A group made up of six kayak enthusiasts, including Shiga Prefecture kayak guide service and specialty shop “Granstream” staff member Ose Shiro (51), crossed the Tsugaru Strait on sea kayaks and arrived at their goal of Nanaehama Seaside Park on June 17. Theirs was an overall 83-kilometer marine route journey from Aomori Prefecture to Nanaehama.

Ose and his team departed from Cape Tappi in Aomori Prefecture at 4:00 a.m. on June 13. Flowing with the gentle westwardly wind and current, they made good time heading north along a planned 30-kilometer route. They arrived at Kotaniishi in the town of Shiriuchi four hours later at 8:00 a.m. Afterwards, the team followed the shoreline and made it to Kikonai by evening. Rough waters forced the team to wait on land from June 14 to 16, but they departed from the Kikonai coast at 8:00 a.m. on June 17. A bit after noontime that day, they arrived at their final destination of Nanaehama Seaside Park in the city of Hokuto.

The six team members are male kayak enthusiasts from their forties to fifties hailing from places like Chiba Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture. This was the first time to cross the Tsugaru Strait for all of them. Ose reflected, “We were able to ride atop the flow of the current perfectly, making this a very smooth crossing.” He reported that the Tsugaru Strait crossing was a plan that had been in the works since around three years ago, and said smiling, “I’m glad we were able to complete it without any problems. Sea kayak traveling like that is fun that can be both challenging and serious. We were also blessed with good weather.”