Myōken-ura Coast

photo by Airick25 · CC BY-SA 3.0

An arch carved by the sea, 20 m high and 50 long, beneath cliffs up to 80 m.

From Jūsanbutsu Park (the name means ‘thirteen Buddhas’) you look north over the Myōken-ura coast: one rock is shaped like an elephant, and among the crags runs a sea arch 20 metres high and 50 long, where small boats go in when the sea is calm. To the south you can see Shiratsuru beach, which turns red at sunset. In spring the park has cherry trees.

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.

ℹ️ Outdoor site, no opening hours. The viewpoint is Jūsanbutsu Park: the tourist association does not mention a ticket, and two secondary guidebooks list entry and parking as free. Car park for 31 cars, 3 buses and 2 spaces for disabled visitors; there is a toilet for disabled visitors. By Sankō bus (from Hondo about 55 minutes, stop ‘十三仏’), the park is a 5-minute walk according to the tourist association, 15 according to Rurubu; bus timetables not read. In practice you need a car: the roads are narrow and large vehicles struggle to pass each other (reviews 2018–2022). Getting down to the shore depends on tides and waves, and one guidebook advises looking from the park; the coast is protected, and taking stones or plants is not allowed. From Kumamoto about 2 hr 40 min by car, from Amakusa airport about an hour.

Sources: online.bunka.go.jp · city.amakusa.kumamoto.jp · t-island.jp · t-island.jp · jeepe.jp

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