Nojimasaki Lighthouse, Lighthouse in Minamiboso, Japan
Nojimasaki Lighthouse is a white octagonal concrete tower rising from a low pale base building at the rocky southern tip of the Boso Peninsula. A railed gallery surrounds the glazed lantern room, which is capped by a small domed roof with a finial. The tower was rebuilt in this form in 1925 after the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake destroyed the original brick structure.
Built under the 1866 Edo Treaty, the lighthouse first lit on January 22, 1870, as Japan's second Western-style beacon after Kannonzaki. French engineer Léonce Verny designed the original whitewashed octagonal brick tower, 30 metres high with a first-order Fresnel lens. The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake broke it at six metres; the concrete tower was recommissioned on August 15, 1925. US Navy bombardment damaged it in 1945, and it was fully restored by November 12, 1946.
The lighthouse is one of the eight Edo Treaty lighthouses Japan promised to build under the 1866 revised treaties with the United States, Britain, France and the Netherlands. It is listed among Japan's 50 Lighthouses and registered as a Tangible Cultural Property. Its nickname is Kirarin-kan, and the site is lit free of charge on Lighthouse Day, November 1.
You can climb the spiral staircase to reach the observation deck and enjoy views across the Pacific. Clear weather days offer the best visibility and the most rewarding experience from the top.
The beacon sends alternating red and white flashes that can reach ships up to 32 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean. This light pattern helps vessels identify the lighthouse even during dark nights or rough weather conditions.
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