Goishi Coast
The Goishi Coast is a 6-kilometer stretch of coastline along the Massaki Peninsula with a number of easily accessible scenic spots. The Goishi Coast Information Center is located here, along with a campground that accommodates both vehicles and tents. Well-maintained paths lead to all the places of interest, including Kaminariiwa Rock (Thunder Rock), named for the booming sound made by oncoming waves; Goishizaki Lighthouse and its observatory; and Goishihama Beach, named for pebbles that resemble the smooth black and white stones used in the Japanese board game of go.
A number of promontories offer spectacular views of the area’s ria coast, a series of peninsulas and inlets that were formed when rising seas from melting glaciers flooded river valleys millions of years ago, at the end of the Ice Age. The coastal walkways take visitors through airy groves of 20-meter-high pine trees that were planted as windbreaks several hundred years ago, during the Edo period (1603–1867). Local fishermen offer a perspective from offshore with tours along the coast on their small boats, sometimes threading their way between massive rocks and the shore. Weather and tides permitting, the climax of the tours is passage through one of three sea arches that have been eroded in the offshore formation known as Anatoshi-iso Rock.