Sea, coast & islands in Japan

Places in Japan of this type, by prefecture.

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• Cape Chikyu Hokkaido
  Cliffs around 100 m high line this cape in Muroran. The lookout takes in a wide sweep of the Pacific, with the white Chikyu Misaki Lighthouse, first lit in 1920, on a 130 m clifftop.
• Cape Erimo Hokkaido
  The Hidaka Mountains sink into the Pacific here, leaving reefs that run about 2 km out to sea. The cape is Japan's largest habitat of Kuril harbour seals, and the wind tops 10 m/s on more than 260 days a year.
• Cape Kamui (Shakotan) Hokkaido
  A ridge-top trail runs about 770 m out along a narrow cape, with the clear 'Shakotan blue' sea on both sides and Kamui Rock off the tip.
• Cape Soya Hokkaido
  The northern tip of Hokkaido's main island, marked by a monument; on clear days Sakhalin is visible across the strait.
• Cape Sukai (Rebun Island) Hokkaido
  A lookout over a wide cove in northern Rebun Island. The sea is so clear that its colour shifts between blue-green and jade in the light, a view known as Rebun Blue.
• Cape Shiriya & Kandachime horses Aomori
  The northeastern tip of Honshu, with Shiriyazaki Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in Japan. Hardy Kandachime horses graze on the surrounding pasture.
• Cape Tappi Aomori
  The northern tip of the Tsugaru Peninsula, with the white Tappizaki Lighthouse and Japan's only "stairway national highway" (362 steps). Hokkaido can be seen on clear days.
• Hotokegaura Aomori
  Pale green-white rock pinnacles line about 2 km of coast. A sightseeing boat from Sai port (about 30 min) shows them from the sea and lands for a walk.
• Kabushima Island Aomori
  A small island joined to the shore where 30,000–40,000 black-tailed gulls breed; the only place in Japan to watch their nesting this close. Kabushima Shrine stands on top.
• Senjojiki Coast Aomori
  A broad rock shelf on the Sea of Japan, lifted from the sea by an earthquake in 1792. A noted sunset spot right by a Gono Line station.
• Tanesashi Coast Aomori
  A coastline in Hachinohe where natural lawns run down to the rocky shore. A walking trail links beaches, rocks and pine groves.
• Goishi Coast Iwate
  About 6 km of rocky coast at the tip of the Massaki Peninsula in Ofunato, with the arched rock Anatoshi-iso, the booming Kaminari-iwa rock and a lighthouse.
• Jodogahama Beach Iwate
  White rocks and pine trees rising from calm blue water, on the Sanriku coast.
• Kitayamazaki Cliffs Iwate
  Sea cliffs about 200 m high run for some 8 km along the Tanohata coast. Viewpoints sit above, and 736 steps lead down to the shore.
• Kosode Coast (Northernmost Ama Divers) Iwate
  A rocky coast of cliffs and reddish reefs near Kuji, home to the northernmost ama free divers. In summer you can watch them dive for sea urchins at the Ama Center.
• Unosu Cliffs Iwate
  Five cliffs about 200 m high line up like a folding screen at the south end of Tanohata. A pine-wood path leads 500 m to the viewpoint; cormorants nest on the rock.
• Matsushima Bay Miyagi
  A bay dotted with over 200 pine-covered islands, one of Japan's Three Great Views. Best seen from a sightseeing boat.
• Okama & Hanzo (Karakuwa) Miyagi
  Rugged ria coast on the Karakuwa Peninsula, linked by a cliff-top path. At Okama, the 16 m marble pillar Oreishi rises from the sea; at Hanzo, waves pour through the hole in Tunnel Rock.
• Otakamori (Oku-Matsushima) Miyagi
  A 105.8 m hill in the middle of Miyato Island, counted as the 'Sokan' (magnificent view) of Matsushima's four great views. From the summit deck you see the islands of Matsushima Bay and the Pacific all around.
• Sagakei Gorge Miyagi
  About 2 km of sea cliffs at the southern tip of Miyato Island, counted among Japan's three great gorges. A sightseeing boat runs right beneath the wave-carved rocks.
• Tashirojima (Cat Island) Miyagi
  An inhabited island off Ishinomaki where fishermen have long treasured cats as bringers of good catches. It has a cat shrine and the Manga Island lodges decorated with cat paintings.
• Cape Nyudo (Nyudozaki) Akita
  The northern tip of the Oga Peninsula, a grassy headland above the sea with a black-and-white lighthouse you can climb.
• Godzilla Rock Akita
  A rock on the shore at Shiosezaki, the south-west tip of the Oga Peninsula. Against the sunset its silhouette looks like Godzilla breathing fire.
• Juroku Rakan Iwa (Sixteen Arhats Rocks) Yamagata
  Twenty-two Buddhist figures carved into the seaside rocks of Fukura between 1864 and 1868 by a local priest and stonemasons to pray for those lost at sea.
• Shioyazaki Lighthouse Fukushima
  A white lighthouse on a cliff above the Pacific, one of only 16 in Japan you can climb. First lit in 1899, it inspired the film "Times of Joy and Sorrow".
• Izura Rokkakudo (Okakura Tenshin's Hexagonal Hall) Ibaraki
  A small red hexagonal hall on a rocky point of the Izura coast, built in 1905 by Okakura Tenshin, author of The Book of Tea.
• Takato Kohama Beach Ibaraki
  Two small coves of white sand and pine trees between steep sea cliffs on the Takahagi coast, a popular spot for the New Year sunrise.
• Byobugaura Cliffs Chiba
  Sheer sea cliffs running about 10 km from Choshi to Cape Gyobu, cut by waves into the Shimosa plateau and admired since the Edo period.
• Inubosaki Lighthouse Chiba
  A white brick lighthouse completed in 1874 on the cape at the eastern tip of Choshi; 99 spiral steps lead to a wide Pacific view.
• Niemonjima Island Chiba
  A small island off Futomi where a single family, the Hiranos, still lives, reached by a hand-rowed boat in about 5 min. A cave where Minamoto no Yoritomo is said to have hidden lies on the 30-minute loop.
• Nojimazaki Lighthouse Chiba
  A white lighthouse at the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula, first lit in 1869; you can climb to its gallery for a wide ocean view.
• Okamoto Pier (Haraoka Pier) Chiba
  One of the few wooden sea piers left in Japan, built for fishing in 1921. On clear days Mt. Fuji rises across the bay, a favourite scene at sunset.
• Tainoura Sea Bream Habitat (Kominato) Chiba
  A cove at Kominato where red sea bream, normally deep-water fish, gather near the surface; a short boat trip lets you watch them feed.
• Ubara Coast (White Torii) & Ubara Risokyo Chiba
  A white torii of Yasaka Shrine faces the sea on a beach chosen as one of Japan's 100 best shores. Next to it, the Ubara Risokyo headland trail passes rugged rocks and coves.
• Hachijojima Island Tokyo
  A subtropical volcanic island 287 km south of Tokyo, with hikes up Hachijo-Fuji, lava coasts, diving spots and open-air hot springs looking out over the Pacific.
• Izu Oshima Island Tokyo
  The largest of the Izu Islands, about 120 km south of central Tokyo, with the active volcano Mt. Mihara (758 m) and camellia gardens.
• Kominato Beach (Chichijima) Tokyo
  Said to be Chichijima's largest beach, a calm, shallow cove with white sand where you can swim barefoot. The rocks on both sides of the bay are good for snorkeling.
• Minamijima Island (Ogigaike) Tokyo
  A small uninhabited island off Chichijima with a rare submerged karst landscape. Ogigaike pond looks like another world. You can land only with a Tokyo-certified nature guide.
• Ogasawara Islands (Chichijima) Tokyo
  A subtropical island about 1,000 km south of central Tokyo, reached only by a 24-hour ferry. The Ogasawara Islands, known for "Bonin Blue" seas and many endemic species, became a World Natural Heritage site in 2011.
• Cape Manazuru & Mitsuishi Rocks Kanagawa
  The tip of the Manazuru Peninsula, jutting into Sagami Bay. Surrounded by the "Ohayashi" forest of black pines said to be over 350 years old, it looks out to the Mitsuishi rocks and is a famous spot for sunrise.
• Enoshima Island Kanagawa
  A small island joined to the Shonan coast by a bridge, with Enoshima Shrine, a garden and lookout tower, and sea caves on the far side.
• Jogashima Island (Miura) Kanagawa
  A small island at the tip of the Miura Peninsula, joined by bridge. Wind-shaped pines, grassland and sea-cut cliffs line its eastern park.
• Sarushima Island Kanagawa
  The only natural island in Tokyo Bay, once a fortress. Brick tunnels, barracks and gun emplacements stand among the woods, a 10-minute boat ride from Yokosuka.
• Ogi Tarai-bune Tub Boats Niigata
  Round wooden tub boats, once used to gather shellfish and seaweed among the rocks, now give short rides in Ogi harbor with a woman rowing.
• Onogame Rock (Sado) Niigata
  A single 167 m monolith jutting into the sea on the Sotokaifu coast in northern Sado. Around it grow some one million Tobishima day lilies, which turn the slopes yellow in early summer.
• Oyashirazu Cliffs Niigata
  About 10 km of cliffs where the Northern Alps drop into the Sea of Japan, once the most feared stretch of the old Hokuriku road; walk the old road and a 1912 brick rail tunnel.
• Sasagawa Nagare Coast Niigata
  About 11 km of Sea of Japan coast with wave-cut rocks, sea caves and very clear water, a short walk from small local stations.
• Senkaku Bay (Sado) Niigata
  Five small bays along about 3 km of Sado's northwest coast, lined with sharp cliffs around 30 m high; a viewing park and glass-bottom boats show them best.
• Amaharashi Coast Toyama
  Rocky islets and pine-backed sand where, on clear days, the 3,000 m Tateyama range rises across Toyama Bay; loved by the Man'yoshu poet Otomo no Yakamochi.
• Hisui (Jade) Coast Toyama
  A pebble beach about 100 m wide and 4 km long in Asahi, where jade washes ashore — a rare place in the world to pick it up safely by the sea.
• Kaiwomaru Park & Shinminato Bridge Toyama
  A bay-side park where the sailing ship Kaiwo Maru, “Lady of the Sea”, is moored and open to visitors. Next to it, the Shinminato Bridge — one of the largest cable-stayed bridges on the Sea of Japan coast — has a walkway on its lower deck.
• Chirihama Nagisa Driveway Ishikawa
  A beach of fine, firm sand where ordinary cars can drive along the waterline; sunsets over the Sea of Japan.
• Mitsukejima Island Ishikawa
  A 28 m rock island off Suzu, nicknamed 'Battleship Island' and long a symbol of Noto. An earthquake brought down its southeastern half, changing its shape, but it still stands off the beach.
• Rokkosaki Lighthouse Ishikawa
  A white Meiji-era lighthouse designed by Japanese engineers at Rokkosaki, the tip of the Noto Peninsula. From the same cape you can watch the sun rise from the sea and set into it.
• Shiroyone Senmaida Rice Terraces Ishikawa
  1,004 tiny hand-worked paddies step down a steep slope to the Sea of Japan; the symbol of Noto's World Agricultural Heritage landscape.
• World's Longest Bench (Masuhoura) Ishikawa
  A 460.9 m bench on the hill above Masuhoura Beach, listed by Guinness in 1989 as the world's longest. A favorite spot for watching the sun set over the Sea of Japan.
• Echizen Coast (Echizen Cape & Kochomon) Fukui
  Rugged cliffs and sea-carved rocks along the Sea of Japan, including the natural rock tunnel Kochomon. Hillsides fill with wild narcissus in winter.
• Hokojima Rock Fukui
  A columnar rock islet about 50 m high on the Echizen Coast, carved by the rough Sea of Japan. A footpath leads onto it, with pines and a Jizo statue on the clifftop. A fine spot for sunsets.
• Kehi no Matsubara Pine Grove Fukui
  A 1 km pine grove of red and black pines along white sand at the head of Tsuruga Bay, one of Japan's three great pine groves.
• Mizushima Island Fukui
  A small uninhabited island off the tip of the Tsuruga Peninsula. Clear water and white sand earn it the nickname 'Hawaii of Hokuriku'; it can only be reached by ferry in the summer swimming season.
• Ojima Island Fukui
  A small sacred island off Tojinbo, reached by a 224 m red bridge. A 1.2 km path circles it through old trees and past Ominato Shrine.
• Sotomo Sea Caves Fukui
  About 6 km of granite cliffs, sea caves and arches on the north shore of the Uchitomi Peninsula. A 60-minute cruise from Obama port passes rock formations such as the Daimon and Komon arches.
• Tojinbo Cliffs Fukui
  Rows of six-sided rock columns drop straight into the Sea of Japan. See them from the clifftop or a boat.
• Cape Irozaki Shizuoka
  The southern tip of the Izu Peninsula, with cliffs about 100 m high. Irozaki Lighthouse (1871), Iro Shrine built on the rock face and a tiny Kumano shrine at the very tip; cruise boats leave from Irozaki port.
• Cape Koganezaki Shizuoka
  A cape in West Izu whose cliffs, altered by hot volcanic water, glow gold in the evening sun. A horse-head rock and views of Mt. Fuji across Suruga Bay.
• Cape Tsumeki Shizuoka
  A cape at the tip of the Suzaki Peninsula with a white lighthouse, clear sea and the columnar rocks of Tawaraiso. About 3 million narcissus bloom here in winter.
• Dogashima and Tensodo Cave Shizuoka
  A sea cave in white tuff on the west coast of Izu, with a hole in its roof. Small boats sail into it, and a path lets you look down from above.
• Jogasaki Coast Shizuoka
  Dark lava cliffs formed by an eruption of Mt. Omuro about 4,000 years ago, crossed by the 48 m Kadowaki suspension bridge.
• Miho no Matsubara Shizuoka
  A long pine-lined beach with Mt. Fuji rising across the bay.
• Ryugukutsu Sea Cave Shizuoka
  A sea cave near Shimoda whose roof has collapsed, leaving a skylight 40–50 m across. From the path above, the opening looks like a heart.
• Cape Irago Aichi
  The tip of the Atsumi Peninsula, where a white lighthouse looks out over the Pacific and Ise Bay toward Kamishima island.
• Himakajima Island Aichi
  A small island in Mikawa Bay, called the island closest to Nagoya. It is famous for octopus and tiger pufferfish and has beaches facing the sunrise and the sunset.
• Sakushima Island Aichi
  A quiet island in the middle of Mikawa Bay with black-walled fishing hamlets and contemporary artworks such as the "Ohiru-ne House" scattered around its shores.
• Takeshima Island (Gamagori) Aichi
  A small wooded island in Mikawa Bay joined to the shore by a 400 m bridge. The whole island, with 238 plant species, is a Natural Monument.
• Ago Bay Mie
  A bay in Ise-Shima National Park with a ria coastline of many islands and pearl-farming rafts. A cruise boat from Kashikojima circles it in about 50 minutes.
• Daiozaki Lighthouse Mie
  A white lighthouse first lit in 1927 on the cape that divides the Enshu and Kumano seas. Visitors can climb it for wide Pacific views, and the town below is known as a town of painters.
• Kamishima Island Mie
  A small fishing island in the Irago Strait and the setting of Yukio Mishima's novel 'The Sound of Waves'. A 4 km path circles the island.
• Meoto Iwa (Wedded Rocks) Mie
  Two sea rocks joined by a thick sacred rope. In early summer the sun rises between them.
• Onigajo Rocks Mie
  Sea cliffs carved into caves and terraces by uplift, weathering and waves. A path runs along the rock face for about 1 km.
• Shichirimihama Beach Mie
  A pebble beach running about 22 km from Kumano to Kiho, the longest of its kind in Japan. The Iseji pilgrim route once followed it.
• Tategasaki Cliffs Mie
  A huge wall of columnar-jointed rock at the mouth of Futagishima Bay, about 80 m high and 550 m around. A forest trail leads to the Senjojiki rock shelf, which faces the cliff and the waves of the Kumano Sea.
• Yokoyama Observatory (Ago Bay View) Mie
  Wooden terraces on 203 m Mt. Yokoyama look over Ago Bay, a ria coast dotted with small islands and pearl rafts.
• Chikubushima Island Shiga
  A sacred island about 6 km off Nagahama with Hogonji Temple and Tsukubusuma Shrine. Its Benzaiten is counted among Japan's three great Benzaiten.
• Okishima Island Shiga
  The largest island in Lake Biwa, 1.5 km off Omihachiman, home to about 250 people. A quiet fishing village with no cars.
• Amanohashidate Kyoto
  A 3.6 km pine-covered sandbar across a bay, one of Japan's Three Great Views. Look at it upside down between your legs from the hilltop.
• Kotohikihama Beach Kyoto
  A 1.8 km white-sand beach on the Tango coast whose sand squeaks underfoot, with a stretch that booms like a drum.
• Former Sakai Lighthouse Osaka
  An 11 m wooden Western-style lighthouse built in 1877 at the tip of Sakai's old harbor, one of the oldest of its kind still standing.
• Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (Maiko Marine Promenade) Hyogo
  The suspension bridge linking Kobe and Awaji Island. The Maiko Marine Promenade, built into the bridge 47 m above the sea, lets you walk out over the strait.
• Amarube Viaduct Sora no Eki Hyogo
  A viewing deck about 40 m up on the preserved piers of the old Amarube Viaduct, a 1912 steel trestle bridge. Walk on the old rails and look out over the Sea of Japan.
• Cape Shionomisaki Wakayama
  The southernmost point of Honshu. The white Shionomisaki Lighthouse, first lit in 1873, can be climbed for a 360° view, and the 100,000 m² Boro-no-Shiba lawn looks out over the curving Pacific.
• Engetsu Island Wakayama
  A small island off Shirahama, about 130 m long, with a round sea-worn arch through its centre. The sunset here is one of Japan's 100 best.
• Hashigui-iwa Rocks Wakayama
  About 40 rock pillars up to 15 m tall standing in a straight line for 850 m off the Kushimoto shore, like the piles of a bridge.
• Sandanbeki Cliffs Wakayama
  Sheer cliffs about 50 m high stretching for 2 km on the Shirahama coast. A lift descends to a sea cave where waves crash in.
• Senjojiki Rock Terrace Wakayama
  A broad shelf of soft white sandstone sloping into the Pacific at Shirahama, carved by waves into layered steps. Sunsets over the horizon are a highlight.
• Shirarahama Beach Wakayama
  A 620 m beach of soft white sand and clear water, in the hot spring town of Shirahama.
• Shirasaki Ocean Park Wakayama
  Brilliant white limestone cliffs against a deep blue sea, nicknamed the "Aegean Sea of Japan". A lookout reached by steps between the white rocks takes in the whole coast.
• Tomogashima Island Wakayama
  A group of small islands in the Kitan Strait reached by a 20-min ferry from Kada. Hiking trails lead past brick fort ruins and a white lighthouse.
• Wakanoura Bay (Furo Bridge, Kankaikaku) Wakayama
  A tidal bay praised in the Man'yoshu poems, where mudflats appear and vanish with the tide. Walk to the arched stone Furo Bridge (1851), Tamatsushima Shrine and the Kankaikaku pavilion on Imoseyama islet.
• Hakuto Coast and Hakuto Shrine Tottori
  The setting of the White Hare of Inaba myth from the Kojiki: a curving white beach with a reef like a shark's back, and a shrine to the hare-god of matchmaking.
• Tottori Sand Dunes Tottori
  One of Japan's largest sand dunes, with a ridge 47 m above sea level overlooking the Sea of Japan. Camel rides available.
• Uradome Coast Tottori
  A rugged ria coast of sea caves, rock arches and pine-topped islets with very clear water, seen from a cliff-top path or a sightseeing boat.
• Hinomisaki Lighthouse and Shrine Shimane
  The western tip of the Shimane Peninsula: Japan's tallest lighthouse tower (43.65 m) with a viewing gallery, and a vermilion shrine said to guard Japan's nights.
• Inasa Beach Shimane
  A white sand beach west of Izumo Taisha, the stage of the "land transfer" myth. Here the gods from all over Japan are welcomed each autumn, and the sunset behind little Bentenjima islet is a symbol of Izumo.
• Iwami Tatamigaura Shimane
  A wide, flat rock shelf about the size of a stadium, a 16-million-year-old seabed lifted by the 1872 Hamada earthquake and rich in fossils.
• Kuniga Coast (Oki Islands) Shimane
  Sea cliffs on Nishinoshima in the Oki Islands, led by the 257 m Matengai cliff, with grassy tops where cows and horses graze and a natural rock arch.
• Inujima Island Okayama
  A small island off Okayama city where a former copper refinery is now an art museum, with gallery houses scattered through the village.
• Kitagi Island Okayama
  The "stone island" whose granite built Osaka Castle's walls and the Bank of Japan. See a working quarry with 60 m cliffs from a viewpoint, and emerald lakes in old quarry pits.
• Okunoshima (Rabbit Island) Hiroshima
  A 4 km island where many wild rabbits live; it once hid a poison gas factory, now explained in a small museum.
• Ondo-no-Seto Park Hiroshima
  A park overlooking the Ondo Strait, said to have been cut through in a single day by Taira no Kiyomori, and the bright red Ondo Bridge. About 2,300 cherry trees bloom here in spring.
• Ganryujima Island Yamaguchi
  A small uninhabited island in the Kanmon Strait where Miyamoto Musashi fought Sasaki Kojiro. Walk past a statue of the duel and enjoy views of Shimonoseki and Moji.
• Omijima Island Yamaguchi
  An island off Nagato called the 'Alps of the sea', with 16 km of cliffs, sea caves and rock pillars best seen on an 80-minute cruise.
• Tsunoshima Bridge Yamaguchi
  A 1.8 km bridge over clear emerald-green sea to a small island with white beaches.
• Naruto Whirlpools Tokushima
  Fast tidal currents form whirlpools up to 20 m wide under a big bridge. See them from a boat or a glass-floor walkway.
• Ohama Beach (Hiwasa) Tokushima
  A 500 m sandy beach in Hiwasa where loggerhead turtles come ashore to lay eggs from May to August. The sea turtle museum Caretta stands right in front.
• Angel Road Kagawa
  A sandbar that appears at low tide and links Shodoshima to small offshore islets. Climb the hill before it for a bell and a view down on the path.
• Chichibugahama Beach Kagawa
  A 1 km beach on the Hiuchi Sea known for sunsets. At low tide on calm evenings, pools on the sand mirror the sky and people's silhouettes.
• Megijima Island (Onigashima) Kagawa
  A small island 20 minutes by ferry from Takamatsu, linked to the Momotaro legend. Its large cave was opened as 'Onigashima', the ogres' island, in 1931.
• Ogijima Island Kagawa
  A small island 40 minutes by ferry from Takamatsu. Houses climb the hillside like fish scales along stone steps and alleys with art works, and the 1895 granite lighthouse stands at the north tip.
• Seto Ohashi Memorial Park & Tower Kagawa
  A seaside park at the foot of the Seto Ohashi Bridge, with a free memorial hall on how the bridge was built and a revolving tower that rises to 108 m.
• Shishijima Island (Giant Camphor Tree) Kagawa
  A tiny island of about 20 people. A camphor tree said to be over 1,200 years old stands on the hillside, with a lookout over the islands nearby.
• Cape Komo Ehime
  A cape at the southwestern tip of Ehime lined with cliffs over 100 m high, looking out over the Bungo Channel toward Kyushu. Known for sunsets and for hawks migrating in autumn.
• Cape Sadamisaki Lighthouse Ehime
  A white lighthouse at the tip of the Sadamisaki Peninsula, Japan's longest and narrowest, the westernmost point of Shikoku. On clear days you can see Kyushu across the strait.
• Kashima Island (Hojo) Ehime
  A small island about 1.5 km around, three minutes by ferry from Matsuyama's Hojo district, where wild deer greet visitors. Trails lead along the shore and up to a summit lookout over the Hiuchi-nada Sea.
• Kirosan Observation Park Ehime
  A hilltop viewpoint on Oshima designed by Kengo Kuma, looking over the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge and the islands of the Seto Inland Sea.
• Shimanami Kaido Cycling Route Ehime
  A cycling route of about 70 km linking Onomichi and Imabari over island-hopping bridges across the Seto Inland Sea.
• Shimanami Kurushima Strait Cruise Ehime
  A boat tour of about 50 minutes through the fierce tidal currents of the Kurushima Strait, one of Japan's three great tidal races. It passes under the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge and by islands linked to the Murakami pirates.
• Shimonada Station Ehime
  A small unstaffed station on the JR Yosan Line whose platform looks straight out over the Iyo-nada Sea, famous for sunsets and as a film and poster location.
• Yusumizugaura Terraced Fields Ehime
  Stone-walled terraced fields climbing a steep slope above the Uwa Sea on a peninsula near Uwajima, still used for growing potatoes.
• Cape Ashizuri Kochi
  Shikoku's southernmost cape, facing the Pacific, with an 18 m lighthouse first lit in 1914 and about 60,000 wild camellias at its tip.
• Cape Muroto Kochi
  A rugged cape in eastern Kochi lined with strange rock formations and subtropical coastal plants, part of the Muroto UNESCO Global Geopark.
• Hakusan Domon Sea Arch Kochi
  A granite sea arch 16 m high and 17 m wide on the coast of Cape Ashizuri, one of the largest in Japan. Still being carved by the waves, it can be seen up close from a walking path.
• Irino Beach (Sunahama Museum) Kochi
  A 4 km white-sand beach and pine grove in Kuroshio town, treated as an open-air 'museum' without a building. When conditions are right the wet sand mirrors the sky, earning it the nickname 'Kochi's Uyuni'.
• Kashiwajima Island Kochi
  A small island in Otsuki town in southwest Kochi, joined by two bridges, with sea so clear you can watch fish from the bridge and beaches for swimming.
• Katsurahama Beach Kochi
  A curved beach of colored pebbles facing the Pacific, watched over by a statue of Sakamoto Ryoma.
• Odo Coast Observatory Kochi
  A lookout in Otsuki over the Odo coast in Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park. The Odoyama observatory takes in a sweeping view of the Pacific and the Kashiwajima coastline, and the shore has the wave-carved Kannon-iwa rock and a coastal trail.
• Tatsukushi and Minokoshi Coast Kochi
  A sandstone coast in Tosashimizu eroded by wind and waves into odd shapes; glass-bottom boats cross to Minokoshi, a coast said to have been 'left unseen' even by Kobo Daishi.
• Keya no Oto Cave Fukuoka
  Japan's largest basalt sea cave, 64 m high and 90 m deep, with hexagonal and octagonal columns. A sightseeing boat takes you right up to it.
• Nokonoshima Island Fukuoka
  A small island in Hakata Bay, 10 min by ferry from Meinohama. Seasonal flowers fill Nokonoshima Island Park, and a lookout near the centre has 360-degree views.
• Sakurai Futamigaura (Itoshima) Fukuoka
  Two rocks joined by a sacred rope stand off the Itoshima coast behind a white torii, a well-known spot for sunsets.
• Shikanoshima Island Fukuoka
  The island where the gold seal "King of Na", a National Treasure, was found. It is joined to the mainland by the Uminonakamichi sandbar, and a coastal road around it suits cycling.
• Cape Hado Saga
  A small cape jutting into the Genkai Sea. Watch fish through the windows of an undersea observation tower and try turban shells grilled on the spot.
• Hamanoura Rice Terraces Saga
  Rice terraces that step down to the Genkai Sea; around rice-planting time the flooded paddies reflect the sunset.
• Higashiyoka Tidal Flat Saga
  A mudflat on the Ariake Sea where more sandpipers and plovers stop than anywhere else in Japan. Mudskippers live on the flat, and seepweed turns red in autumn.
• Nanatsugama Sea Caves Saga
  Seven caves carved side by side into basalt cliffs by Genkai Sea waves, up to 110 m deep; tour boats from Yobuko enter them when the sea is calm.
• Niji-no-Matsubara Pine Grove Saga
  A 4.5 km belt of about a million black pines along Karatsu Bay, planted by the first lord of Karatsu as a windbreak.
• Chiwata Station Nagasaki
  A retro wooden station on the JR Omura Line right beside Omura Bay. The platform looks straight out over the bay, and the sunset view was used on a Seishun 18 Kippu poster in 2014.
• Gunkanjima (Battleship Island) Nagasaki
  An abandoned coal-mining island packed with concrete apartment ruins. Visit on a boat tour from Nagasaki.
• Kujukushima Islands Nagasaki
  208 islands scattered over 25 km of sea north of Sasebo, said to be the densest group of islands in Japan. Cruises leave from Pearl Sea Resort.
• Obae Lighthouse Nagasaki
  A white lighthouse on a sheer cliff about 100 m high at the northern tip of Ikitsuki Island. The deck gives a 360-degree view, and at sunset the lighthouse turns orange.
• Saruiwa (Monkey Rock) Nagasaki
  Iki's symbol: a 45 m sea rock at the tip of the Kurosaki Peninsula that looks just like a monkey looking away. It is also a good sunset spot.
• Takahama Beach (Goto) Nagasaki
  A white-sand beach on Fukue Island in the Goto Islands, with emerald shallows and a cobalt-blue sea, sometimes called the most beautiful sea in Japan. The view from the Gyoran Kannon lookout above is a must.
• Myokenura and Jusanbutsu Park Kumamoto
  Cliffs 20–80 m high and rocky islets with sea arches on the west coast of Amakusa. Seen from Jusanbutsu Park, one rock looks like an elephant.
• Nagabeta Kaishoro (Sea Road) Kumamoto
  A concrete road that runs straight out into the Ariake Sea beside a line of utility poles. At low tide the road appears; at high tide only the poles stand above the water.
• Okoshiki Coast Kumamoto
  On the Ariake Sea, where the tide range is huge, low tide reveals sand flats carved into curves by wind and waves. With the sunset the flats turn orange, then purple at dusk.
• Sengan-zan (Amakusa Five Bridges view) Kumamoto
  A 162 m hill named for its many rocks, west of Matsushima in Kamiamakusa. The summit looks over the islands of Amakusa Matsushima to the Ariake Sea and Unzen.
• Matama Coast Oita
  The only place in Oita where the sun sets over the sea horizon. When low tide meets sunset, striped ridges of tidal flat glow in the evening light.
• Cape Toi Miyazaki
  A grassy cape at the south end of the Nichinan coast where semi-wild Misaki horses graze, with a white lighthouse that visitors can enter.
• Horikiri Pass Miyazaki
  A roadside viewpoint on the Nichinan coast where phoenix palms frame the Pacific and the 'Devil's Washboard' wave-cut rocks below.
• Kojima Island (Monkey Island) Miyazaki
  An uninhabited island about 200 m off Ishinami Coast in southern Miyazaki, home to about 90–100 Japanese macaques. It is world famous for its potato-washing monkeys and is a National Natural Monument.
• Kurusu no Umi (Cross Sea) Miyazaki
  On Cape Hyuga, a huge reef split by the waves forms a cross ('kurusu') about 200 m across; with the rocks beside it, it resembles the kanji for 'wish come true'. A wishing bell hangs at the lookout.
• Amami Mangrove Park (Sumiyo) Kagoshima
  A roadside station on Amami Oshima by Japan's second-largest mangrove forest. Canoe tours paddle through tunnels of mangrove at the river mouth.
• Cape Inutabu Kagoshima
  A triangular limestone sea-cliff cape jutting out from southwest Tokunoshima. It has a viewing platform and a memorial tower for the officers and men of the suicide-mission fleet led by the battleship Yamato.
• Cape Nagasakibana Kagoshima
  The southern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula, with a white lighthouse, a small shrine tied to the Urashima Taro legend and a view across the water to Mt. Kaimondake.
• Cape Sata Kagoshima
  The southern tip of Japan's four main islands. An 800 m path through cycads and other subtropical plants leads to a lookout over one of Japan's oldest lighthouses.
• Honohoshi Coast (Amami-Oshima) Kagoshima
  A Pacific-facing coast covered with cobbles rounded by heavy surf. As the waves pull back, the stones rub together with a sound like drums, and strange rocks and caves line the shore.
• Kakeroma Island Kagoshima
  An inhabited island of Setouchi Town, across the Oshima Strait from southern Amami-Oshima. Ferries cross from Koniya Port, and the island has beaches such as Suri-hama.
• Nagame-no-hama (Koshikijima) Kagoshima
  A sandbar about 4 km long on Kami-Koshiki Island that separates the sea from a chain of lagoons. Lookouts above give wide views of the lagoons and the sea.
• Nagata Inakahama Beach (Yakushima) Kagoshima
  One of the three beaches that make up Nagata Beach, Yakushima's largest sand beach. White granite sand stretches along the shore, and it is the biggest loggerhead turtle nesting ground in the North Pacific.
• Nishi-Oyama Station Kagoshima
  Japan's southernmost JR station, a small unstaffed stop with Mt. Kaimon, nicknamed "Satsuma Fuji", rising right in front. A yellow post beside it can really be used to send mail.
• Tomori Beach (Amami-Oshima) Kagoshima
  A beach very close to Amami Airport, on the way to Cape Ayamaru, known as the "Blue Angel" for its deep green sea. White sand and emerald water make it one of the best on the island.
• Yurigahama (Yoron) Kagoshima
  A white sand bar that appears about 1.5 km off Ogane-ku Beach on Yoron Island only at low tide. The time, position and size of the sand vary from day to day.
• Aharen Beach (Tokashiki) Okinawa
  A representative beach of Tokashiki Island, with white sand stretching about 800 m. Known as a snorkeling spot with coral reef and fish, with plenty of marine activities.
• Cape Hedo Okinawa
  The northernmost point of Okinawa's main island. From the raised-coral cliffs you look over the Pacific and the East China Sea, and on clear days you can see Yoron and Okinoerabu islands.
• Cape Higashi-Hennazaki (Miyako Island) Okinawa
  A 2 km cape at Miyako's eastern tip between the Pacific and East China Sea, with a walking path and a lighthouse you can climb.
• Cape Manzamo Okinawa
  A grassy clifftop on Okinawa's west coast with a path along the edge, plus a visitor centre with a viewing deck, food court and local shops.
• Furuzamami Beach (Zamami) Okinawa
  The main beach of Zamami Island, with pure white coral sand and clear blue water. It earned two stars in the Michelin Green Guide Japan.
• Gesashi Bay Mangrove Forest (Higashi Fureai Hirugi Park) Okinawa
  The largest mangrove forest on Okinawa's main island, about 10 ha at the mouth of the Gesashi River. You can walk a free 670 m round-trip boardwalk or join a canoe tour.
• Hate-no-hama (Kumejima) Okinawa
  A sandbar island of coral sand about 7 km long, lying off the east coast of Kumejima. The white sand against the changing colours of the sea is beautiful, and sunsets here are popular.
• Hoshizuna-no-hama Beach (Iriomote) Okinawa
  A beach on the west coast of Iriomote where star-shaped sand can be found. Swimming and snorkeling are possible; the waves are calm, with many large rocks and small fish.
• Irabu Bridge Okinawa
  A 3,540 m bridge linking Miyako Island and Irabu Island, opened in 2015. It is the longest bridge in Japan that can be crossed free of charge.
• Kabira Bay (Ishigaki) Okinawa
  An emerald bay dotted with small green islets on Ishigaki's northwest coast. View the coral from a glass-bottom boat.
• Kafu Banta Okinawa
  A cliff-top viewpoint about 70 m high on Miyagi Island, inside the Nuchimasu salt factory grounds. It looks over shallow white-sand waters of remarkable clarity.
• Kerama Islands Okinawa
  A national park of small islands west of Naha known for clear "Kerama blue" water, beaches like Furuzamami, and winter whale watching.
• Kouri Island Okinawa
  Drive across a 2 km bridge over turquoise sea to a small island with a heart-shaped rock.
• Nirai-Kanai Bridge Okinawa
  A 660 m long, 80 m high bridge road that curves broadly as it descends toward the sea, with views of the Pacific, Chinen Cape and Kudaka Island.
• Nishihama Beach (Hateruma) Okinawa
  One of the most beautiful beaches in the Yaeyama Islands, known for the blue-and-green contrast called Hateruma Blue. It is also popular for sunsets, and has showers and toilets.
• Yonaha Maehama Beach (Miyako Island) Okinawa
  A long white-sand beach of about 7 km on Miyako Island, facing Kurima Island across turquoise water.
• Yubu Island Okinawa
  A small island about 2 km around, reached from Iriomote by water-buffalo cart across the shallows. The whole island is a subtropical garden with a bougainvillea garden, butterfly house and more.

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