Tohoku · Day Tour
White rock, turquoise water, and a coastline that remembers what the sea did.
From
¥30,000 per person
approx. US$190
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Instant confirmation
A private tour of Miyako on Iwate's Sanriku coast. Jodogahama and its white rocks, the Shiofukiana blowhole, the fish market, the Sanno rocks and the Taro district, where the seawall and the memorial sites explain what happened here in 2011 and what has been built since.
The name means the shore of the pure land, given by a monk three centuries ago. Pale volcanic rock stands in jagged clusters out of water that reads turquoise in good light, backed by pines. A small boat runs from here to a sea cave where the light through the water turns an intense blue.
At Shiofukiana the swell is forced into a cave in the cliff and driven out through a hole in the rock above, throwing spray up to thirty metres when the sea is running. On a calm day it does nothing. Your guide will know from the forecast whether it is worth the stop.
Miyako's own dish: sea urchin, salmon roe or squid packed into a glass milk bottle, brought to the table and tipped over a bowl of rice by you. It began as a way of keeping the catch fresh and turned into the thing the town is known for. The fish market alongside is where the fleet lands.
The Taro district built one of the largest seawalls in the country, over two kilometres long, after earlier tsunami. In March 2011 the wave came over it. Standing on what remains, with your guide explaining what stood where and what the community decided afterwards, is not a comfortable hour, and it is the one people remember. The preserved memorial sites are maintained by residents who were here.
Meet your guide at the station, or at your accommodation.
White rocks, clear water and the boat to the blue cave.
The blowhole, if the sea is running.
Lunch, and bin-don.
Sea stacks around fifty metres high.
The Great Seawall and the tsunami memorial sites.
Miyako Station, Miyacho, Miyako, Iwate, or your accommodation if you prefer. Your guide will contact you on WhatsApp beforehand to agree the plan.
The price covers your private English-speaking guide. Entry fees, transport and meals are paid as you go, and by convention you also cover your guide's. Bring cash.
By train or bus from Morioka, which is around two and a quarter hours from Tokyo by shinkansen. Allow half a day each way.
That is your call and your guide will follow it. The sites are handled factually rather than graphically, and the section can be shortened or skipped.
No. It is seasonal and cancelled in rough weather. Your guide will confirm on the day.
Seafood packed into a glass milk bottle and tipped over rice at the table. It is Miyako's own dish and worth timing lunch around.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time. Bookings are confirmed instantly.
Tohoku · Day Tour
6 hours · From ¥30,000
Tohoku · Day Tour
5 hours · From ¥30,000
