Michinoku Coastal Trail

Japanese dining is almost as magnificent an adventure as climbing Mount Fuji. And when you’re walking the Michinoku Coastal Trail, your hosts in the various Ryokans and Hotels where you stay will present you with a wonderful array of tiny dishes for breakfast and dinner, when provided.

Seafood

Sushi and sashimi, of course, are staples in Japan, and when you’re on the coast, the variety of dishes available is incredible.

Scabbardfish sashimi is a meaty delicacy that washes down well with a beer, sake, or a healthy green tea. Grilled squid, prawn dim sum, mackerel nigiri rolls, octopus tempura, yellowtail tuna, and scallops – the list goes on.

Mountain Food

As you move further into the mountains, local plants and animals make their way onto the menu. Mushrooms, in particular, have a special place in Japanese cooking, and many come with amazing health benefits too.

Shiitake, eryngii, enoki, maitake, matsutake – again, the list goes on, as do the dishes they’re in. Shiitake mushrooms are probably the most well-known, and with a meaty, smoky flavour, you’ll often find them in soups and stir-fries. They’re also anti-viral, stimulate immunity, lower your cholesterol and help promote cancer resistance. So when you’re served a plate of them – eat up!

You might find eggplant presented in a tasty broth with umami miso sauce, delicately sliced beef with a sesame dressing, Japanese curry with croutons, and, if you’re lucky and brave enough, you might have the chance to eat Hachinoko or ‘bee children’.

Served with a side of rice, Hachinoko is the cooked larvae of the Japanese Giant Hornet, and is said to have a rich, earthy taste.

A culinary adventure indeed.

Kaiseki ryori haute cuisine

Although your meals in a Ryokan will be vast, varied and, most importantly, delicious, they’ll also follow a well-established routine.

Kaiseki ryori is traditional Japanese haute cuisine, and although chefs can vary the courses to highlight regional specialities, they’ll generally appear in the following order, with the mains representing a particular cooking method.

Typical Starters

Shokuzen-shu

Your meal begins with a sweet wine or a locally brewed alcohol of some kind.

Appetizers

A variety of carefully prepared and beautifully presented appetisers will begin to give you a taste of the region.

Common Main Courses

Suimono - Soup

Your soup dish is often a clear miso broth with simple vegetables, mushrooms, tofu or seafood.

Otsukuri - Sashimi

The Japanese staple of fresh, thinly sliced raw seafood. Generally delivered with soy sauce and wasabi and served on a bed of daikon – Japanese radish.

Nimono - Boiled Dish
Seafood or meat is either simmered, boiled, or stewed along with some vegetables in a sweetened soy sauce and cooking sake broth.

Yakimono - Grilled Dish
The local speciality will generally be grilled and served for this dish. Be it seafood of some kind, Wagyu, or Kobe beef, for example.

Agemono - Deep Fried Dish

Your Agemono is often tempura, consisting of locally grown or foraged produce, served with a light soy dipping sauce.

Mushimono - Steamed Dish

This dish may come in a little teacup, with a little lid, and a little spoon to eat it with. If it’s Chawanmushi, however, it certainly doesn’t come with a little flavour – the savoury custard with seafood, fish stock, chicken, mushrooms and ginkgo nuts is packed with flavour, and utterly wonderful.

Sunomono - Vinegared Dish

This is often fish, or octopus, swimming in a vinaigrette dressing with a sprinkling of vegetables, although it could be anything really, so long as it tastes good in vinegar.

Shokuji

After your mains, there’s another set of courses before your dessert. Are you still hungry? Full up already?

Rice

It’s incredible how even a plain bowl of rice in Japan can be as delicious as it is.

Some chefs experiment and add some local flavour; others keep it old school, fluffy, and unbelievably good.

Miso Soup

Another Japanese staple that tastes so much better in Japan than it does anywhere else. Miso paste and vegetables in a clear, tasty broth. Yum yum.

Tsukemono - Pickles

Rounding off this course is an array of pickled vegetables such as cabbage, plum and daikon.

Ryokan

These traditional Japanese Inns come in various styles and prices to suit all budgets.

They’re probably the most well-known places to stay on the trail and certainly offer the most immersive experience, with almost all centred around a communal bath or hot spring.

Rooms have traditional tatami mats, shoji sliding doors and futons, although some higher-end Ryokans will have beds.

One of the highlights, however, are the dinners and breakfasts that come as part of the deal. Kaiseki ryori is a traditional Japanese multi-course haute cuisine, which you’ll enjoy served in a communal dining area before retiring to the bathing area to relax.

Japanese Hotels

These accommodations offer a variety of room types, both modern western and traditional tatami mat rooms with futons. Futons are traditionally laid directly on the tatami floor, which is a type of straw mat flooring commonly found in Japanese homes. The shikibuton is generally thinner than Western-style mattresses but provides firm support, which is considered beneficial for spinal alignment. The kakebuton is often filled with cotton, wool, or synthetic fibres and is designed to be lightweight yet warm.

The rooms come with en-suites and often are large in very tall multi-storied buildings. One of the hotels we use has an onsen on the 18th floor looking over the ocean. You can expect the same amazing, friendly service.

You’re best to fly into Tokyo and take the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hachinohe. The trip ends in Morioka. Tokyo is the closest big city, with regular flights from all over the world and direct flights from most of Australia’s population centres.

Getting to Hachinohe and travelling onwards from Morioka

HOW TO GET THERE AND AWAY

Travelling to the Start of the walk

This walk starts in Hachinohe and ends in Morioka. You will need to get yourself to and from the start and end of your walk. The journey from Tokyo to Hachinohe takes about 3.5 hours.  To make it easy, we have collated some useful information that will assist you in making arrangements for your travel.

By Train: Arrive in Hachinohe either by Shinkansen (train) or plane. If you are travelling by train, you will arrive at the Shinkansen Station, approximately 15 minutes by taxi from central Hachinohe. You can take the local train, but it only leaves every hour, so it may not be convenient.

Japan has one of the best train systems in the world, so it’s very easy to catch a train to any destination in the country. An express train is the fastest way to travel to the area. Travelling in Japan on trains is a seamless experience, and it is not necessary to always pre-purchase tickets. There are plenty of rail staff who speak English well enough to direct you the right way and to converse with you about how to buy your ticket. We can provide more information if you wish, so please ask one of our destination consultants.

Hyperdia is a great website resource to figure out when and where your train departs. It might be best to buy your train ticket on the JR train network when you first arrive in Japan, so you can relax. However, the trains run often and are so efficient that you shouldn’t have any trouble just arriving 20 minutes beforehand and buying a ticket. JR passes can be a convenient and reasonable way to get around the area.

By air: By taking a 1 hr flight, you will arrive at Misawa Airport, about a 20-minute taxi ride to the CBD and your accommodation. There’s a nice walk out to a few shrines if you have time, or sit back and relax in one of the cafes or restaurants.

Travelling from the end of the walk

By rail: The train from Morioka to Tokyo takes less than 2 hours.

By air: It does not make sense to fly.

From late March, temperatures rise, making it an ideal time for walking, and if you are a flower lover, the cherry blossom season is in swing. Summer in Japan is warm and humid but still suitable for the trail, with more chances to cool off in streams. Autumn is also excellent for walking, with pleasant weather and the change of colour of the foliage quite spectacular.

Overall, spring and autumn are the best times for walking, offering the most comfortable conditions.

Check local weather information for average conditions throughout the year.

If you’ve never been to Japan before, you’ll find almost everything is totally different from what you’re used to. Which, of course, is part of the fun. Here are a few practicalities to help you get started.

Manners & Customs

Life in Japan is governed by a large array of manners and customs that may seem odd to outsiders, yet it’s worthwhile trying to learn a few. Not only will it prevent you from being rude, but the locals will also appreciate your efforts.

Take off your shoes
Many places require you to take off your shoes before entering.
If the floor is raised, and you see a pile of shoes, please do the same.

Don't point
It's considered extremely rude; try to use open-handed gestures instead.

Don’t eat and walk
Sit down instead, or you’re considered a sloppy eater.

Don’t blow your nose
At least not in public, anyway. Many will go to the toilet to do this.

Slurping is good!
Slurping noodles show that you’re enjoying your meal!

Don’t tip
It’s not expected and can even be considered rude.

Don’t play with your chopsticks
Just eat with them, that’s all.

Take your backpack off
When you’re on a train.

Language

A few words in Japanese can go a long way:

- Hello: Kon'nichiwa

- Thank you: Arigato

- Thank you very much: Domo Arigato

- Cheers!: Kanpai

- Bathroom: Basurumu

- How much?: Ikura

- Delicious: Oishi

Money

There are no ATM machines on the trail, and credit cards can’t be counted on, so make sure you take plenty of cash with you, especially for the trains.

Bathing

Be aware that in most hot springs and communal baths, you’re expected to be naked. The etiquette is to take your clothes off in a changing room, rinse off first of all, then soak in the bath and enjoy.

Yukata

Staying in a Ryokan, you may end up wearing a Yukata, traditional cotton gowns that are also used as pyjamas. Make sure you wear something underneath, fold the left side over the right, secure your belt and you’re good to go. A loose Yakuta is also considered a little rude.

Plugs

You’ll need to take an adaptor plug for your devices. The voltage is 100 Volt, and the plugs have two pins identical to the plugs used in North America.