Inubosaki Lighthouse
犬吠埼灯台35°42′ N 140°52′ ELighthouse¥300, about CAD 2.70 or USD 1.90 (October 2026 rates)
Inubosaki Lighthouse suits riders starting the Pacific Cycling Road who want the cape's view before they head south, and its trade-off is a climb of a 31 m brick tower that closes at 16:00 in winter.
Photo くろふね · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Inubosaki Lighthouse first shone on 15 November 1874, and the white brick tower still works. It stands 31 m tall on the eastern point of Choshi. Japan named the tower and its foghorn house Important Cultural Properties in December 2020, and the lens is one of the country's largest first-order Fresnel lenses. Its light reaches about 36 km out to sea.
The rocks off the cape have long wrecked ships. The shogunate warship Mikaho-maru ran aground on the Kurohae reef here while sailing from Edo to Hakodate in Enomoto Takeaki's fleet, and 13 of its crew died. The Tokokai counts more visitors here than at any other lighthouse in Japan.
Worth knowing
- Climb before the 16:00 close in winter; the last entry is 30 minutes earlier.
Quick answers about Inubosaki Lighthouseよくある質問
Can you climb Inubosaki Lighthouse?
Yes. The Tokokai opens it daily from 8:30, until 16:00 from October to February and 17:00 from March to September, for a ¥300 donation from junior-high age up.
How much does Inubosaki Lighthouse cost?
Prices at Inubosaki Lighthouse start at ¥300 per adult (2026), about CAD 2.70 or USD 1.90 (October 2026 rates).
What are the opening hours of Inubosaki Lighthouse?
Inubosaki Lighthouse keeps these hours: Mon–Sun 08:30–16:00.
When is the best time to visit Inubosaki Lighthouse?
Inubosaki Lighthouse: Early morning, before you ride south from Choshi on the Pacific Cycling Road.
Can you get to Inubosaki Lighthouse by bike?
COGICOGI share bikes from Choshi Station can be returned at the Inubosaki hotels nearby or at Inubo Station.