An Expedition into the Culture of Tohoku and the Sanriku Coast: A Walking Tour via the Michinoku Coastal Trail

While the entire trail can be completed in about 50 days by walking 20 km per day, this modular walk is made for you to choose your own adventure, selecting a part based on your personal endurance level and experience. For convenient access to the northernmost start/end point in Hachinohe City, the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train is recommended. From Tokyo Station, you can reach JR Hachinohe Station in as little as approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. In this article you’ll find several model plans to bring you the best highlights available to see via public transportation.

Kabushima is a spot like none other, where visitors can see Black-tailed gull nests and the rearing of their young at close proximity. Kabushima Shrine, situated at the top, enshrines Benzaiten as a guardian deity for prosperous business and fishing safety. These gulls are believed to be messengers of Benzaiten and have been long cherished in the region for ages.

After a fire in 2015, the shrine was rebuilt using donations from across Japan. The shrine's foundation and ornamental beams are made of moisture-resistant Aomori cypress. The attic beams are made of Southern pine, and the shrine's fences and water basin are made of Aomori-produced chestnut wood.

After paying respects at the Kabushima Shrine and passing the rocky areas near the fishing port, you'll make your way into a walk through the coastal meadow. This area's unique vegetation, with over 650 species of coastal and alpine plants, sprouts due to the region's unique climate, influenced by mild winters and the cool and moist summer winds called "Yamase".

Historically, this region struggled with cold damage brought on by Yamase, meaning staple crops like rice and cotton were hard to grow. This natural occurrence led instead to the birth of vibrant flower fields and cultivated a rich cultural heritage, like Nanbu Split Weaving, Nanbu Diamond Stitching, and the traditional folk performance art known as Enburi.

As you proceed further, the fortress-like Ashigezaki Observatory comes into view. This spot, once used as a military facility during the late stages of the Pacific War, offers panoramic views of the trail's highest peak Hashikami-dake and the Pacific Ocean. Nearby is the popular Café Terrace Horonbairu, where you can take a break and treat yourself to delights like soft-serve ice cream.

After leaving Ashigezaki Observatory, you'll walk through a varied landscape of meadows, sandy beaches, rocky areas, pine forests, and natural grasslands, completely changing in landscape every 30 minutes as you go.

The white sands of Osuka Beach are nicknamed "singing sands" because of the squeaky noise they make when stepped on. This sound is caused by the vibration of the quartz grains rubbing against each other. The pure and beautiful sands are seen as a testament to the lack of impurities.

The 3-km stretch of pine forest after this is called Yodo-no Matsubara. Here, you can glimpse the ocean between trees that are over 100 years old. Most of the trees here are Black Pines, which were planted for wind protection and to attract schools of fish.

The Tanesashi Natural Lawn, overlooks the Pacific Ocean below while remaining a part of Myo-no Maki, a pasture for horse rearing. The southern region of Aomori Prefecture, to which Tanesashi Coast belongs, has been known since ancient times as a horse-producing region. It is believed that grazing continued here until around 1965. This distinctive landscape is born of the region’s eclectic local culture.

If you're heading to Hachinohe City, the central city of the southern region, it's recommended to stay the night before and explore the town at night. There are eight alleys where you can enjoy local good eats, sake, and interact with the locals there.

There are bustling spots in the morning just waiting for you to find, like Tatehana Wharf Morning Market (every Sunday from mid-March to December), Mutsu-Minato Station Front Morning Market (closed on Sundays), and Hachinohe City Fish and Vegetable Retail Market (closed on Sundays and the second Saturday). Just steps away you’ll also find Hachinohe Brewery, known for its local sake labels Mutsu-Oyama and Mutsu-Hassen. These and other seasonal sake are available to taste on a tour so be sure to swing by.

A visit to Otsuchi will bring you frontstage and center to the artful vigor of the tiger dance, performed amid the mystical ambiance of bonfires. There’s a shuttle bus to the venue, Kozuchi Shrine, from Sanriku Hana Hotel Hamagiku, situated along the Michinoku Coastal Trail.

During the Edo period, a wealthy merchant from the area named Zenbei Maekawa (also known as Kirikiri Zenbei), transported the many sea goods of Sanriku to Edo. The Otsuchi Tiger Dance hails from the sailors of his transport ships, who were so impressed by a scene from the popular puppet theater play Kokusenya Kassen in Edo that they re-enacted it as dance upon return.

While the town suffered a tragic loss of over 1,200 people to death or missing after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the dance continues as a dedication to deities, a gratitude for support, and an encouragement to victims of natural disasters that still occur frequently.

In Sanriku, the "Sanriku International Arts Festival" is also held after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Walking the Michinoku Coastal Trail, it becomes clear why so many diverse local arts survive here: remote mountain settlements and challenging terrains that isolated communities.

As introduced in Plan 2, characterized by Kitayamazaki, the area north of Miyako City is notable for its cliffs, or marine terraces, formed by uplifted strata from the sea. On the other hand, the area south of Miyako City features a complex ria coastline with long courses that meander across peninsulas.

The latter course, leading all the way to Otsuchi Town, is more suited for advanced hikers. However, with the smart use of the Sanriku Railway, even beginners can comfortably walk the trail in central Miyako City and enjoy the tiger dance performance.

The trail starting from Kyukamura Rikuchu Miyako, which offers shuttle services from JR/Sanriku Railway's Miyako station, allows hikers to traverse around 7 km, including ascends and descends, to Jodogahama in half a day.

From the Jodogahama Visitor Center, it's a 15-minute bus ride to Miyako station. From there, you can access the Namiitakaigan station near Sanriku Hana Hotel Hamagiku or the Otsuchi station near Kozuchi Shrine via the Sanriku Railway Rias Line.

The vegetation varies between the southern Miyako City and Otsuchi Town. South is predominantly evergreen trees, while the north has many deciduous trees that conserve energy by shedding leaves in winter. The nutrients from the fallen leaves flow through streams into the nearby sea. This proximity of mountains to the sea nurtures the rich fishing grounds of Sanriku, a realization that becomes palpable when walking.

When embarking on the Michinoku Coastal Trail, we recommend using the "Hiking Map Book" available at online shops and visitor centers. A portion of the sales goes to the trail's upkeep. It was created with the hope of revitalizing the northeastern, or “Tohoku” coast, aiming for those who walk it and the communities that surround it to nurture the path together.