Shimokita

Shimokita is the furthest northern reaches of the main island of Japan. It is remote and wild. I love it. Here are some photos I took on a recent visit this winter. 

There is something really magical about the beach. I love it. I could go everyday and find new things to entertain me. I really love the beach in the winter with the snow. I love the relationship between the snow and the sand and the water. The water melts the snow leaving a mark of exactly where its been. The snow mimics the past shape of the water. And the contrast of the black sand on white snow makes an even bigger statement. No matter how much it snows there is still that black strip of beach where the water overtakes it. 

Snow Mixing with Sand on a beach near Misawa

 Something else really magical happens in the winter... swans from Russia migrate to Northern Japan to escape the harsh siberian winters. So everywhere you look near fresh water you find swans... they just appear... a few at first... and then hundreds... 

Swans swimming at Rokkasho

 The drive up the coast of Shimokita is one of my favorites... I love that stretch of 338. There are so many cool places and magical spots and of all of those magical spots this is my absolute favorite.

My favorite secret spot on the way up the coast

Squid fishing is really big up here in Northern Japan. In almost every small fishing village you can see squid fishing boats like this one... they are so interesting to me because of their giant lights! They go out at night and shine their lights to attract the squid! And I also find those giant lights washed up on the beach all the time... intact!  

Squid boat at Cape Shiriyazaki

All the way at the north eastern tip of Japan is Cape Shiriyazaki... and at Cape Shiriyazaki are "wild horses" these horses are less wild and more... not owned... they are super tame and super friendly. I love them. They are so fluffy cause they have to survive the harsh winters on the windy cape. I think this one should be a unicorn

"Wild Horses" at Shiriyazaki

Kona also loves the cape... she loves to be wild and run to the cliff tops and feel the wind flop her ears around... 

Kona roaming Cape Shiriyazaki

Shiriyazaki Lighthouse

New Zealand Day 8: Kaikoura Seal Swim

We left Christchurch quite early to drive two hours to Kaikoura. We had to get to Kaikoura early for our seal swim. I talked to the tour people and they said the earlier tours are better for tidal conditions so we went with it. We got there about 30 minutes before our tour started and explored the beach a little bit.

 

The beach was all pebbles and when the waves crashed and went back out is sounded like a thousand little chimes. It was SO beautiful. As you can see there was some fog that morning but the sun started to burn it off and it was like a picture window to the mountains.

 The reason Kaikoura is such a good spot of Whale, Dolphin & Seal watching is because the mountains are so close to the sea and that topography continues underwater...

 "The Kaikoura Peninsula extends into the sea south of the town, and the resulting upwelling currents bring an abundance of marine life from the depths of the nearby Hikurangi Trench." -Wikipedia

SO here we are all suited up to go swimming with the seals. We used Seal Swim Kaikoura. They were a family run Father, Daughter, and I think even Grandfather business. They were really awesome. Since the tours are totally out in the wild they can be unpredictable so for people that reserve in advance if the weather is too bad to go you get a full refund, and if you go out there and there are no seals, or due to tide, weather, or seal behavior you can't swim with them you get most of your money back, they just keep a small fee to cover the cost of what they did do.

The water was really cold, but it was so exciting to swim with the seals I hardly noticed. We got a little waterproof camera bag called a DiCaPac for Dericks little camera and it worked SO well... with the exception of a little bit of black on the corner of some the pictures it was awesome and only like 25 bucks!

 There was Kelp everywhere... I felt like I was swimming through a kelp forest. Unfortunately some of the fog hung around and it kept the temperatures cooler and the seals usually get in the water during the day when they are overheating... so we only got to swim with like 5 different seals. But it was still awesome... but I was a little sad. But I knew we were swimming with dolphins the next day so I kept my hopes up!

 This was the view from our hotel. We stayed at the Panorama Motel which was a little bit older but really nice. We had a two bedroom apartment with a kitchenette and sea views!

 And I of course am out there exporing the ocean every chance I got. I love the ocean SO much!

Kuji Sea Cliffs

My friend Kate took me rock climbing at the Kuji Sea Cliffs. I did my first lead climb. 

"Lead climbing is a climbing technique used to ascend a route. Lead climbing is an advanced aspect of rock climbing and is not often practiced by novice climbers, and involves a lead climber attaching themselves to a length of dynamic (elastic) climbing rope and ascending a route whilst periodically attaching protection to the face of the route and "clipping in" to it. The lead climber must have another person acting as a belayer. The belayer has multiple roles: holding the rope in the event of a fall, and paying out or taking up rope as the climber moves."

The scarry part about lead climbing is you have to climb above the spot that you are clipped into until you reach the next clip. On this climb there were spots where the clips were maybe 10 feet apart, so if you fall 10 feet above the last clip you really end up falling 20 feet before your belayer can catch you! Dont worry Mom, Kate let me wear her helmet!

Here is Chris doing the same rout I did as a lead climb. 

It is rated an 8... or  5.8... I dont know. 

I think the coolest part about this area is that the ocean is crashing in on the cliffs as you are climbing...

 it was so epic feeling!

Here I am climbing a 10a... but I am top roping it, which means the rope connected through an anchor at the top, so I cant really fall... hopefully a couple more times top roping this route and I will be able to lead climb it!

Underwater Hokkaido Pictures

These are photos I nabbed from my freind Kelly who has an underater camera... they are all from Hokkaido. 

This first group is from Shiritoko National Park, there is a "hot waterfall" where all the geothermal activity heats up water and it come up out of the ground and forms this waterfall... it was fun, although we couldn't hike as far up the waterfall as we wanted due to falling rocks. 

and we were the only people lounging in the pools of the falls... everyone was looking at us like we were crazy.. it was awesome

These photos are also from Shiritoko but from the very northern point you can drive to... we got out even though it was rainy and explored.. it was really cool

Surfing

I LOVE SURFING!

I love feeling the pull and swell of the waves... the rush of them crashing beneath you and the feeling of flying over the water when you catch one! I love the feeling of your arms being SO tired from paddling you can barely move them but you want to catch just one more... always just one more! I love fighting to get into my wet suit and then peeling it off when I am done like a banana! I love sitting and waiting for the perfect swell, and I love when I see my shadow on the bottom of the ocean and it freaks me out cause I think its a shark! IT IS AWESOME! I have done quite a bit of surfing this summer with my friend Kelly! She is fantastic and loves adventure just like me. AND she just got an underwater camera! here are some photos from one of our surfing adventures...

Here I am waiting for a swell... I look pretty serious

We went out after I got off work and the sky was gorgeous!

Catching a wave!

Kelly dug herself a hole and I am making a sand angel! What could be better?

and it finally got too dark to do too much more surfing

and we finished off the day with the perfect post surfing meal... SUSHI!

Beach Love

I love Japan and I love the beach! I am going to be so sad if the next place we move doesn't have a beach... Well I am sure I will be fine... but I will miss it. Here are some photos from my latest adventure...

That is a lie... my latest adventure I took three dogs and decided to leave the camera... and I found a SHARK FACE! I want to go back and see if it is still there to take a picture... it was super gross and stinky and it still had one fin... gross... and it was oozing green!

Beach Bonfire

So when I heard we were going to a beach bonfire I was excited... and not just because it was a bonfire on a beach!!!! which is awesome all on its own... but I had been wanting to take nighttime photos of a fire... to practice my long exposures... I brought by tri-pod and this is what I came out with...

I think this one turned out really cool especially with the sparks and that pink streak in the sky

The couch we put in the fire... before we put it in the fire

The couch in the fire... you can the back and the armrestSparks from the fire!

Shipwreck Beach

So I went to Shipwreck Beach... leaving the base at 6 am, knowing the big storm was coming in because I was hoping to find a float... of course I didnt... I am so unlucky when it comes to that... but it was cold, wind, and absolutely beautiful and breath taking... one because the wind was so strong it sucked the air out of my lungs and two... well just see for yourself.

Kona had a great time as well... as always!
Rusty box on the beach... so many textures on this trip
the seagulls were riding the wind currents like crazy... as you can see from the waves the bay was all worked up! it is normally really flat out there and only a tiny break on the shore, sometimes not even braking at all, like the shore of a calm lake...
It felt so epic
Setting the camera down hoping it wouldn't blow away to get a picture of myself!
I. LOVE. JAPAN.