Iwate II

I woke up several times throughout the night, Scarlett had some problems to sort out during a call, there was an earthquake, and Scarlett also had to shut down the curtains when the sun started to rise. I got out of bed at the sound of Lisa's alarm around 6:55 AM so I took my stuff and went to the onsen again. They switched the orders around so this time I was able to try the women's side which I think had less variety and the sauna wasn't available as well. Nevertheless, I enjoyed being able to gaze out at the gorge while rotating between the outdoor pools and alternating with the cold baths in between.

We ate breakfast together with a panoramic view of the gorge while everyone dressed in yukatas. Soon it was time to head out. Scarlett wanted to visit Takkoku no Iwaya, a temple built on the side of a cliff which had the face of Buddha carved on it. It was only 15 minutes away but I was a bit worried if we had enough time to see the rest of the spots.

Lisa drove us there and it was a peaceful place, not much people. The sun was out and shining and the scent of sweet incense wafted through the air as the cicadas sang their song. Having paid 500 yen, Lisa and I went to the main temple first before going down and checking out the face. I started going around the place and found another path leading to the back where I saw Lisa. We hanged around here for a long time, just being totally zen.

Our next stop was the Kamaishi Dai-Kannon which was like a 2 hour drive away. Poor Lisa, she was working extra hard today but after a long journey, we started to see the giant white statue from a distance. As we approached, it loomed above us at almost 50 meters tall. With 500 yen, we entered the temple ground and climbed up the statue. Each floor had one of the Seven Lucky Gods until we reached the top. It was a balcony on the fish Kannon was holding, the views were outstanding.

An hour away was one of the main spots of the day, Jodogahama Beach. We walked towards the beach and ended up eating at a restaurant halfway through. As we approached the beach, Jodogahama's main features stood out. These limestone rocks protruded out of the water and formed shapes reminiscent of a dragon. We swam here for a while, enjoying the cold water and doing some tricks. I found out I couldn't float at all because I didn't have enough fat. The mystery has been solved after a lifetime of trying. Thanks Lisa! After swimming, we had some ice cream before going to the final spot of the day. Unfortunately, we had to skip Ryusendo Cave due to the time constraints.

Still, it was looking a bit risky if we could make it but we still went for it. Afterall, Kitamiyazaki Cape was the spot I was after the most. Lisa managed to save us 20 minutes too which was a godsent. We had the whole place to ourselves, just the buzzing of the cicadas and the sea breeze. It was so quiet and peaceful here, I wish we had more time. We went to the first observatory and it was clear that the place was worth it. Amazing views of rugged seaside cliffs that extended as far as the eye could see. I hurriedly went to the second observatory to see if I could find better views. There was also a path heading to the bottom of the beach that required at least 500+ steps, I bumped into Lisa and Scarlett. It seems like they weren't interested in doing that hike but I shot down straight. Going down was easy but going up took some work. The views weren't even that great as compared to seeing it from above.

With just enough time to spare, we got back to our car and got ready for a 2-hour ride back to Morioka, Lisa once again clutching and getting us there just in time. Enough time to even buy some food at the convenience store.Læs mere