Hachinohe - Coco's, Kabushima & Tanesashi

I didn't want to spend all weekend unpacking, especially when the weather was nice. Finally getting out of rainy/foggy weather...but into the heat. We decided to go to Hachinohe which is a city to the south of Misawa. It's very similar in size and population to Lincoln, NE. Hachinohe is about 30km (18mi) from Misawa, but the drive can take about 45 minutes.

We had lunch at Coco's Curry. We'd heard enough people rave about it that we figured it was about time we tried it out. It is a chain restaurant that serves Japanese style curry (rice, spicy gravy and meat). There are 10 levels of spicy, 3 is what they consider "the original" so that's where we started. Anything above a 5 you have to have finished an entire meal of the next lower level to move up. My level 3 was spicy enough, any higher than that and my nose would have been running!

Just another example of Hello Kitty being used in advertisement

This is mine, hand breaded pork cutlet and chicken cutlet curry.

Garlic cheese naan and Keenan's chicken
and summer vegetable curry.

After eating we went to Kabushima Shrine or "Seagull Island." It's a Shinto shrine up on top of a little hill and surrounded by seagulls. I've read that anywhere from 30,000-40,000 seagulls live here. The babies hatch in May so we'll have to try going back again around that time next year. I think seagulls are somewhat sacred because the flocks of them show fishermen where schools of fish are at. Keenan did not want to go here, he was afraid of getting pooped on. Supposedly it's good luck if you do...I got him to go anyway.

Purification area.

The roof is covered with poo.

The seagulls on the lights are real...

Hoping nothing falls on my head!

Beach right next to the shrine.

 After Kabushima Shrine we went to Shirahama beach and Tanesashi coast. These are also know as Sandy beach and Grassy beach. I didn't really get any pictures of Shirahama beach, but here are some of Tanesashi coast. There's a trail here that goes along the coast and I'd definitely like to go back sometime and hike it!

Ooooh...so we run AWAY  from the water! Good to know! (sarcasm)

Keenan is in the blue shirt.

If we can find something to climb on it usually helps his boredom,
for a little while anyway!

He told me there was a big wave coming...

That couple had fed some seagulls and now were getting followed! Haha

Don't know what these were, but there were a lot of them.
Curious if they're edible...?

Strawberry/vanilla swirl, Keenan had chocolate/vanilla.

What have we here?!? Beer and sake in a vending machine?
How convenient!

 Up next: We attempt to drive around "the hatchet"...can you see it?