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Daisen-Oki NP, Shimane
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Beside the lighthouse, the Izumo salamander breeds in freshwater just 100 m from sea cliffs. Recognized as a new species in 2021, its habitat is now protected by local volunteers who took over after the village school closed.
Off Hinomisaki, winter yellowtail has its own name: Taisha Goenburi. Fishers catch it by line, then nerve-spike it aboard to preserve quality; only well-formed fish weighing at least 8 kg qualify for the brand.
The tower stands 43.65 m tall—the highest stone lighthouse in Japan—but its light is 63.3 m above sea level. That larger figure includes the elevated coastal ground beneath the lighthouse.
On the lane to the lighthouse, local shops serve seafood bowls topped with fish landed that morning, so the ingredients vary with the season and the day’s catch. You’ll also find squid and turban shells grilled at the counter.
The lighthouse still uses its original first-order Fresnel lens, installed for its 1903 opening. Its rotating mechanism works in a bath of mercury, and Hinomisaki is one of only 5 Japanese lighthouses still using a first-order lens.
The cut-stone outside hides an inner brick cylinder, with a deliberate gap between the two shells. This unusual adaptation of a double-cylinder design has an exposed section inside, so visitors can see how the construction fits together.
Every 20 seconds, the light sends 2 white flashes and 1 red one. Its 480,000-candela beam has a range of 21 nautical miles—about 39 km—making the sequence a distinctive signal for ships.
Local residents pressed for a lighthouse as Sea of Japan shipping grew after Hamada and Sakai opened to foreign trade in 1899. Winter winds and blizzards added to the need; Hinomisaki’s beacon first shone on April 1, 1903.
Japanese engineer Ishibashi Ayahiko designed and built the tower, drawing on Japan’s stonework skills. It later became one of 5 Japanese lighthouses on IALA’s World Historic Lighthouse 100 list and was designated an Important Cultural Property in 2022.
The jagged coast around the lighthouse is volcanic rhyolite. About 16 million years ago, lava formed a dome here; as it cooled, it cracked into geometric columns that waves have since helped sculpt.
The lighthouse is built from hard sandstone quarried at Moriyama, now part of Matsue. Kyoto University used vibration tests to assess the tower in 1951 and 1973; both examinations found no defects.
The lighthouse rises in a coast long associated with sunset worship. At nearby Hinomisaki Shrine, the 日沉宮 (Hishizumi-no-miya) enshrines Amaterasu as a guardian of Japan’s night, traditionally paired with Ise’s protection of daytime.
This working lighthouse opened to visitors on September 13, 1954. Its 163-step spiral staircase has been carrying climbers up to the viewing gallery for more than 70 years.
