Myōken-ura Coast (妙見浦) 妙見浦
An arch carved by the sea, 20 m high and 50 long, beneath cliffs up to 80 m.
It is the representative landscape of the west coast of Amakusa, with cliffs of 20–80 metres one after another and, around Cape Myōken and Hōrai islet, crags close to the shore with old pines on top. At the foot of the cliffs spreads a step of uplifted sea floor, up to 3 metres high; stretches of dark graphitic schist stand out. On Cape Myōken there are the 洞門 (dōmon, the great arch carved by the waves along two intersecting faults: 20 m high, 8.5–20 wide, 50 long) and a sea cave with stalactites, formed where three faults meet. It has been a national 名勝 (Place of Scenic Beauty) since 27/08/1935, and has been managed by the municipality of Amakusa since 3/6/1936.
Kumamoto
