Continued from post here.
After our uni-don lunch at Misaki, it was time to walk off all the food. Our next destination was Cape Kamui, which is a beautiful headland area that extends into the Sea Of Japan along the Shakotan Peninsula. It has an amazing maze of trails that weaves along the ridge of the hillside with stunning views of the coastline.
As we drove from Misaki along Shakotan Peninsula, we are treated constantly with the beautiful shoreline of clear blue waters. We saw many rock formations.
As we drove by, we saw one that drew our attention and we stopped by for a closer look.
We couldn’t help but observe that the rock which had been slowly eroded by the winds and waves took the shape like a head. After taking pictures, we got back into our car and drove up to the parking lot of Cape Samui.
Access to Cape Samui varies depending on the season, but it is an ideal sight-seeing destination during the summer when all the summer foliage is blooming. Admission to the area is free as well as parking lot is free of charge.
Nyoninikinsei-no-Mon Gate marks the start of the walk along the cape. The signs mention that this gate use to prohibit women from further proceeding. It is tied to a folklore about the daughter to the chief of the local Ainu clan (natives of Hokkaido prior to Japan settlers) who cursed the area due to her jealously when her lover left her behind. More on this legend to follow.
At the base of the trail is a nice seating area with a 300 degree view of the coast lines of the Sea of Japan.
The ridge-line along the precipice looks like a dragon back. It is an amazingly beautiful view. The trail is called “the path of Charenka” and is about 30 minute walk one way to the tip of the cape, so plan on about an hour walk round trip. Charenka is the name of the Ainu’s Chief’s daughter who cursed the area to women.
You can see the clear waters of the coast, where it is so clear that you can see all the way to the sea floor from above.
There is also an iron bridge built along certain points of the trail. The sign warns that it can get slippery when it’s wet, but fortunately we had clear skies the rest of our trip.
There are multiple key vantage sights along the trail. This is one of them where you can get a clear view of Mizunahi noTateiwa (the standing rock) and Nenbutsu Tunnel.
Near the end of the trail is Kamumi-misaki lighthouse. Be aware that there are no bathrooms at the end nor anywhere along the trail. The bathrooms are at the starting point along the base of the trail in the parking lot area.
At the tip of the cape is the view of the famous Kamui rock.
The summary of the legend around Charenka was that she was left behind by her love, a warrior named Yoshitsune Minamoto. Charenka chased after him all the way to Cape Kamui, but he had already sailed away. Charenka cried out after him but her voice was drowned out by the strong wind. It was said that in her sorrow, she cursed the area and gave a jealous rant saying in essence, “any ship which passes along carrying a women, will overturn and sink”. She then jumped off the cape and her figure became the Kamui Rock. It was believed that ships with women on board started to sink one after another. As such, this was why the area was long forbidden to women.
As we walked back from the tip of the cape to the parking lot area, seeing the trail in reverse is just as impressive. We barely felt the 30 minute walk to get the end.
This was one of the first hikes that our entire family did together. Despite the young ages of our younger two, they enjoyed every step we took along the trail. It was a great way to burn off all the calories we ate and to have the young ones burn off all that energy for our drive to Niseko, where we’ll stay at my favorite ryokan to date, Zaborin.
Cape Kamui information:
| Business Hours | Everyday ( 10:00 AM ~ 03:30 PM )
The opening and closing of the gates will differ depending on the time |
| Address | Kamui-misaki, Kozakicho, Shakotan, Shakotan District, Hokkaido |
| Telephone | 0135-44-3715 |
