The Goishi Coast - A Place of Pristine Natural Beauty

Over the years, there have been many places of natural beauty I have had the pleasure of visiting during my travels in Japan. But one in particular, the Goishi Coast has always held a special place in my heart. Since my earliest days of living in Kesen, I have loved visiting the rocky seacoast. I would often spend a warm summer Sunday lounging by the ocean listening to the waves while reading a good book. I suppose this would be because of me growing up in central Canada, where the nearest ocean waves are over a thousand kilometers away. There is something mesmerizing about the rhythmic crash of waves, and the humbling feeling faced with the awesome vastness of the Pacific.

The Goishi Coast is part of the Sanriku Coast, which stretches from Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture to Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. In 2013 the Sanriku Fukkō National Park was created to incorporate the many scenic places of natural beauty, including the Kitayamazaki cliffs near Tanohata Village and Jodogahama Beach in Miyako City. And while not as famous as the aforementioned spots, I believe Goishi Beach to be as striking as anything you’ll see in the park.

The Goishi Visitor’s Center

The beautiful red pine forest

Thunder Rock & the Ranboya Gorge

Goishi, aptly named due to the smooth, black stones found on the beach resembling the pieces of the Japanese board game, Igo has several coastal formations worth seeing. Perhaps most famous is Anatoshiiso, the rock formation that adorns the front page of this blog. The main part of Goishi includes an extensive forest of red pine trees, the Ranboya gorge, and its crashing wave sound ‘Thunder Rock’ (Kaminari iwa), as well as stunning views at Goishi Cape. Nearly four kilometers of coastal trails provide a wonderful afternoon of hiking with outstanding views. In addition, located in the same area is the Ofunato Municipal Museum and the renowned Camellia Hall greenhouses, which boasts of 600 varieties of camellia plant varieties from around the world, which bloom between February and March each year.

Due to its rural location, Goishi is best accessed by car. There is limited bus service from the JR Sakari Station in Ofunato with the Iwate-ken Kotsu Bus Company.