A 9-metre hole pierces the islet: at the equinoxes the setting sun passes through it.
The islet (130 metres from north to south, just 35 from east to west, up to 25 metres high) owes its name (literally ‘full-moon island’) to a circular hole about 9 metres in diameter, carved by sea erosion in the centre of the rock. At the spring and autumn equinoxes, the setting sun passes exactly through that hole: it is one of Japan's hundred best sunsets according to the official ranking.
Natural rock formation in Shirahama, a national Place of Scenic Beauty designated together with Sandanbeki and Senjōjiki.
ℹ️ Free view from the coast, always accessible; lit up at night in high season. On Rinkai Bay, a few minutes on foot from the centre of Shirahama.
🚉 Rinkai (Engetsuto Island) · 7 min walk
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