Airmen Adventures: Cape Shiriyazaki and wild horses

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Patrick S. Ciccarone
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HIGASHIDORI, Aomori --  

"Airmen Adventures" is a 6-month print series to accompany Misawa Air Base's alcohol awareness campaign, "Another Day Wasted?" Each story will detail a young Airman's travels to various cities in Japan with transportation, attraction and cost details. This initiative is implemented in hopes of giving Airmen at Misawa a guide to travel outside the gate and explore Japan -- instead of spending another day wasted.

During the week, I write stories that highlight Airmen, airpower and the advancements to quality of life our Airmen make here on Misawa Air Base. As a junior-enlisted member, my weekends and any free time are very important, so once the weekend comes, I high-tail it off base to explore new and interesting parts of Japan.

With fall weather approaching, I decided to heed the call of the wild (horses, that is) and take a trip to the northern part of the Tōhoku region to Cape Shiriyazaki in Higashidori, near the city of Mutsu.

Waking up at the crack of noon, I laid in bed envisioning my Saturday to be filled with lounging, movie watching and maybe a trip to the hot springs.
What actually happened was none of that.

I was stirred from my lethargy by the distinct (and annoying) ringing bell of my messenger application, informing me a friend wanted to meet for lunch and that she had a day planned for us.

After contemplating whether or not I wanted to leave my blanket cocoon, I ultimately consented to my friend's unknown itinerary and headed to Aomori to meet her.

By now, I'm pretty acclimated with the route to Aomori. I'm familiar with all the little towns I pass through and even have a prescribed list of Lawson's convenience stores to stop at. Surprisingly, I'm almost able to time the stop lights, too!

When I arrived in Aomori, my friend and I met at a small ramen shop for lunch and our chosen venue was a small, unassuming street-side stall.

Cramped, hot and packed with patrons buzzing with conversation, my friend and I were bombarded with the smell of various spices and vegetables as we proceeded to dig into our boiling bowl of noodles and discuss our plans for the day.

As we gazed into our cauldron of piping-hot noodles, she told me we would be going north to Cape Shiriyazaki, an area famous for its sprawling pastures, picturesque lighthouse and grazing.

Obtaining directions to the cape was as easy as typing my destination into Google Maps.

With an approximate two-hour drive ahead of us, we quickly finished our meal and headed out toward the coast line.

Driving north allows a great opportunity to soak in some of the more rural parts of the Tohoku region. Towns like Yokohama-machi, famous for its Na-no-hana flower viewing during the springtime, sprinkle the coast with modest little sightseeing opportunities.

Driving along listening to my friend's varied selection of oddly-picked American pop songs, we had plenty of time to catch up on what was new in our lives, as well as enjoy the simplicity of conversation and take in some of Japan's inaka (countryside).

Before we could finish our conversation about why there are so many different fillings for onigiri (rice ball), we arrived in the city of Mutsu, of which Cape Shiriyazaki lies just north, and the path leading up to Shiriyazaki's plateau was one that filled us with anticipation.

Since neither of us had ever been to the northern coast, the sight of sapphire blue ocean and signs of grazing horses brought out our inner child and elicited a couple of "awes" from my friend and I.

Upon reaching the lighthouse, we were greeted by vibrant, green grass, grazing horses, stones engraved with writing weathered by time and, of course, the towering lighthouse the peak is known for.

Immediately, my friend ran from the car to pet the horses. While some of what she was saying was too rapidly spoken, I could tell she was at the very least, excited to be in the presence of these fantastic creatures. As quickly as she exited the car, even faster was her phone to come out and start snapping selfies with the horses.

I too was tempted to re-enact "The Lone Ranger," but had to stop myself from mutual embarrassment of both the horse and me.

The lighthouse is not open to visitors, but we were able to walk around and see the property. Built in 1876, it was the first western-style lighthouse built in the Tohoku region. Bombarded by the United States Navy during World War II, it was later identified as one of Japan's 50 lighthouses - a historic preserve.

While there, we also learned that the "wild" horses weren't so wild. Beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m., the horses are brought from a nearby pasture owned by a family and are allowed to roam the lighthouse grounds and interact with tourists.

After a long day of driving both ahead and behind us, we decided to leave our new four-legged buddies and Cape Shiriyazaki satisfied with our impromptu day of lunch and travel, ready to head back home.

With a whopping five hours travel time to and from Aomori in total, my poor car and I needed a rest and returned to Misawa a little bit richer with another adventure and experience under my belt.

Cape Shiriyazaki is open all year long and offers a great opportunity to explore the northern part of the Tohoku region. There is no entrance fee to see the horses and lighthouse, and although it's a bit far from Misawa, it also provides a gorgeous view of the sea and sky - something we don't get to appreciate that often in our little city.

As always, I encourage you to step outside the gate and experience the parts unknown. Our weekends allow us a time to refresh ourselves and recharge. Try everything! You might just make a "wild" new friend.