Doh a Deer, a Really Big Deer!

Today, we drove out along the perimeter of the Oshika Peninsula. 

Though it may look like one, it is in fact a Peninsula and not a Penisula! 

More specifically we went to Oginohama on the Oshika Peninsula, facing Inujima in the Seto Inland Sea.

Our destination was wrapped in mystery by my driver and I was not disappointed by the result. That's one heck of a big deer!

"O" at the beginning of a word usually means "BIG" and "shika" means "deer". The story goes that some enterprising lads took a stuffed toy of a deer and used a 3D Printer to make this Big Deer! Oh dear!

Here are some pics of the view from the shore.

And the shore itself, lots and lots of shells!

A few tall Hinoki Cypress.

After that, we drove to Oshika Whale Land in nearby Ayukawa Port. By some fluke, we found it.

 

First a little building with a few displays of interest.

Oh cool, an imori (fire belly newt)

Then the next large building with lots of whale bones on display. 

Hey cool. It's the second largest sperm whale on display in Japan. (Wanna see the largest? I've seen it, it's on display here.)

A dolphin!

A poster for a 1957 Ken Takakura movie called "The Man Who Fights With a Whale".

This will be shown at the next Whale Festival at which this float is carried along the street.

oops, I should have cropped this.

The museum attendant was very helpful and chatty. (And cute!)

She even tolerated me when I held this baleen denture from a Minke whale and exclaimed, "I'm Trump!"

I bought a sticker and tried my luck at a home-made Gatcha, (as opposed to Made in China.)

I scored a Grey Whale skull.

Next we went aboard a whaling ship. 

Avast ye mateys!

The view from the bow.

I took a harpoon to the belly!

Dropped into a gift shop. 

I didn't buy any canned whale or eel. ( When I snapped the photos, the clerk seemed concerned. "Are these guys going to go on a rampage complaining about Japan's whaling policy?") We didn't.

I bought a cider.

A few more cool photos and we were outta there.

We took the Cobalt Line over a mountain and snapped a few more shots of the ocean from way up high.

While driving along here, we actually espied a deer alongside the road!

Ya know how the Japanese pride themselves on their cleanliness. Well not always...

Alas, we didn't have any garbage bags with us.

Once in Ishinomaki, the sun was setting and I tried to get a few shots of the peach-coloured sky.

All in all, a very nice day. BUT now I'm too tired to write a Halloween entry for the Countdown!

I'll double up tomorrow.