Cape Ashizuri

Southernmost point of Shikoku, a dramatic promontory where rugged granite cliffs drop 80 meters into the swirling Pacific Ocean. The cape's white lighthouse, first lit in 1914, stands against a backdrop of dense subtropical forest filled with camellias and wild orchids that lend the headland a lush, primordial atmosphere. A walking trail follows the clifftop through the forest, connecting observation platforms that offer sweeping ocean views, and on clear days the horizon seems to stretch endlessly toward the distant Pacific. The cape also marks the 38th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage route at nearby Kongofukuji, and the drive along the coast to reach Ashizuri passes through some of Kochi Prefecture's most scenic and least-visited coastline.