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Sanriku Fukkō NP, Iwate
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Hachinohe-ana (“Hachinohe Hole”) has a long-distance legend: a dog entered here and turned up in Hachinohe, far north. The real sea cave ends after about 8 m—a short finish for such an ambitious name.
Sanriku fishers traditionally used sappa boats to gather sea urchins and abalone. Their name is said to echo “bamboo leaf,” a nod to the slim skiffs that slip close to the rocky shore.
The cave’s famous blue is a mood, not a fixed color: its clear water can glow emerald or cobalt as sunlight and conditions change. A sunny morning is especially likely to light the little chamber cobalt.
Jodogahama means “Pure Land Beach.” In the 1680s, priest Reikyō Ryūko is said to have likened its white rocks and blue sea to Gokuraku Jōdo, the Buddhist paradise—an old compliment the boat route still sails through.
At Koyasu Jizō by Sai-no-Kawara, local people pray for family health and abundant catches. A small custom links shore and shrine: worshippers carry a pebble from the stony inlet when they go to pray.
On the small-boat tour, one feature is Chinoike, “Blood Pool,” an eerie name for a dark inlet beyond a rock passage. Visitors cannot walk in to explore it; the protected shore is viewed from the water.
