Cape Tappi

Cape Tappi, in the background the island of Hokkaido

The Cape Tappi ( Jap. 竜飛崎 , Tappi saki ) is a Cape in the north of the Japanese main island of Honshu . It is the northernmost tip of the Tsugaru Peninsula and is located on the Tsugaru Strait that separates Honshū from the island of Hokkaidō , 19.5 km away . The cape is part of the municipality of Sotogahama in Aomori Prefecture and is part of the Tsugaru Quasi National Park .

description

The Kanji characters in the name tappi ( 竜飛 ) mean "kites fly". Cape Tappi rises up to 115 meters above sea level and is therefore very exposed. Strong winds blow almost all year round at an average speed of 10.1 m / s (36.4 km / h). For this reason, the electricity company Tōhoku Denryoku has been operating a wind farm since 1992 . There is a lighthouse near the highest point of the cape ; it was built in 1932 and is 13 meters high. Nearby, a memorial commemorates the popular song Tsugaru Kaikyō Fuyugeshiki (" Winter scene on Tsugaru Street") by the Enka singer Sayuri Ishikawa .

Below the steeply sloping cape, on its northeast side, a settlement with a small fishing port extends along the shore. The settlement is connected to the offshore island of Obi-shima via the western mole of the port. At the eastern end of the harbor is a monument in honor of the novel Tsugaru by Dazai Osamu . Cape Taki can be reached via National Road 339 , which also has a bus line to and from Minmaya Station on the Tsugaru Line . The road reaches the lighthouse coming from the south. The subsequent 338.2 m long section down to the harbor is not passable, but consists of a staircase with 362 steps. It is the only staircase in Japan that is officially marked as a national road. The road itself leads from the harbor along the coast further southeast.

The Seikan Tunnel , the second longest railway tunnel in the world, runs under Cape Tappi . 135 meters below sea level, it has an emergency stop, the Tappi-Kaitei train station , which was served according to schedule until 2013. From there, a funicular, the Seikan Tunnel Tappi Shakō Line , goes up. Your mountain station is integrated into a Michi no eki rest area; As a special feature, it has two exhibitions on tunnel construction and wind energy. There is a hotel with an onsen nearby .