Busy morning at the Morning Market / Hot bath / Walk along the Coastline
Our friends insisted we go to the famous “Tatehana Wharf Morning Market” the next morning and came to pick us up at 6:00, making us wonder what the hype was about. As we approached the market, finding a parking spot was quite a battle. We applauded our friend’s slick maneuver to parallel park realizing the Morning Market really is a big deal. As soon as I entered the bustling lanes full of lively shops and shoppers, the grilled fish smoke and aroma of freshly baked bread wafting in the air reminded me that I hadn’t yet had breakfast. My friends had a single purpose - find their favorite shop that served freshly baked apple pies, cinnamon rolls and coffee. The owner and the lady baking the apple pies had barely time to stop for a breather with a long queue waiting to get their share! On top of this lovely breakfast, I couldn’t resist getting myself a glass of freshly squeezed, organic carrot juice from another stand. A helpful old lady with thick Aomori dialect in the apple stand made a huge fuss about which apples to choose from her mound of fresh apples. Leaving the market with a stomach full of apple pies and seeing long lines of customers at almost every stand, I understood the hype!
After we said goodbye to our friends, we walked to find the local sento（銭湯） as this area is a little sento / onsen hub. There is nothing more rewarding than having a nice steaming bath after a night at the humid campsite by the sea. Many locals use sento and onsen regularly if there is one near their homes and I find that it often offers a natural opportunity to speak to them. On this day I met a friendly 90 year old woman who struck up a conversation with me in a thick Aomori dialect. Being from the Kansai region I struggled to follow her story but I learned about her amazing life of being a calligrapher, dance performer and married to a policeman who built her a lovely home with a triangular shaped roof and garden in front of the Natural Lawn of Tanesashi Coast.
After our refreshing sento, we headed out into the rain again. We wanted to go back to find our favorite trail to enjoy the kaleidoscopic landscapes of Tanesashi Coast that are ever-changing: one moment we would be walking amidst the vivid green hills giving way to wild flowers, next moment we were walking on the sandy beach with an undertow so strong you would not dare walk into it. Then the last stretch of hike ends in the peaceful groves of artistically twined pine trees that are 100 years old. What lends itself to this dramatic hike is that you hardly see people while walking. You can truly enjoy the wild nature of the Tohoku area while on this trail.
The only people we really had close encounters with were the local fishermen and women who offered us to try out the sea urchins they just caught. I had the freshest and the best sea urchins that not even the highest luxury sushi itamae could offer!
Practical Tips
The Tatehana Wharf Morning Market (館鼻岸壁朝市) has over 300 shops along an 800 meter stretch, open every Sunday from March to December opening from dawn until about 9 am.
Sento and onsen are similar but mean different things in Japan. A sento is simply a public bath, often using regular heated tap water, and the cost is very economical. Onsen, on the other hand, must use natural spring water of 25°C or higher, with prices ranging from economical to astronomical depending on the location. Futaba-yu, our choice of sento cost us only 480 yen each, though we did have to bring or buy our own towels, soap, and shampoo.
Besides walking on the trail, there are two other choices of transportation to enjoy this particular stretch of coastline - the Umineko Bus https://visithachinohe.com/en/stories/tanesashi-yuran-bus/ and the JR Hachinose Line.
A helpful old lady with thick Aomori dialect in the apple stand made a huge fuss about which apples to choose from her mound of fresh apples.