Tenkaiho (Kujukushima)

photo by mahlervv · CC BY 3.0

photo by Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan · CC BY 2.0

208 islands, not 99 as the name says, counted only in 2001: seen here from 165 metres.

From the viewpoint at 165 metres the view takes in 180 degrees of the Kujukushima: 208 islands officially counted in 2001, even though the name says ‘ninety-nine’. Only 4 are inhabited, and 81.5% of the 288.5 km of coastline remains natural. At the foot of the viewpoint, 150,000 rapeseed plants flower in spring and as many cosmos in autumn.

Tenkaiho is one of the eight canonical viewpoints of the Kujukushima (九十九島八景), the ria archipelago of Saikai National Park, established in 1955. The area produces Kujukushima iriko anchovies, first in Japan by quantity, and oysters from late October; a sightseeing cruise of about 50 minutes reaches Kuroshima, one of the four inhabited islands.

ℹ️ Free entry. Car park with 88 parking spaces plus 2 reserved and 8 for buses. By bus, about 40 minutes from Sasebo Station (Kujukushima Tourist Park/Tenkaiho bus stop); by car, about 20 minutes from the Sasebo Chūō interchange.

Sources: nagasaki-tabinet.com · sasebo99.com

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