After driving around the west coast of Aomori, we took a ferry to the Shimokita Peninsula at the entrance of Mutsu Bay which is on the northeastern side of the prefecture. The peninsula is the most northern point of Honshu and is full of amazing places and scenery.
Along the western coast of the peninsula is Hotokegura, a two kilometre stretch of coastline filled with crazy-shaped, 100 meter tall white rocks and cliffs that have been eaten away by the rough coastal waves and winds. Hotoke means Buddha, and gaura, bay so the area is known as the Buddha Bay as many of the formations are said to resemble Buddhist disciples.
The beach is a steep one-kilometer climb from the car park, going down isn't too bad, but on a hot day it was a slow climb with several stops before we reached our car, but worth every step!
The color of the water and the height of the rock formations were truly magnificent, and unlike any other place in Japan, we have visited.