Summer Vacations at the Beach

We enjoy summer vacations in Shichigahama (7 beaches) just northeast of Sendai. We head through Tagajo on the way to the peninsula, and often load up on groceries on the way at one of the many stores there.

Then we take a road that runs parallel to the beach, and has houses, small hotels and a surf shop, because surfing at Shichigahama is very popular. In fact, the sign for the little surf shop is visble in the picture.


The first beach we pass is the one busy with surfers, and people barbecuing and setting off fireworks keep the beach busy during the evenings.


When the girls were younger, we went to the smaller beach protected by a seawall. The cabins where we stay are on the high cliffs, on two hills with this little beach separating them.

Of course, we often meet some of the people who live in the houses just past the beach, and who work in the area in farming or fishing, and who have lived in this area for generations.

Driving around the peninsula, one goes by little fishing villages like Hanabuchihama. I've purchased gas at this station several times.

Even though it's a great place to get away from the heat and humidity of Tokyo in the summertime, this year we don't anticipate making the trip up there. At least, not in the summer. Within the next few weeks, one or more of us may be up there, but not for a vacation. The cabins on the hills may be in use shortly, but not by us. One of our friends from that vacation place just returned from taking up emergency supplies while accompanying a Dutch TV news crew, and that's how we got the pictures.