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岩手 Iwate Prefecture
Running Up The Coast, Part 3
Mar 16th, 2009
As we were leaving the Daikannon at Kamaishi, I gave Lester a call in Morioka. I think the last time we got together was back in November and I figured that since we would be in the general vicinity we’d stop by and have some dinner. After asking his girlfriend if he could come out and play with his friends, I said I’d give him a call when we arrived in Morioka. Before that though, Craig and I had to make it to our 3rd and final stop on our sightseeing tour of Iwate, Jodogahama Beach in Miyako City.
After stopping by a Lawson’s to get some quick energy we hit the road again. By this time we’d been on the road for 6 or 7 hours. I was a little worried that we wouldn’t have enough light to check out the beach, but there was really nothing we could do about getting their any faster. We cut through the mountains, going through 15-20 tunnels of various sizes and lengths.
Jodogahama Beach (the green marker) isn’t your typical sandy beach, rather a brief respite from the rocky cliffs that line Iwate’s coast. The park surrounding the beach looked nice; large with lots of small trails going in every direction. You can also rent boats and navigate the bay. Surely it’s a beautiful place to visit in the spring and summer.
Jodogahama Beach, Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture
Having taken our fill of photos, we set off for Morioka, and dinner. We followed the Shimohei River back into the mountains, encountering quite a bit of snow as we progressed inland. I would’ve liked to make it up to Ryusendo Cave, but we just didn’t have the time.
Finally making it into Morioka, we met up with Lester and Rie and feasted on some yakiniku. Yakiniku is probably my favourite dining experience in Japan. The only thing that would’ve made it a perfect meal was a nice tall frosty beer, but alas I was the driver.
Feeling adequately recharged for the drive home, we said farewell to Morioka and headed south back to Miyagi Prefecture, this time on the expressway. Craig helped keep me awake by talking movies, and before we knew it we were back home. The longest 600 kilometers I’ve ever driven, we were on the road for 14 hours, driving 11 of them. I slept well that night!
Running Up The Coast, Part 2
Mar 14th, 2009
Next on our epic 1-day journey through Iwate Prefecture was the Daikannon at Kamaishi City. As we left the outskirts of Ofunato City we saw a sign for Ryorigawa Dam. Why not? We veered off the main road and snaked our way through an unnamed village, possibly going the wrong way up some one way lanes, eventually ending up at the foot of the dam. Got out at the top, snapped a few pics, then we were back on the road again.
Ryorigawa Dam Resevoir
Kamaishi City (the red marker) is famous for a couple of reasons. From Britannica Encyclopedia (remember them?):
Kamaishi was a small fishing village until magnetite was discovered in the area in 1727, and Japan’s first European-style blast furnace was constructed in the city in 1857. In 1885 a government-controlled iron foundry was built using coal from Hokkaido and later using ore from China after the Sino-Japanese War (1894–95). Heavy damage was suffered during World War II, but mining revived after 1945, yielding magnetite ore. Iron and steel, mainly from Britain, are imported through Kamaishi’s harbour, which is also an important fishing port and part of Rikuchu-kaigan National Park.
Apparently Kamaishi is the main supplier of Japan’s pachinko balls as well. The main draw to this seaside town however is the Daikannon statue. We made our way up the spiral staircase to the top and took in the view. Legend has it that those who visit the goddess and ascend the 204 stairs to the top will be filled with a great happiness. I don’t feel terrible as I type this, so maybe it worked!
Some additional information, this time from the Japanese Buddhism Photo Dictionary:
“Originally a girl of T’ang China, who was selling fish on the market. She asked Kannon Bosatsu [Goddess of Mercy] to grant her a good husband. The wish was granted, and later the girl herself was considered an incarnation of Kannon Bosatsu. This form of Kannon (#10 out of 33) is now, in this area, considered the deity of young men looking for wives.”
We decided to skip lunch and make our way even farther north to Miyako City. Originally I had planned to go to Anatoshiiso only, but in all honesty I’m probably never going to be in this neighbourhood again. We would soldier on…
Running Up The Coast, Part 1
Mar 12th, 2009
One last chance for a road trip before the big move, I headed up and over to the Pacific to check out a few famous spots along the Iwate coast. I only had one day to make the trip, and I knew it was going to be a stretch to make it, but I dragged myself out of bed, hopped in the car and headed north, trying not to think of the 11 hour drive ahead. The first stop? The M-shaped rock formation known as Anatoshiiso (the blue marker).
My co-pilot today would be Craig, an American working at a school near mine. To shave a couple hours off the trip we took the expressway up to Ichinoseki. You gotta pay to drive the expressway, but if time is an issue there’s no better way to drive. Unfortunately the local roads are painfully slow, especially deep in the countryside. “True” (extra lane) passing lanes are virtually non-existent, not that it would help avoid all the grandmas and grandpas attempting to drive their shitty little trucks along the windy roads.
We crawled our way east to Kesennuma, where I saw a very underwhelming fireworks show last summer. Reaching the coast, we began our journey north along the local road that winded along the water.
A couple wrong turns later, we arrived at the first of our five stops. As you can see it’s a pretty beautiful scene, and a great way to start off the morning. I’d like to come back and visit again in the summer when the water is nice and warm. Part 2 to come soon…
A nice place to do some cliff jumping, perhaps...