Cape Zanpa and its lighthouse

photo by そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by そらみみ (Soramimi) · CC BY-SA 4.0

It is the tallest lighthouse in Okinawa, one of only sixteen in Japan that you can climb.

A cliff of raised coral runs for two kilometres, some thirty metres high, pounded constantly by the open sea: there is no land between here and China. The white lighthouse at its end, about 31 metres tall, is one of the few in Japan classed as ‘participatory’, that is, open for the public to climb to the top. From up there, on clear days, you can see the islands of Kume, Aguni and Tonaki offshore.

The cape takes its name from the fossil coral cliff that forms it, the westernmost on the main island of Okinawa. It is a classic viewpoint for the sunset over the East China Sea.

ℹ️ Lighthouse climb: March–September 9:30–17:30 at weekends and on public holidays, 9:30–16:30 on weekdays; October–February 9:30–16:30 every day. Ticket 300 yen from junior high school age up. The park around the lighthouse is free and always open.

🚉 宇座 · 26 min walk

Sources: orionbeer.co.jp

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