Cape Sōya
Cape Sōya (宗谷岬, Sōya-misaki) is the northernmost point of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan and by extension the whole of Japan. It is situated in Wakkanai, Sōya Subprefecture. The Monument of the Northernmost Point of Japan (日本最北端の地の碑) is at the cape, although the true northernmost point under Japanese control is a small deserted island called Bentenjima, 1 kilometre (3,300 ft) northwest. Since the cape is just 43 kilometres (27 mi) away across La Perouse Strait from Cape Crillon, Sakhalin Island, it is possible to catch a glimpse of the island of Sakhalin on a clear day.
Cape Sōya
宗谷岬 | |
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Aerial image of the cape, 1977 | |
Cape Sōya Cape Sōya Cape Sōya Cape Sōya (Japan) | |
| Coordinates: 45°31′22″N 141°56′11″E | |
| Location | Wakkanai, Sōya Subprefecture, Japan |
| Offshore water bodies | Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk |
There are more than ten monuments at Cape Sōya, including the Monument of the northernmost Point of Japan, the Tower of Prayer (a memorial to Korean Air Lines Flight 007, shot down in 1983), a statue of Mamiya Rinzō, the Monument of Peace (a memorial to the sunken submarine USS Wahoo, and others). Sōya Misaki settlement, east of the cape, has many facilities known to be "the northernmost in Japan", such as the northernmost lighthouse (Cape Sōya Lighthouse), the northernmost filling station (Idemitsu Cape Sōya SS), the northernmost elementary school (Ōmisaki Elementary School), and so on.