Kanon-zaki

Kanon-zaki is a cape located at the tip of the Miura Peninsula, which marks the entrance to Tokyo Bay and the eastern edge of Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. It has long been known as a strategic point for maritime shipping, separating Tokyo Bay from the Uraga Channel. The greatest symbol of this cape is the Kanon-zaki Lighthouse, Japan's first Western-style lighthouse, which was first lit in 1869. It was one of eight Western-style lighthouses promised to be built under the Treaty of Edo, a supplementary treaty to the Japan-U.S. Treaty of Amity and Commerce signed at the end of the Edo period, and was designed by François-Léonce Verny, a French engineer and foreign adviser. The original lighthouse was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake, and the current structure is the third lighthouse, rebuilt in 1925, which continues to be a precious example of Japan's modernization-era industrial heritage with over 90 years of history, tirelessly watching over the safety of ships passing through Tokyo Bay 24 hours a day.

The white, beautiful lighthouse is one of Japan's few publicly accessible lighthouses, and when you climb the spiral staircase inside to reach the observation deck, a maritime highway unfolds below you where massive cargo ships, tankers, container ships, and ferries continuously pass through the Uraga Channel. Tokyo Bay is the major artery of Japan's maritime commerce, and Kanon-zaki, positioned strategically at its entrance, has played an important role from ancient times to the present day. On clear days, you can see Futtsu Cape on the Boso Peninsula, distant mountains of Boso, and even Mount Fuji in the distance beyond the Miura Peninsula. Such a magnificent marine landscape accessible in just 90 minutes from central Tokyo is rare in the Kanto region.

The entire cape area is developed as Kanon-zaki Park, with scenic walking paths winding to the tip of the cape where you can enjoy both the natural beauty and history of the seaside while strolling. The park contains a variety of attractions including Jomon-period archaeological sites, military gun battery ruins as war heritage, rocky tide pools, pine groves, grassy meadows, and the Kanon-zaki Nature Museum visitor center. At the rocky areas where tide pool exploring is possible, you can observe crabs, hermit crabs, and small fish, and in summer it becomes a bustling spot for families to explore the tidal zone. On the north side of the cape is a small sandy beach called Tatara Beach, known to film fans as the filming location where the original Godzilla came ashore.

The name Kanon-zaki comes from an Eleven-Faced Kannon statue said to have been carved by Gyoki and enshrined there, and tradition has it that a Kannon Hall once stood at the tip of the cape. Traces of the former Kannon Hall and the Gongendo Cave associated with Kobo Daishi remain on the slopes of the cape today, where you can sense the legacy of faith in prayers for maritime safety. During the late Edo period, a gun battery was constructed as a key defense point in preparation for Perry's arrival, and from the Meiji period onward, it became an essential part of the Tokyo Bay fortress and was of great military importance. The remaining ruins of gun batteries and ammunition magazines throughout the park are preserved as valuable documents that tell the story of modern Japan's defense history.

Nearby are scattered tourist attractions such as the Yokosuka Museum of Art, Hashiriizu Shrine, the Uraga Ferry, and Kurihama, making it attractive as a starting point for a day-long tour of the Miura Peninsula. You can also enjoy Yokosuka specialties such as Navy curry and seafood rice bowls, as well as dishes featuring local fish, and as a premier coastal destination in the Kanto region with history, nature, and cuisine all in one place, it is beloved by both Tokyo metropolitan residents and travelers from afar. The lighthouse bathed in the sunset and the silhouette of Tokyo Bay are particularly spectacular, making it an ideal spot for photographers.