Livin' the McDream: My Parents' Visit - Part 5 - Exploring Misawa & Hachinohe

This morning I took Mom and Dad to a few places around Misawa so they could check out a few of our off base shopping options. We went to Sanwado which is kind of like an all purpose store, they have groceries, auto parts, hardware, gardening supplies, camping equipment, pet supplies, outdoor clothing/shoes and a few home interior items...though those are curtains, shelves and seat cushions, nothing like furniture or home decor that's available in the USA...that kind of stuff is pretty much non-existent here...unless I'd drive 4 hours to the brand new IKEA in Sendai.

We also went to The Daiso which is a lot like a Dollar General, most things are ¥100 which is pretty much $1 based on the current exchange rate. Biggest difference is that the quality of items seems to be a lot better than dollar stores in the USA and the selection is really good. They have tons of kitchen and home stuff, toys, gardening, crafting, stationary, food and even some tools.

I also took them to a little antique store in Misawa, this guy has sooo much stuff. Mom found a few souvenirs here.

We didn't go to McDonald's but Mom took a picture of their sign as we drove by, they've got a ¥100 menu just like our dollar menu.

For lunch we went to one of Keenan and I's favorite spots. Cheese Roll House. It serves yakisoba, (fried noodles) and we haven't found it better anywhere else. The customers here are almost always all Americans, we understand that yakisoba is an easy food to make at home so Japanese people wouldn't go out to a restaurant to get it. Best American example I can think of...hot dogs. You won't come across a lot of Americans that would go out to a restaurant specifically for a hot dog. We eat them at games and fairs, but typically they're enjoyed at home. Same with yakisoba, it's in high supply at festivals, but usually made and eaten at home. I have tried to make it a few times and can't get it quite right...so we go to Cheese Roll! The yakisoba is noodles, cabbage, onion, bean sprouts, green pepper and meat of your choice, beef, pork, chicken or shrimp. Cheese rolls are also on the menu, literally crispy deep fried rolls with cheese inside, they're pretty good.

Those are just the regular sized portions and that's a cheese
roll on the plate at the bottom of the photo.
This restaurant has about 5 tables and a few stools at the
counter, pretty tiny!

Taking the alley back to the parking lot.

After lunch we headed to Hachinohe to show off a few more sights. We checked out a couple second hand stores which are good for finding antiques and unique souvenirs, the fish market and some of the beautiful coastline. The fish market is a fun experience, everything is as fresh as it gets. We went our first week in Misawa and hadn't been there again. Going back and actually being able to identify a lot of the stuff for sale was cool!

Checking out the display at a sushi restaurant.

The liquor department gives out free samples!
Trying different sakes and fruit wines!

Hello Kitty pastries. Hello Kitty is everywhere!

This department was all specialty confectioneries for sale.

The outside of the market.

From the market we drove over to Kabushima Shrine, also called Seagull Island, on the coast. It's a Shinto shrine on a tiny peninsula. The shrine was founded in 1296 and is for luck. It is also the site of a natural monument as the breeding ground for the black tailed seagull. Thousands of them migrate here every year. The seagulls are a symbol of luck because their flocks led the fishermen to schools of fish to catch. This time of year there aren't many seagulls around, but there's a pretty view from the top of the shrine.

Just down the coast from Kabushima is the Tanesashi Seaside. A beautiful coastline with a couple sandy beaches.

I think this was part of a former fort,
it's a lookout point now.

A liquor vending machine.
Have to have a special purchase ID card
to use these things though.

Driving here is a bit like the Midwest...always gotta be on the lookout for slow moving farm equipment in the road. Misawa and all of northern Japan are definitely rural farming communities.

After Hachinohe we went back to Misawa and I showed Mom and Dad what the Misawa Port looks like in the daylight. This is where we were last night for the festival and fireworks. The boat with the huge light bulbs will go out at night to fish for squid. Squid are attracted to light.
We also wandered a little stretch of beach and saw some of the countryside right outside of town. I showed them some of the damage from 2011's tsunami.
The beach wandering was introducing them to a hobby of mine. I frequently go beach combing to look for glass fishing floats, but I've found tons of other interesting things. The beaches here are dirty and covered in trash, they aren't clean, majestic and resort-like at all. I don't think I'd even go barefoot. BUT I do still love walking along the water and simultaneously being able to see the mountains in the distance on a clear day...not many place in Nebraska where that's possible, haha.