Engetsu Island

Engetsu Island lies just off the shore at Shirahama. Its official name is Takashima, but it is known instead as Engetsu Island: "engetsu" means full moon, and there is a round hole through the middle of the island. It has become the mark of the town.

The island is about 130 metres from north to south, 35 metres across and 25 metres high. It is a Place of Scenic Beauty designated by the state, and a special protection zone within the national park.

The island is made of conglomerate, gravel and small stones bound together into rock. Waves have cut through the softer part of it and left the opening in the middle, which is what gives the island its name and its shape.

The sun goes down beyond the island, and the view is on the national list of a hundred places for the evening sun.

Around the spring and autumn equinox the sun sets in line with the hole, so that for a few days it drops into the opening. Those are the days when most people come.