Osezaki Lighthouse
This remote lighthouse stands on the westernmost point of the Goto Islands. For envoys traveling to China in the seventh and eighth centuries, this promontory was the last of Japan they saw before crossing the East China Sea. In 1879, a Western-style iron lighthouse was built here, but it was damaged during World War II; the current concrete structure dates to 1971. In 2009, the lighthouse lamp was converted to solar power and is now operated remotely. Its light is visible to boats up to 22 kilometers offshore. Strong winds and waves have battered the 60-meter cliffs below, revealing slanting strata in the rock.
An observation platform overlooks the lighthouse from just below the summit of Mt. Ose (249.3 m). The platform’s elevated position reveals the full breadth of rugged coastline as well as the rolling mountains of the island’s interior. At sunset, the platform offers an excellent vantage point for photography. It is also the starting point of a 2.4-kilometer round-trip hike to the lighthouse. The trail passes through shady groves of camellia trees to emerge in a meadow at the base of the lighthouse.