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| The iconic Kannonzaki lighthouse |
I am quite grateful that this park is so close to my house in Maborikaigan. It’s one of my favorite places to run. It’s like one of those big houses that always had an extra trail or some ruins to explore. While it has a playground (and supposedly a big roller slide) both have been closed since we arrived in June 2020. It is also apparently movie-famous as the spot where Godzilla made landfall on this way to Tokyo and literarily famous as the spot where Gulliver landed.
Maps
The standard park map is pretty good and this park does a good job of putting it everywhere with the “you are here” markers.
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| The standard and ubiquitous park map |
The naval base also makes a really helpful map that shows the sites in English as well as all of the parking lots with walking times to various sites.
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| Naval Base's map of the park |
But I like my Google Map though for seeing where I am on my phone when I’m walking in the park.
Kannonzaik is blessed with many parking areas and side access trails. The prettiest of the main trails isa stone-paved trail that goes along the coast. The views are great - especially for a sunrise. On rainy days the stones and some of the bricks can get a bit slippery.
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| Stone lined coast path |
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| While it's hard to get lost on a path that follows the coast, it never hurts to have navigators. |
I would consider the other main artery going from the lighthouse along the ridgeline of the park. This path hits many of the highlights of the park starting with the lighthouse and going past the sailors memorial, several old batteries, the playground and paths back to parking, the art museum and several other parks.
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| The main artery of the park |
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| The brick paved path through the ridgeline of the park |
What to do
Beaches
Kannonzaki Beach
The first beach, Kannonzaki Beach, is right at the main parking areas near the art museum and on nice days in the summer it fills up pretty quick. But the access is easy and parkings is free on weekdays and only ¥550 on weekends.
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| Kannonzaki Beach at sunrise |
The second beach, Tatarahama, is near the Nature Museum on the south side of the point. This is the area where Godzilla made his landfall and you can still find his “footprint” nearby.
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| Tatarahama Beach |
In the original Godzilla movie he made landfall at Kannonzaki. You can see the footprint on the northeast side of Tatarahama Beach. It went past it when I tried to find it because I was expecting it to be bigger (think more 2 story tall monster lizard instead of 9 story tall monster lizard) and to have some sort of commemorative plaque. It’s there (and kinda neat) but not necessarily advertised. On another fictional claim to fame, Kannonzaki is also apparently where Gulliver landed in part of his travels.
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| It's smaller than you'd think |
Lighthouse
This is the iconic part of the park and well worth the steep but short hike. If the internet is to be believed, it is the first western style lighthouse in Japan. The easiest way to get to it is to hike along the stone line coastal path. Just past the bathrooms there will be a short steep trail up to the lighthouse.
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| Great place to catch the sunrise |
Sailors at Sea Memorial
This is a beautiful monument that is striking and impossible to miss as you walk down the path. It’s worth the walk up the steps to look at the statue and views of the sea. From what I’ve gathered online it was built in 1964 to memorialize those lost at sea in marine accidents and wars. The main part of the memorial is supposed to evoke a sail fluttering in the wind.
Old batteries and fortifications
The park has remnants of the old batteries and fortifications built in the 1880s by the imperial army to defend Edo Bay. They seem to be everywhere and are great fun for the kids to explore and crawl around on. Or just to walk through and imagine what it would have been like when there were actual cannons mounted here.
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| North Gate 1st Battery Remains |
Flower Park
This park is on the backside of the park from the main beaches and parking areas. It seems to be a spot that locals like to use for their morning walks. It has wonderful plum blossoms and flowers (as its name would suggest).
Nature Museum and Art Museums
Located right next to the park these make for good add-ons. Sadly they have both been closed since we’ve been here but I’m hoping they open before I leave.Closed Trails and Playground
A couple of trails and the playground have been closed since we got here in the summer of 2020. I’ve heard rumors that it was due to a typhoon, but I have not yet found anything to confirm this. Indeed, the trail along the coast between the tunnel and the lighthouse just re-opened in the late 2020.
One of the highlights that folks are looking forward to seeing open is the giant roller slide. This is on the west side of the park near the pirate ship playground. There is a whole network of trails below this that is also closed that connect to the Hashirimizu neighborhood and come out near the shrine.
There is a pretty good map of what is closed and what is open on the park website:
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| Park Map of Closed Trails |
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| Closed off pirate ship playground and rollerslide (nearby) |
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| A bunch of beautiful closed off trails behind this building |
Parking and Access
- Weekdays: Free
- Weekends: ¥550
Main Parking (Lots 1, 2 and 4)
These are the usual and most central lots if you want to go to the main beach or see the lighthouse.
| Attraction | Time to walk |
|---|---|
| Lighthouse | 10 min |
| Nature Museum | 10 min |
| Flower Area | 20 min |
| Roller Slide / Forrest Lodge | 25 min |
East side / Tatarahama Beach Parking (Lots 5 & 6)
These lots give better access to Tatarahama Beach and the Nature Museum but you can still get to the lighthouse or roller slide if you’re willing to walk.
| Attraction | Time to walk |
|---|---|
| Lighthouse | 15 min |
| Nature Museum | 1 min |
| Flower Area | 20 min |
| Roller Slide / Forrest Lodge | 25 min |
Museum of Art Parking
I haven’t gotten to park here yet but it looks like a good lot with some less-used trails that you can use for access.
| Attraction | Time to walk |
|---|---|
| Lighthouse | 15 min |
| Nature Museum | 25 min |
| Flower Area | 15 min |
| Roller Slide / Forrest Lodge | 20 min |
National Defense Academy
The only trail not really shown on the park map happens to be one of my favorite access points - the hill that goes up along the back side of the National Defense University. You could probably park alongside the road at the top of the hill but I just use this to access the park when I run. Starting across the street from the Hashizaki Ryokuchi (Observation Deck) you go about 700 m up a steep hill with the National Defense Academy to the west.
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| My favorite back way into the park |
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| Sunrise view from the observation deck at the base of the hill toward the back entrance |
Just at the road dead ends at the top there is a single-track dirt trail that heads off towards the park. The dirt section of the trail is about 250 m long before you come out to the building near the Giant Slide and the paved section of the path.
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| East end of the single track trail that heads towards the National Defense Academy |
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| Pretty single track trail |
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