On the southern coast of Hokkaido there is a beautiful coastal road that runs all the way down to the point of Erimo. Driving through the town of Hidaka, one of the local landmarks is the Hidaka Gate Lighthouse. All drivers will catch a glimpse of the lighthouse as they drive past. After its construction its first lighting was in 1970. The lighthouse raises 45 meters above sea level and the distance that the light stretches out to sea is 13 nautical miles. Although it is listed as a tourist attraction, just viewing it along the drive is enough. Unless you really have a passion for lighthouses, it isn’t really worth stopping off for. This is for a couple of reasons. 

The biggest problem is that there really isn’t a place to park at the lighthouse so access isn’t super easy. There is a small road that comes off the main road and you can park along here. Secondly, there is no path to get right up to the lighthouse. There are some small steps that lead up to lighthouse but from there it is fenced off. You can walk around the fence but this can get overgrown when the grass area is not cut. The views along the coast are quite nice and make for a good photo. Nearby, you can see the Mombetsu Inari Jinja Shrine. Ultimately, you don’t need to stop off to enjoy this lighthouse as you can see enough from the road along the way. Enjoy the drive!