Our first hiking trip (October 2nd) was the one that the Michinoku-Trail-Website listed as “Tanesashi-Coast”.
From our hotel we first hiked to Kabushima shrine, which is the start- and endpoint of the whole trail. Because we knew that our way to Okuki station wouldn’t take too long to complete, we took our time to perform the magic and go around the shrine three times before ringing the bell. Additionally we bought a cute seagull charm and thus started our hike in high spirits.
The paths are, for the most part, very well built and we only had to cross the beach a few times. It’s easy to avoid getting lost, because you’ll frequently find little wooden poles that signify you being on the right track. This part of the trail is definitely suitable for beginners and has amazing views of the Pacific Ocean.
Throughout our hike it was a bit cloudy, but it only started to rain 50 meters before we reached our destination train station. The dark clouds fit really well with the Ocean and the ragged rocks.
Along the path we hit upon a viewpoint where we could by some fries (sadly not the vegetable curry, because that contains meat – of course. Upon asking whether it could be vegetarian, the lady in the kithcen rolled her eyes at us…) and see some other humans for once. The rest of the path was almost completely devoid of people! Walking this trail can make you feel like you have the whole of Japan to yourself. However, if you really are on by yourself, it’d probably be a good idea to tell someone that you’re hiking the path and that they should call for help if they don’t hear from you in x hours. If something were to happen to you on the trail it seems quite possible that it could take one or two days before anyone would pass by and find you.
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