257 metres sheer to the sea: the highest coastal cliff in Japan, with cows roaming free.
On the north-west side of Nishinoshima, one of the Dōzen islands of the Oki archipelago, the Matengai drops 257 metres to the sea (the highest coastal cliff in Japan), part of a stretch of coast about 13 kilometres long, with walls between 200 and 250 metres high. At the top, cows and horses graze freely on the meadows along the edge, and the contrast between the grazing animals and the drop beneath your feet is why those who make it here by ferry talk about it. The coast also includes a natural rock arch, the Tsūtenkyō, and a formation called Kijōjō, the ‘demon's castle’.
Coast designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 1938 and part of Daisen-Oki National Park since 1963; the Oki Islands have been a UNESCO Global Geopark since September 2013, for the volcanic geology of about 5 million years ago that formed the archipelago.
ℹ️ The sightseeing boat along the Kuniga coast runs only from late March to mid-November; out of season you get there by car or seasonal bus to the Matengai car park. The island can only be reached by ferry, from Shichirui (Matsue) or Sakaiminato.
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