Cape Ashizuri (足摺岬 Ashizuri-misaki) is the southernmost point of the island of Shikoku, Japan.
The cape is a part of the Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park (足摺宇和海国立公園 Ashizuri-Uwakai -kokuritsukōen), and the cliffs here featuring a sparkling white lighthouse are a popular sightseeing point. The small town of Ashizuri lies just north of the cape, at the intersection of two highways. The cape is only a few kilometers away and easily reached on foot along a seaside walking path.
From the east, there are occasional direct buses from Kochi (4 hr 40 min; ¥4000) and the nearest train station Nakamura (1 hr 30 min). If heading north towards Sukumo, Uwajima and Matsuyama, you will have to take a bus to Tosa-Shimizu and transfer there. Hitchhiking is also a viable option.
With a good road bike, it is possible to bike from Nakamura Station to Cape Ashizuri in about three hours. There are three roads out onto the tip of the Cape. The two coastal roads are relatively flat (and very scenic), but the central road (the aptly named "Skyline") involves a difficult 10-km climb before descending to the Cape.
All the attractions in the area are concentrated at the tip of the cape and can easily be covered on foot.
Nakahama Manjirō
A poor fisherman shipwrecked and rescued by a passing American whaling ship in 1841, Manjiro became the first Japanese to visit America — this during Japan's period of enforced seclusion, when leaving (or, rather, coming back) was punishable by death. Adopting the name John Mung, he learned English and eventually came back not to face execution, but to become a government interpreter when Commodore Perry's Black Ships forced open Japan.
The cape itself has been turned into a pleasant park of sorts, with wooded paths winding from point to point. Entry is free.
You can find the usual assemblage of souvenir shops, restaurants and cafes right outside the entrance to the park.
The town of Ashizuri has a number of hotels, ryokan and minshuku. Kongofukuji also offers lodging for pilgrims, but beds are limited and bona fide pilgrims have priority over scruffy backpackers.