Feb 13, 2014 - 1 min read

Makizaki Wind Park

Basalt coastline and grassy, flowery trails

By Tristan Scholze

Community writer

This calm spring dusk brought no flowering waves my way

Yet there were flowers to be found on shore, like this tiny thistle

These basalt formations were once molten lava

Close-up of a hearty plant that doesn't mind the wind and thin, rocky soil

Pathways through the grassy, rocky landscape

Tiny white flowers appear in what appeared to be nothing but grass at first

This island cape extending into the Sea of Japan is a small, rare, and curious ecosystem you can readily enjoy. From the free parking lot at the end of the road, stroll straight up the path through what was once ancient pasture. Here, the landscape becomes mostly green, with the grasses growing shorter and shorter toward the shore. The area is windswept and lined with hard igneous rock at the water’s edge. There are no trees here, just small, scrubby bushes and hearty flowers in this harsh environment. The breeze also brings beauty in from the deep to Tsunoshima in the form of nami-no-hana, or “flowering” wave crests, especially during the winter.