After enjoying a delicious sea urchin rice bowl (uni-don) at Oshidomari Port, we decided to wander around the port a bit to help digest. There’s a big rocky mountain right by the port, and it caught my eye. A quick check revealed it’s Cape Peshi, and the Oshidomari Lighthouse stands at its tip. So, we all decided to climb up!
It looked like the entrance to the cape was on the other side of the fishing port, so we headed straight there. We found a sign that read “Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park Cape Peshi Observatory Entrance,” and thus, our little hike began!
From the port side, it looked like a smooth, green-covered rocky mountain, but the other side was quite a sheer cliff. I guess that’s why it’s a safe haven for seabirds, as the rocks were pure white with what I assume were their droppings.
They say that alpine plants bloom even in the towns of Rishiri Island and Rebun Island, and indeed, many different flowers were in bloom. I was quite interested in the various flowers blossoming along the path leading up to Cape Peshi.
Cape Peshi is a rocky mountain with an elevation of 93 meters, and you need to climb a pretty steep slope to get up there. My wife wisely decided not to push herself and rested on a bench at the spot shown in this photo. Also, there’s a tomb here for Aizu domain warriors. Apparently, it was built for the warriors from the Aizu domain who were dispatched for northern defense when the area was attacked by a Russian fleet, and who died amidst the harsh natural conditions of this land.
Unfortunately, it was cloudy that day, so we couldn’t see Mount Rishiri. However, below us, Oshidomari Port was visible, and on the opposite side, Rebun Island could be seen, offering a pretty good view. A little further past the observatory, there’s the small Oshidomari Lighthouse, which has a wonderful atmosphere, feeling like one of the northernmost lighthouses.
On the information board at the observatory, the names of the winds blowing towards Rishiri Island were introduced. It seems there’s a certain rule, but the names for winds from east to south don’t follow it… I wonder if those are special directions?
It’s easily accessible from Oshidomari Port, and it’s a recommended spot where you can enjoy magnificent views with just a short hike.
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