Sat 26th April – Hike (Rikuchu-Nakano to Itsukushima Shrine)
DW:
Our Michinko Coastal Trek walk is not a continuous one in the way that our Flinders or Bibbulmum tracks walk were. Instead it is more of a series of best day hikes out of a longer area that we use trains and taxis to get to and from each end of a days walk from. The Hachinohe train line runs down the side of the whole coast and makes it easy to transit between locations. There are very few trains (2 each way a day for some), which makes my scheduling and navigation skills in hot demand.
Today had some (non-Declan related) directional issues at the start of the walk that meant we were tight on time for the remainder. It was over 20km by the time all the film-flam had occurred with a lot of up and down over the coast. We suspect this will have been the hardest day as a result.
It was a really good walk though. The coast is distinctly different from an Australian coast and the weather was very nice except for the last 5 minutes where it started to rain. We were the only people on the entire track that we saw, except for three people who appeared to be camping and carrying comically large matresses at a partially closed campground. The area is not desolate or remote though. There are small towns and houses everywhere and a key feature of the coastline in small harbours with concrete seawalls every few kilometres big enough for a few small boats connected by road.
CR:
Small towns we pass along the way are a lot nicer than I expected. Many of the residents are outside tending to their gardens, and most have at least one restaurant. Declan and I believe that small villiages and towns in Japan are much nicer than Australian equivalents.
CR: For breakfast we get a delightful mix of: sashimi (tuna, salmon, squid and octopus), tasty french toast, beef stomach stir fry, mochi, hash brown and scrambled eggs. Each hotel seems to feature a local produce. In Hachinohe, in addition to the fresh fish, it was locally grown apples. We have apple juice and apple curry.
CR: This was a really long detour that added on two hours to our walk right at the beginning. As we realised we needed the detour Declan turned to me, looked me in the eye (as if to say: you must understand this is serious) and said “this is no longer a fun day”.
CR: Joe, if you see this photo on Tinder, let me know.
CR: All the tsunami signs are unnerving. I don’t want to think about mass casualty potential as I complete this Coastal walk. I am terrified when public announcement plays over loudspeakers on the abandoned coast. What are they saying? Is there a tsunami warning? This is deeply unsettling. We walk on.
CR: For a 20km day there was actually a lot of up and down, as you climb one coastal cliff and then descend to climb the next.
CR: It was very, very cold at the end. The taxi (arranged by Auswalk) turned up on time. This sparked joy.
CR: A delightful dinner of sashimi (mostly eaten by this stage in the photo) and sushi. I like how the sushi is served on the counter. The only two other diners bought a big bottle of sake and Declan noted how the hostess was putting a name tag around it. He concludes they are locals and they buy a bottle and then can have it over multiple sittings at the restaurant. The TV was on and the restaurant was warm. This is a nice place to be on Saturday. Afterwards we went to a coffee shop that had the most elaborate drinks. Somehow it was open until 8pm in this town that calls to mind semi-rural Russia.
I feel like you have eaten a lot of offal this trip.
The simple solution at the creek crossing was for Declan to piggyback Caitlin access which would have avoided the large detour.
The tsunami signs are very sobering.
Great photos of the inlet and the trees and Caitlin in front of the shrine.
Glad you haven’t seen any bears.
Do you have phone reception all through the walk.
Dinner must have tasted so good.
What would have happened if you were late for your taxi.
When I look at the walking photos I sometimes have flashbacks to James sitting under a tree with a little juice box.
Tough day guys. Navigation errors are always fraught. The sushi looks so tasty you will get a shock next time you go to a big restaurant it all looks so personal and conforting. I like tge idea that you can come back numerous times to finish your bottle. Apart from birds and mysterious bears is there any other wildlife?
Not sure about food on the counter. I miss the nice ceramics.
We have had a lot of offal this trip – much more than I was expecting.
Phone reception is pretty good during the walk. We’d have it more often than we wouldn’t.
I’m unclear on what happens with the taxi if you are late. I don’t know how long they’d wait. In essence, when there is a taxi pick up, important to be there on time. And that was a large part of the stress on this day after an annoyingly long detour.
James under the tree with a juice box is a true classic.
There is surprisingly little wildlife. Very different to Australia, where there are kangaroo, snake, echidna, wombat, lizards, koala, etc.
It is really nice not having to worry about snakes though!!