Hiyoriyama Lighthouse

Hiyoriyama Lighthouse is an eye catching red and white striped lighthouse perched on Takashima Cape sitting high above the Sea of Japan. It dates back to 1883, making it the second oldest lighthouse in Hokkaido. The bold red and white pattern makes it stand out against almost any sky, whether it is deep blue, overcast, or heavy with snow. It is a small lighthouse but the setting is incredible. The coastline around the cape is rugged with rocky cliffs dropping into the sea, and on clear days you can see across Ishikari Bay to the Shakotan Peninsula. Just below the lighthouse, the Nishin Goten is a restored herring mansion with a distinctive red roof that you can include in wider compositions looking down the hillside. The Shukutsu district was once wealthy from herring fishing before stocks collapsed in the 1950s, and the mansion is part of that history. The Shukutsu Panorama Observation Deck is a short walk away and gives you a different elevated angle back toward the lighthouse with the sea behind it. Sunset is the ideal time to be here with the light dropping over the Sea of Japan, but sunrise catches the lighthouse and coastline in warm side light that is equally photogenic. The lighthouse is about 15 minutes by car from JR Otaru Station. There is parking partway up the hill so it is only a short walk to the top. (Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan)