of the vendors were closed, but there was a bathroom in the back. On the way out I passed the stall of a nice chatty lady selling dried fish, so I talked with here for a while and bought some dried squid. 

Interior of Mutsu Minato Station.

Bike parked outside Mutsu Minato station.

Back at the station, we helped a group of Australian hikers figure out how to buy tickets to a station that they called “same” rather than “sah-may”. We were also headed to the Same station, actually. The name of the station is 鮫(さめ) , as in shark. When we arrived at the Same station with the Australians, we chatted with them for a while. They were doing a Michinoku trail hike, with glamping stations each night. In front of the station there was a big Jaws-looking shark sculpture, so we took some pictures of each other in front of the sculpture. Hanging around the station and talking with the Australians was almost a mistake. As we started to walk towards the Umineko bus stop, we noticed that the bus was there and the last person just got on. We ran for the bus and the driver waited for us. Something to remember is that connections between trains and buses are often timed. 

All these stations are starting to look the "Same"!

On our way to our starting point on the Michinoku trail the bus passed Kaboshima Shrine, so we decided to return there on the way back. I made a mistake on the bus, grabbing a numbered ticket 整理券(せいりけん) , then trying to tap out with the Suica card on my phone. The driver was able to quickly fix this for me, but the proper way is to remember to tap in with the Suica when boarding, then tap out. We got off the Umineko bus at Ashigezaki Observatory. We had lunch there. We had pasta Napolitan and rice and bean curry which was vegan, but very spicy. The first part of the walk was lovely, with a rocky shoreline, trees, flowers, and shrubs. It was nicely paved with cobblestones. Someone, here and there someone had been collecting konbu, and laying out on the rocks to dry. The second half was along Shirahama beach; a wide and long sandy stretch, perhaps a couple kilometers long. A truly beautiful beach. It was sunny with partial clouds and we were concerned about getting sunburned, so we pulled out our umbrellas. But, with the wind on the wide open beach it was a challenge! We saw perhaps 20 other people on our walk. No one was really swimming as there were no lifeguards, and there were warnings about undertow. The waves were nice and the sea, an azure blue.

Ashigezaki Observatory


A relaxing place to view the Pacific Ocean.

The rocky coast along the Michinoku trail.

Shirahama Beach

We hiked up to the Mutsu Shirahama station, which was little more than a  shed along an incongruously long platform. The place had a look of splendid remoteness. We were on the platform for a while and a trio of French speakers showed up, and then a guy drinking chū-hi and looking like Tora-san showed up with a couple of ladies. 

Mustsu Shirahama Station

Something about the stations along this line: their names almost all contain one of the following words: 陸奥 Mutsu, 陸中 Rikuchū , and 浜 Hama. Mutsu refers to the ancient province of the "Deep North". Rikuchū refers to the middle part of the ancient province of Mutsu - modern day Iwate. And Hama of course is beach, of which there are many in this region. 

The train ride back twists and turns on narrow gauge rails through the forest, with branches occasionally whacking the window frames on the sides of the train, with a "tak tak tak tak" sound running from the front of the train to the back. There are beautiful ocean vistas here and there. 

JR Hachinohe Line

We got off again at Same station to walk to the Kaboshima shrine. We stopped at a little shop in a trailer to look for hats. No doubt the original shop had been washed away by the tsunami. I found a baseball cap with the word “shark” on it. It fit perfectly and looked pretty good. I found it was good for taking pictures, because I could turn it around backwards when I wanted to hold the camera up to my face. 

The shrine was dedicated to Benzaiten - a deity in both Shinto and Buddhism. She is the goddess of music and eloquence, and also protects the fishermen. At Kaboshima Shrine we learned what an umineko was. It’s not a sea-cat, but a black-tailed gull which makes a sound like a cat. The umineko gull famously nests on the small island, all around the shrine. And the island isn’t actually an island, but now a peninsula as the gap between the island and the mainland was filled in many years ago as part of a harbor improvement project.

Fishing boats under the protection of Kaboshima.

The 3.11 tsunami came up to about where the people in the foreground are standing.

Near the base of the island is a small visitor center with information on the umineko and the island itself. Nice place to take a break. Then we walked back to the Same station. We decided to ride all the way back to Hachinohe and see if there were more restaurant choices. We selected a pub called “Hamagoya” (The Beach Hut). Our meal started with a small cover charge and two pieces of fatty tuna sashimi. I asked about mugicha to drink. They had none - so I asked for just water, but the waiter said there was a one drink minimum. He said he could do Aomori Apple juice which turned out to be really good. I noticed a guy on a nearby table drinking Asahi Dry Zero beer, and mentally filed that away. We had some nice chewy broiled whole squid with legs, a bowl of clam soup, and maguro sashimi.

Hamagoya Izakaya

Grilled squid with mayo on the side.

Hachinohe Station


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