People within Niigata Prefecture may have heard the place name 'Danzaki' in weather reports.
On the map, it is located at the northern end of Sado Island.
There is an auto-camping site and a popular swimming beach in the vicinity, which attracts many tourists in summer. The Ono Turtle, famous for its colony of tobishima kanzo, is also close by.
The Danzaki Lighthouse is located at Danzaki. It is a white lighthouse at the tip of a cape jutting out into the sea.
The lighthouse was also the setting for the popular film Joy and Sorrow for Years (directed by Keisuke Kinoshita and released in 1957). A bronze statue commemorating the film stands below the lighthouse. You can take commemorative photos with the lighthouse and statue in the background and listen to the film's theme song.
The interior of the Danzaki Lighthouse is open to the public for one day a year.
The public exhibition takes place on the day of the 'Sado Kanzo Festival', which is held in Onogame in early June every year. This year it took place on Sunday 8 June.
Originally, I had planned to go to the 'Kanzo Festival', so I dropped in at the Danzaki Lighthouse before that.
The lighthouse was decorated with a banner with a universal flag, as it is open to the public once a year. The lighthouse is usually unmanned, but on this day alone, uniformed Coast Guard personnel greet you.
Incidentally, this lighthouse was rebuilt and relocated in 1989, which is different from the one at the time the film was shot. The only thing remaining from the time the lighthouse was built is the enclosure (wall) surrounding the facility.
Comparing the photos of the earlier lighthouse on display with the current lighthouse revealed subtle differences. Just below the lighthouse, the building of the lighthouse keeper's quarters can be seen in the film. The film is about the lighthouse keeper and his wife. This is exactly where the film was set.
As soon as you enter the entrance, there is a spiral staircase. It felt much smaller than it looked from the outside.
何十段もある階段を登ります。途中、こんなメッセージが。海保さんの気遣いが嬉しい！
We arrived at the top. When we got outside, we were a little bit leggy, but the view was just amazing.
This is the direction of the Ono Turtle. The part that appears to be sticking out is the 'Futatsugame'.
南側を眺めると、眼下にキャンプ場、そして映画の銅像も見えます。海の向こうには粟島、さらに本州の山々が見渡せます。
This white tower is a facility that transmits weather and other information to ships by radio. It is an important facility essential for navigational safety.
The small tower visible just to the left of this tower is a 'weather station', or so-called 'AMeDAS'. The data observed here is used to forecast the weather and broadcast on TV.
Inside the top floor there is a ramp.
I have seen this lighthouse lamp on display in archives and other places, but rarely have I had the opportunity to see one in service.
The base of the lamp is seismically isolated so that the lighthouse can remain lit in the event of an earthquake. The lamp itself is levitated by mercury, which is said to be the mechanism that makes it rotate. The mercury-based device is said to be rare nowadays. However, this device will be replaced next year.
Old lighthouse lamps and more recent ones were on display. On the left is the old 'A-2 bulb', a 100 V, 1000 W incandescent bulb. On the right is the current 'MT-250', a 100 V, 250 W metal halide lamp. It's about two times smaller in size. This seems to make them last longer and save more power than before.
The interior of the lighthouse is rarely open to the public. In addition to the Danzaki Lighthouse, there is one other lighthouse in Niigata Prefecture that opens its doors to the public once a year, meaning there are only two opportunities a year in the prefecture.
Another of these public openings is held every July at the Cape Kakuda Lighthouse in Nishigama-ku, Niigata City.
If you "want to climb a lighthouse", head to Cape Kakuda in July to see what it's all about.
After visiting the Danzaki Lighthouse, I went straight to the Sado Ganzo Festival. We will report on this later! Enjoy!
Spotlight.
Danzaki Lighthouse
Danzaki Lighthouse : Sado ni koi koicha - Self-governing Sado Island Tourist Information Website
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