Goishi Coast

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

Goishi CoastSanriku Geoparksea archesOfunatocoastal walk

Photo: Morio / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · original

Iwate's geography does a lot of the work at Goishi Coast — the rest is knowing when to show up.

The Goishi coast runs about six kilometres around the end of the Massaki peninsula and is named for the beach of flat black stones that look like go pieces. It is a geosite of the Sanriku Geopark, the largest geopark in Japan, and the rock here has been worked by the Pacific into arches, blowholes and clefts.

A walking path of about seven and a half kilometres links the whole set — the pine woods above, the black stone beach, and the eight named features collectively called the Eight Views of Goishi. Anatoshi-iso is a rock with three sea arches punched through it; Kaminari-iwa booms when swell hits the cave under it; Ranboya is a narrow chasm with the sea working at the bottom. Camellias flower red along the path in early spring. It is free.

Visiting essentials

Best season

March–April for camellias | Late spring to autumn for the walking circuit

How long to allow

2–3 hours

Hours

Open access | Daylight only

Closed: Open year-round

Entry fee

Free | Free parking | Sightseeing boat charged separately

Finding your way there

Getting there in detail

Massaki-cho, Ofunato, on the end of the Massaki peninsula. Car recommended, or by bus from Sakari on the Sanriku Railway. Free to visit, with a main car park for about 160 vehicles; the Anatoshi-iso car park is by car from the Goishi Coast Information Center and the Goishi cape car park about 3 minutes. The circuit path is about 7.5 km. A sightseeing boat operates from the coast seasonally and is charged separately.

What to bring

**Anatoshi-iso is the one to see.** Three sea arches through a single rock, best from the water or from the platform above at the right tide. **Kaminari-iwa makes noise.** The name means thunder rock and it does it when there is swell. In flat calm it is just a rock. **The full circuit is 7.5 km.** Doable in a morning, but the three car parks let you drive between the main features if time is short. **Camellias in early spring.** Red flowers against black stone and green pine along the path, from around March. It is the local season. **It is a Sanriku Geopark site.** The largest geopark in Japan, spanning three prefectures. The rock formations here are the point rather than a backdrop.

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