Kurosaki Senkyo
Kurosaki Senkyo is a promontory at the tip of the Hirota Peninsula. It is a short climb from a nearby parking lot via a section of the Michinoku Coastal Trail, the hiking course that runs 1,000 kilometers along Japan’s northern Pacific coast. The trail passes a small red shrine with a torii gate, a subsidiary of the large Shinto shrine near the trailhead that was founded in the ninth century to revere the legendary Empress Jingu. According to local lore, fishermen passing by the coastal shrine would always lower their sails to pray for safety at sea and a good catch.
The trail then winds along the edge of sheer cliffs that plunge to the sea. These cliffs were created when sections of land collapsed and were worn away by the waves. Visitors should keep an eye out for some large rocks, several meters in diameter, that balance on the cliff edge. According to legend, these were the playthings of a tengu, a powerful, long-nosed creature of Japanese folklore who was said to have juggled the massive stones like beanbags. If imagining such a feat of strength is exhausting, consider a dip in the onsen (hot spring) near the parking lot, where visitors can soak their cares away while enjoying the Pacific Ocean view.