The best way to maximize your time in Sanriku Fukko National Park is to arrive in Hachinohe the day before your adventure starts. This port city in the southeast of Aomori Prefecture is a few hours from Tokyo on the Tohoku Shikansen. Start your first full day with a visit to the Tanesashi Fishing Port on a tour with a local guide. Hear the stories of the local fishermen, then learn about the area's culture and history as you explore part of the Michinoku Coastal Trail. See the stunning coastline with large rock formations eroded by the rough waves of the Pacific Ocean. Along the coast are breeding grounds for black-tailed gulls and streaked shearwaters. After exploring, enjoy a hearty seafood lunch prepared for you back at the port.

In the afternoon, with the tour over, take some time to stroll the Tanesashi Natural Lawn with views of natural rock formations just off the coast and visit the Tanesashi Coast Information Center before heading to Tanesashi Kaigan Station (about 5 minutes walk). Take the JR Hachinohe Line to Kuji, and your accommodation for the night.

Ride the Sanriku Railway Rias Line from Kuji Station to Tanohata Station. The line was restored after it was partly washed away during the The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and has become a symbol of recovery and resilience. At Tanohata Station, meet one of the local residents who experienced the earthquake on March 11, 2011, and now serves as a Great Tsunami Storyteller, ensuring the events of that tragic day don't get forgotten. After lunch in Tanohata, head to the fishing port, which has been restored since the earthquake and tsunami.

Explore the coastal reefs and grottos along the 200-meter-tall Kitayamazaki Cliffs in a sappa-bune, a small boat used by local fishermen to catch sea urchin and abalone. Enjoy interacting with the fishermen who can manoeuvre the boats so close to the cliffs and rock formations that you can touch them. Return to Tanohata Station, and take the Sanriku Railway Rias Line to Miyako Station. There is a wide range of accommodation in Miyako, Jodogahama, and Taro, accessible on foot or by a short taxi ride.

Travel from Miyako Station to Jodogahama Beach by bus, then take a tour to see the area’s dramatic geological formations, created by ancient volcanic activity. A certified guide explains this dramatic landscape's geological origins and offers insight into the local culture, nature, and history, as you explore Jodogahama Beach in the Sanriku Geopark. After the tour, take a bus from Jodogahama to Miyako Station, and then transfer to another bus to JR Morioka Station, from where you can catch shinkansen services to Sendai, Tokyo, and many other exciting destinations.