Cape Manazuru (Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is part of the Manazuru Peninsula Prefectural Nature Park and when the weather is clear, offers wonderful views of the Izu Peninsula, Boso Peninsula (Chiba Prefecture), and the Izu Seven Islands.
Located about 103 km (approx. 64 miles) southwest of central Tokyo, Cape Manazuru can be reached in about 2 hours and 40 minutes via train and bus, or it can be reached in about 2 hours and 10 minutes if you use the Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Atami Stations.
Depending on traffic, you can reach the cape in about 2 hours and 40 minutes if you drive on Route 246 and Route 1, or reach the cape in about 1 hour and 40 minutes if you take the Shuto and Tomei Expressways.
Cape Manazuru offers several attractions including a seashell museum, gift shop, cafes, coastal and forest walking trails, camping, fresh seafood, scuba diving schools, boat tours, and more.
My photo shoot at Cape Manazaru was focused primarily on Mitsuishi, a group of 3 large rocks just off the coast of the cape. The two larger rocks (sea stacks) are united by a shimenawa rope, and if you walk out to the rocks during low tide, you can also see a red torii gate on the larger rock. Although the Mitsuishi rocks are not as famous as the Meoto-Iwa, or the Married Couple Rocks, in the sea off Futami in Mie Prefecture, the Mitsuishi rocks are still a very popular destination to visit on the morning of New Year's Day to watch the sun as it rises from under the rope between the two rocks.
Waves Lapping Against Rocky Coast
At low tide, the sea reveals a collage of texture and color. This area of the Cape Manazuru shoreline reveals formidable volcanic rocks capped with jagged edges and underpinned with soft, flowing stems of seaweeds and mosses painting the shoreline with oranges, greens, yellows, and all the colors in-between.
Sleepy Dog
Having stayed up all night during the drive to Cape Manazuru, she was finally exhausted after climbing over boulders, forging through thick seaweed, and chasing after waves as they lapped against the rocky shoreline.
Moss-Covered Coastal Rocks
Some parts of the shoreline of Cape Manazuru can be a bit treacherous to crawl over with very slippery moss on some of the rocks that are constantly pounded by waves. Other rocks are a big jagged and require some effort to climb over. At low tide, however, you can still walk/climb from the Mitsuishi Rocks over to the Gandara-Manazuru Seaside Camping Ground.
Forested Outcrop of Cape
View of an outcrop of Cape Manazuru looking northeast in the direction of Tokyo from a small trail that leads from the Mitsuishi Rocks towards the Gandara-Manazuru Seaside Camping Ground, which lies on the water’s edge. The dense foliage on the outcrop is called Ohayashi, a virgin forest with black pine trees, camphor trees, and castanopsis.
Seedlings were planted on the grassy outcrop about 350 years ago under the order of the Shogun when demand for lumber skyrocketed after the 1657 Great Fire of Meireki, which destroyed up to 70% of Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Shipping of large timber from this forest would have been relatively easy as there were already ports available nearby that were used for shipping of large stones from a nearby quarry to build Odawara Castle.
Torii Gate and Rope on Sea Stack
Close-up shot of the torii gate and shimenawa rope located atop the largest rock (sea stack) of the three Mitsuishi Rocks. Many coastal locations in Japan have large rocks or sea stacks with a shimenawa rope and/or a torii gate dedicated to the god or kami of the sea to pray for safety and a bountiful harvest.
Fishing Boat
A variety of fishing boats can be seen from the coast of Cape Manazuru (Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan), including commercial fishing boats and hired cruisers taking guests out to sea for some deep sea fishing. The local economy is based on bounties brought in from the sea.
Torii Gate and Shimenawa Rope on Shoreline Rocks
The small torii gate that sits atop the larger rock (left) is mostly dedicated to the God of the as the local fishing village has a long history of depending on the bounties of the sea for their survival. The shimenawa rope “weds” the two rocks together and sets the boundary between the world of man and the sacred world of the kami (god or deity), which extends from the two rocks to the shrine located inland.
Useful References
Cape Manauru:
Scroll down to the map of the peninsula showing trails, parking, and restrooms. Other pages at this site highlight other activities, and is sponsored by local businesses. (Japanese only):
Ambassadors Japan:
Article by Tomoaki Murata explaining local customs, attractions, festivals, history, industries, and nice photos (English).
JAPANbyweb.com:
Article and photos by Junko Nagata with basic details on local attractions of the cape (English).
Alice Gordenker
In depth article by Alice Gordenker, an American journalist and consultant who has been living and working in Japan for more than 20 years. The article is written as an itinerary for a tour I assume she had planned for the summer of 2015. Very informative and and easy to follow. The article also answers questions that will pop up once you arrive, such as why local signs have "Protected Forest with Fish" written in Japanese.
Manazuru (真鶴) (Engl.): A day at the seaside – nature, art, palatal pleasures and more:
This is an article with photos by Thomas Gittel who attended a tour sponsored by Kanagawa Prefecture. Well-written article with in-depth information on local statistics, history, industry, customs, festivals, and more. Whenever specific locations are referenced, he has written out names in romaji, the kanji, and hiragana. Written in English with a link to a German language version.
Access:
Mitsuishi Rocks
三ツ石
Cape Manazuru
真鶴岬
Free Parking 1.
Free Parking 2.
Free Parking 3.
Paid Parking Lot (most convenient). Flat rate of 1,000 yen for 24 hours:
Nearest bus stop for arrival:
Nearest bus stop for departure:
If you miss the last bus, there are small cards at the bus stop providing phone numbers for a local taxi. Be sure to check the bus departure schedule before going down to the coastline since there a few bus runs.
Access to cape from Manazuru Station on the JR Tokaido Line:
A 52-minute walk (3.8 km) if you are hiking
A 21-minute bus ride at a cost of 260 yen,
Depending on traffic, it can take as little has 2 hours and 30 minutes to as long a s 4 hours to to reach this cape if you drive while avoiding expressways. Note that my drive was less than 90 minutes by taking an expressway and arriving before sunrise.
Taking an expressway from Tokyo will be more expensive, but much faster. Again, traffic conditions will vary if you are traveling on a weekday versus and weekend or national holiday.
A 110-minute drive or as long as a 130-minute drive.
Camera Gear:
Pentax KP
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Standard zoom lens: smc Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL[IF] DC WR
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Telephoto zoom lens: HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE
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Tripod: Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 (carbon fiber legs with quick locking clamps)
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Ball head: Manfrotto Cloud XPRO Series Ballhead BHQ2 with 200PL locking plate
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Video Gear:
Canon EOS Kiss M/M50 Double Zoom Kit
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SIGMA 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary C017 (Canon EF-M Mount, APS-C Size, Mirrorless Only)
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PolarPro 67mm QuartzLine Circular Polarizer Filter
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Zhiyun Weebill-S Gimbal
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RODE Road Wireless GO Wireless Microphone System WIGO
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SIGMA 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary C017 (Canon EF-M Mount, APS-C Size, Mirrorless Only)
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PolarPro 67mm QuartzLine Circular Polarizer Filter
https://amzn.to/2FUTBVS
Zhiyun Weebill-S Gimbal
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RODE Road Wireless GO Wireless Microphone System WIGO
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Filters & Filter Systems:
PolarPro QuartzLine ND 64 Filter - 67mm (ND64 6-stop reduction in light)
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PolarPro QuartzLine ND1000 Filter - 67mm (ND1000 10-stop reduction in light)
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PolarPro QuartzLine ND100k Filter - 67mm (ND100K 15-stop reduction in light)
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PolarPro QuartzLine Circular Polarizer - 67mm
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PolarPro Summit | Landscape Filter System Custom Kit (Core, Thread Plate, ND4-GR filter, ND8-GR filter, Circular Polarizer)
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PolarPro QuartzLine ND1000 Filter - 67mm (ND1000 10-stop reduction in light)
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PolarPro QuartzLine ND100k Filter - 67mm (ND100K 15-stop reduction in light)
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PolarPro QuartzLine Circular Polarizer - 67mm
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PolarPro Summit | Landscape Filter System Custom Kit (Core, Thread Plate, ND4-GR filter, ND8-GR filter, Circular Polarizer)
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Pack:
F-stop Tilopa 50L Adventure and Travel Camera Backpack (Essentials Bundle: backpack, rain cover, internal camera unit)
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F-stop Tripod Bag (large)
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F-stop Tripod Bag (large)
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Music Tracks Licensed for this video through Epidemic Sound. Visit this link to subscribe:
“Northern Sunrise” composed by David Vestin and performed by Nylonwings.
“Cain” composed by Patrik Almkvisth and performed by Lo Mimieux.
“Nordic Shine” composed by AnCh and performed by Epidemic Sound.
“Bermuda” composed by Henrik Olsson and performed by Ooyy.
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