Introducing "Matsugoshi no Fuji San (Mt Fuji beyond the pines)" a famous photo spot in Miho.
Welcome to the Shimizu light house.Made in the 45th year of the Meiji period, it was the first light house in Japan to be constructed of reinforced concrete.
Because it is such an architecturally rare construction, the light house has been designated as both a landmark of modern industry and engineering.It stands now in its current form as it has always stood since the time it was constructed. It is such a beautiful site, isn't it?
A photograph of the lighthouse taken long ago
Look at the picture of the light house at the time it was built. The surrounding pine trees were still small and perhaps you might say, quite cute.And now, the trees have grown to be just as splendid as the light house.
Looking at the top of the light house, one can see the celestial maiden from the Hagoromo legend. Perched atop as a weather vane, it stands as a protector of Miho.
Here, there is welcoming information for those who want to enjoy the Shimizu light house in their own homes. Fancy that, you can get a free Shimizu light house paper craft. From the Tokokai foundation website, you can download a diagram, so why not try testing your abilities?
Afterwards, please enjoy the audio guide of the nearby Shimizu Miho Coastal Park.
Tokokai foundation
https://www.tokokai.org/
Paper craft download
We are proud to introduce the scenery of Shimizu Miho Coastal Park which is registered as one part of the world heritage site.
The wide open ocean in front of you, called Suruga Bay, is Japan's deepest. It is a member of "The world's most beautiful bay club."
To the left, you can see Mt. Fuji. Being a source of spiritual inspiration, it continues to influence so many people as a subject for artistic works.
Looking to the left at Mt. Fuji, one can see Shimizu Bay which is one of Japan's three most beautiful bays. Do you know how many light blue and white cranes there are? The symbol colors of Mt. Fuji are a combination of those two colors. The mountain standing separate from Mt. Fuji on the right side is "Ashi Taka Yama." This volcano is older than Mt. Fuji. Spreading outward to the right is the famous hot spring resort area, the Izu peninsula. Long ago, this southern region was a volcanic island, but roughly 600 thousand years ago, the Philippine Ocean plate pushed it until it collided with Honshu island.
Here, we will introduce 4 points as you walk around the park.
Firstly, there is a small pine tree planted in the flower bed facing in the direction of Mt. Fuji from the slightly elevated arbor.
About 400 pine trees have been planted here. A walking path was created through the area where one can compose a photogenic "Mt Fuji beyond the pines" photograph.
Mt Fuji beyond the pines
Also, many places have been set aside within the confines of the park so that universities and high schools in the Miho peninsula can conduct research and experiments on the coastal plant life. Perhaps someday great research findings will be published on this area.
In addition, the efforts of those living in the area are indispensable. For it is these people who volunteer their time to care for the pine trees by doing clean ups and growing saplings. It would be a great experience, I'm sure, if you could meet these volunteers and lend a hand to their efforts.
Volunteer activities
Here we will introduce the exploits of the Miho landing strip, a place not even Shizuoka locals know much about.
This landing strip was made by a young pilot named Kinzo Negishi, during the Taisho period. His goal was to contribute to increasing the catch of fish by searching for schools from the sky.
It is thanks to his efforts that the Shimizu ward canning industry developed. Also, by being able to freely fly with great dexterity and technical ability, he successfully performed weather monitoring from the sky in the Mt. Fuji region. The data collected in these flights were valuable on a global scale and contributed to the development of meteorology.
Because of Kinzo Negishi's efforts in flight, his planes were nicknamed "Hagoromo" and "Hakuryo." "Hakuryo" is the name of a fisherman in the legend of Hagoromo.
Kinzo Negishi
During its use as a disaster relief airfield for the Japanese Red Cross Society.
This monument is a memorial in Miho made by the naval aviation squadron for preparatory trainees.
2,700 youths did nothing but train day and night. This monument was made in Showa 63 to remember the tragedy that befell them in war and veneration found in peace time.
During the war in Miho, a hangar called "Entaigo" was constructed by the Japanese. navy for the development of what were called "Shinyo" or special weapons boats.
Even now, a number of things remain which can be seen on the map displayed on the terminal.
Entaigo