The Southern Tip of Honshu
Cape Sata is the southernmost point of Kyushu, located at the tip of Kagoshima Prefecture’s Osumi Peninsula. It shares the same latitude as New Delhi and Cairo. Colorful subtropical plants thrive in the warm climate. On clear days you can spot Mt. Kaimon on the neighboring Satsuma Peninsula or the islands of Tanegashima and Yakushima across the waves.
About 50 meters off Cape Sata is Owajima Island, home to the Satamisaki Lighthouse. This is the oldest lighthouse in Japan, designed by Scottish engineer Richard Henry Brunton. Built in 1871, for years the bright light helped vessels safely sail along Japan’s shores.
Visitors can enjoy exploring the winding paths around the cape, head to Japan’s southernmost shrine, or learn a bit of local history at the ruins of the first lighthouse keeper’s quarters, a stone dwelling built for the English and Japanese workers who first occupied the historic lighthouse.