Cape Soya

Soya Misaki at 45 degrees 31 minutes north is the northernmost point of Japan that can be driven to, and there is a triangular monument on a low headland to say so, with a plaque, a small shop, and wind. Sakhalin is visible across the strait on clear days, about forty kilometres away. The honest description is that this is a place people go in order to have been - the ground itself is a grassy headland with a scatter of monuments and a road, and the interest is entirely in the coordinate. What is worth adding is the hinterland: the Soya Hills behind the cape are open treeless grazing land with a wind farm and a gravel track running along the ridge, and that landscape, empty and rolling to the sea, is more memorable than the marker. Wakkanai's own hills and the North Breakwater Dome are half an hour west.

History

In the Ainu language the cape is called notetu, from not, chin or cape, and etu, nose, and the name Soya is thought to come from the Ainu so ya, "rocky shore". Among the monuments here is a statue of the explorer Mamiya Rinzō (Wikipedia, Cape Sōya).

What you'll find

• The northernmost marker - a monument at 45 degrees 31 minutes north.
• Sakhalin across the strait - visible about forty kilometres off on clear days.
• The Soya Hills - open treeless grazing ridge with a wind farm behind the cape.
• Wind - constant, and a large part of the experience.

When to go

June to September. An hour at the cape, longer for the hills behind.

Things to know

There is very little here beyond the monument and a souvenir shop. Fog frequently hides the strait. Wind is severe and cold even in summer. It is a long drive for a coordinate.

Nearby

Wakkanai is west; ferries to Rishiri and Rebun leave from its port.

Key facts