East Hokkaido · NemuroNo.1136★★Open in map →
Cape Nosappu
The eastern end of the Nemuro Peninsula, and the easternmost point of Japan's main islands. A lighthouse marks the tip, and a clifftop park with two free exhibition houses sits a short walk behind it.
- FromNemuro Station
- ~1 hrNemuro Kotsu bus, a few runs a day
- Get off atCape Nosappu (Nemuro Kotsu Nosappu Line)
- On foot
- Cape Nosappu
The sweet spot
This is a named landmark in eastern Hokkaido, not a hidden one. What shapes a visit is the timetable rather than the season: only a handful of buses a day run out to the cape, so the length of your stay is set by the departure you plan to catch.
Where it is
102 more notes in Hokkaido · open the map →What to look for — in walking order
- Bokyo-no-Misaki Parka grassed clifftop park at the bus turnaround, with free parking and an open view east
- Shima-no-Kakehashia weathered-steel arch raised as a wish for the return of the Northern Territories, with a flame kept burning beneath it
- Hoppo-kan and Bokyo-no-ietwo small exhibition houses on the Northern Territories, free to enter
- Nosappu-misaki Lighthousea white tower at the very tip, reached by a short paved path from the road
How to actually get there
- JR Nemuro Station bus terminal → Cape Nosappu (Nemuro Kotsu Nosappu Line, about 45 minutes, a few departures a day).
- Get off at the terminus and cross Bokyo-no-Misaki Park to the steel arch and the two exhibition houses.
- Walk east along the flat cape road to the lighthouse at the tip.
- Come back to the same stop for the bus to Nemuro Station, noting its departure time when you arrive.
- Nemuro Kotsu bus from Nemuro Station
- From the bus terminal in front of JR Nemuro Station, take the Nemuro Kotsu Nosappu Line to its terminus at Cape Nosappu. The ride takes about 45 minutes. Only a few departures run each day, so check the operator's timetable before setting out. A return ticket is offered for this route.
- Return from the cape terminus
- The same line runs back to Nemuro Station from the Cape Nosappu stop. Because so few services operate, note the time of the run you intend to take before you walk out to the lighthouse. Once the last bus has gone there is no later alternative.
About the place
Cape Nosappu closes off the eastern end of the Nemuro Peninsula. Excluding outlying islands, it is the easternmost point of Japan's main islands. The ground is low and grassy rather than dramatic, and the sea wraps around three sides of it. Off the tip lies the Habomai group; the nearest of those islands, Kaigarajima, stands 3.7 km out, and on a clear day its light tower can be picked out from the shore. Everything here sits along one flat road, so the cape can be walked from end to end.
How to enjoy it
Come at first light. The cape faces due east over open water with nothing in the way, which is why most people make the trip out here at all. Once the sun is up, walk back west from the lighthouse to the park and the two exhibition houses, both free and open through the middle of the day.
Background & history
A light was first shown at the tip in 1872, the earliest Western-style lighthouse built in Hokkaido, and stone markers beside the path still name the spot as the birthplace of lighthouses in the prefecture. After the war the cape became the closest point the public could reach for a view toward the Northern Territories — the Habomai group, Shikotan, Kunashiri and Etorofu — and buildings tied to that history went up behind it. Bokyo-no-ie, Hoppo-kan and the steel arch called Shima-no-Kakehashi all stand in the park today.
Before you go
- Cash
- The cape, the park and the two exhibition houses can all be visited free of charge. Carry cash for the bus fare and for the shops and canteen beside the car park, and check the operator's current fare table before you travel.
- Good to know
- The headland is low and open, with nothing to break the wind. The islands offshore appear on clear days and are not visible every day. The exhibition houses close earlier in winter and shut on Mondays through the colder months.
- Another way
- Nemuro Station is the end of the JR Hanasaki Line from Kushiro. Drivers can follow the peninsula road straight out to the cape, where the car park is free.
- After you get off
- The Cape Nosappu stop is the end of the line, at Bokyo-no-Misaki Park. From there the lighthouse is about half a kilometre east along flat, paved road — eight minutes or so on foot.