Shirahama Beach

Misawa is small and rural, lots of farms, just enough shops and restaurants to satisfy but you can drive about an hour in any direction and find bigger cities with more to do. Hachinohe is south and they have a great sandy beach. There are only a hand-full of "swimming beaches" around. The tide here is tricky and the undertow strong so swimming in areas that are not designated so can be very dangerous.

Notice the rocky outcropping in the distance, that's as far out as you're allowed to swim.

We hadn't heard much about the beaches here so this was a very pleasant surprise. We've been too busy to go back and the weather is starting to cool off but we can't wait to go again.