Miura tip · JogashimaNo.091★Open in map →
Umanose-domon
— a wave-carved sea arch
A natural rock arch on the raw southern coast of Jogashima, a small island off the tip of the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa. It stands about 8 meters tall, hollowed through the cliff by wind and sea.
Umanose-domon stands on the exposed southern edge of Jogashima. Here the shore is bare rock and tide pools rather than sand. Wind and waves have worn a tunnel clean through the soft cliff stone, leaving an arch about 8 meters high and 6 meters wide that frames the open Pacific beyond. Local people have long called it Megane-iwa — Spectacles Rock — because the opening resembles a pair of eyeglasses against the sea. You can reach it on foot from either the Jogashima Park side to the east or the lighthouse side to the west; the rocky ground is uneven, and signs ask visitors not to climb on the arch itself.
Why it stays quiet
Most visitors stop at the lighthouse and the tuna market on the north side and never cross to the south shore. The arch sits about a 15-minute walk past the Jogashima Park entrance, and the trail has little English signage, so it stays quiet.
Background & history
The arch is cut into the soft, ash-based (tuffaceous) stone of the Miura Group, laid down when this ground was still seafloor. Before the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, the base sat low enough that small boats could pass through at high tide. That earthquake lifted the land by roughly 1.4 meters, leaving the arch on the rocky terrace where it stands today. A well-known international travel guide gives it two stars.
What to look for — in walking order
- Rocky tide-pool shore
- flat bare stone and tide pools at the water's edge, reached from the park coast path
- The arch itself
- a tunnel about 8 m tall and 6 m wide, worn straight through the cliff
- Open Pacific view
- the arch's opening frames the ocean on the island's exposed southern edge
- Uplifted coastline
- the rock terrace itself was raised out of the sea by the 1923 earthquake
How to enjoy it
Come at low tide and walk in from either the park side or the lighthouse side — morning is a good time, before the midday heat on the open rock. Watch your footing on the wet stone, and stay off the arch itself as the signs request.
How to actually get there
- Shinagawa Stn → Misakiguchi Stn (Keikyu line, limited express, ~75-90 min)
- Misakiguchi Stn → Jogashima (Keikyu bus from stop 2, ~30 min)
- Bus stop → Jogashima Park → the arch (coast path on foot, ~15 min)
- Keikyu train + Jogashima bus
- Shinagawa Stn →(Keikyu line toward Misakiguchi, limited express, ~75-90 min)→ Misakiguchi Stn →(Keikyu bus bound for Jogashima, from bus stop 2, ~30 min)→ Jogashima. Total about 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours. Buses run about 2-3 times per hour.
- return the same way
- Take a Jogashima bus back to Misakiguchi Stn, then the Keikyu line toward Shinagawa. Bus service thins out in the evening — when you arrive, check the return times posted at the bus stop. The small ferry between Jogashima and Misaki port only runs about 10:00 to 16:00, so it is not an option late in the day.
Before you go
- Cash
- Rural buses and small port stalls are often cash-first, so carry some coins. IC cards such as Suica or Pasmo are accepted on the Keikyu train and bus.
- Closing days
- This is an open coast with slippery rock and real tides. Check the tide before you go, wear shoes with good grip, and keep off the wet stone.
- Another way
- Alternatively, ride the bus to Misaki port and take the small "Sanshiro" ferry across to the island (about 5 minutes, runs roughly 10:00-16:00).
- After you get off
- From the bus stop, walk into Jogashima Park and toward the cormorant lookout, then follow the signed coast path down to the arch — about 15 minutes on foot.