Cape Shiriyasaki is a short 2-hour drive from Misawa Air Base and offers a stunning view of a landscape out of a picture book or puzzle cover. From the cape, sweeping views include a photogenic white lighthouse soaring above the cliffs and deep blue waters of Tsugaru Strait, while the vast pastureland offers glimpses of wild horses grazing.

Cape Shiriyasaki sits on the northernmost east edge of Honshu and its rocky seabed and challenging currents earned it the moniker “Cape of Wreck” by local sailors. The treacherous cape was tamed when a lighthouse was finally completed in 1876.

The Shiriyasaki Lighthouse stands 33 meters tall and is the oldest brick-built western-style lighthouse in Japan and is also designated one of its 50 most important lighthouses by Tokokai (Japan Lighthouse-keeper’s Association) in 1998.

When I walked inside and up a narrow spiral staircase to the top, I was overwhelmed with the great panoramic view of the ocean, green pastureland and even the edge of Hokkaido in the distance.

There were informational panels there to give visitors a little bit of the lighthouse’s history. According to one, a meteorite hit and broke through a glass window here in 1883. Decades later, and unrelated to the meteorite, according to another panel, locals and ship crews witnessed “ayashibi” (will-o’-the-wisp), a strange phenomenon where the lighthouse still lit up despite no power supply.

Reading the panels, it was no wonder for me that the Shiriyasaki Lighthouse would also be included in Japan’s 50 most important lighthouses list.

Around the lighthouse, Kandachime, local horses with short legs and stout frames, pasture on the green grass. These beloved horses are protected as a prefectural natural treasure.

I walked along the pasture, admiring the lovable horses and felt as though I’d been wandering along the roaming hills of another place. This incredible landscape is not one you should miss on your trip to Shimokita Peninsula.

Shiriyasaki Lighthouse

• Location: 1-1 Shiriyasaki, Shiriya, Higashidori Village, Shimokita-gun, Aomori Prefecture

• Hours: Apr, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., May – early November, - 4 p.m. (closed Nov – Mar)

• Admission: Middle schoolers or older, 300 yen

• URL

• Tel: 0175-47-2889

Look at Speakin’ Japanese “What a great view!” on the Shiriyasaki Lighthouse here.

Misawa Air Base

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