Napoleon Rock

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

Napoleon RockKoshikishimasea cliffsSatsumasendairemote islands

Photo: Sakoppi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · original

Kagoshima has plenty of scenery; Napoleon Rock is the kind that's worth planning a whole day around.

The Koshiki islands lie fifty kilometres off the Satsuma coast and their western shore is a wall of sea cliff running for kilometres with essentially nothing behind it. Standing off Shimo-Koshiki is a rock stack a hundred and twenty-two metres high which, seen from the right angle, has the profile of a man in a bicorne hat — hence the name, which is local, affectionate and entirely accurate.

Getting to the islands takes a fifty-minute high-speed ferry from Sendai port, and reaching the rock takes a further bus or drive down the archipelago. The viewpoint at Maenotaira looks along the cliffs with the stack in the middle distance; a sightseeing boat runs a west-coast route by arrangement. The islands are among the least visited inhabited places in Kyushu and the cliff scenery is the reason anyone makes the crossing.

Visiting essentials

Best season

April–October for the most reliable ferry crossings

How long to allow

Full day minimum | Overnight recommended

Hours

Viewpoint open at all times | Ferries and sightseeing boat on published schedules

Closed: Ferry services reduced or cancelled in rough weather

Entry fee

Viewpoint free | Ferry and sightseeing boat charged separately

Getting out there

Getting there in detail

Sesenoura, Shimokoshiki-cho, Satsumasendai. From Sendai Station take the shuttle bus or drive about 20 minutes to Sendai port, then the Koshikishima high-speed ferry — about 50 minutes to Sato port or 70 minutes to Nagahama port. From Nagahama it is by village bus to Sesenoura. The rock is viewed from the Maenotaira observation point or from Sesenoura. The Kanoko sightseeing boat runs a west-coast route from Nakakoshiki port by advance arrangement.

Beyond the guidebook

**It is a full day minimum, and better as an overnight.** Ferry, then bus down the archipelago, then the same in reverse. Doing it as a day trip from the mainland leaves very little time on the islands. **Check the ferry before anything else.** Sailings are weather-dependent and reduced in winter. Being stranded on Koshiki is a real possibility rather than a joke. **Two ways to see it.** From land at the Maenotaira viewpoint, or from the water on the sightseeing boat's west-coast route, which must be arranged in advance and is the more dramatic option. **The bridges connect the islands now.** Kami, Naka and Shimo-Koshiki are linked by road, so with a car on the ferry the whole archipelago is drivable. **There is very little infrastructure.** A handful of inns, few shops, and no reliable evening food. Plan accordingly.

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