Chibu Red Cliff

Overview

The Chibu Red Cliff is a colossal rock wall, 50 to 200 meters high, rising along the western coast of Chibu Village in the Oki Islands of Shimane Prefecture. Its name comes from the striking face of rock stained red and brown by iron oxide, and it has long been called akakabe or akataki. It is a National Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument, and a geosite of the Oki Islands UNESCO Global Geopark.

Highlights

• ●A red-brown rock wall reaching 50 to 200 meters high
• ●Rock face colored red and brown by iron oxide
• ●Status as a National Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument
• ●A geosite of the Oki Islands UNESCO Global Geopark

History

The Chibu Red Cliff formed as layers born of the Oki Islands' volcanic activity were carved by long ages of erosion into a sheer sea cliff. Iron oxide within the rock gives it its red and brown coloring. It is designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument, and also lies within a special protection zone of the Daisen-Oki National Park, safeguarding it as a precious natural landscape.

Map

36.0212, 133.0023 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Cross to Chiburijima Island by ferry
2. 2Take in the whole cliff from the land observation deck
3. 3Board a sightseeing boat to see the wall up close from the sea
4. 4Watch the cliff glow red at dusk

Did you know?

💡 It shares its name with the famed Red Cliff on China's Yangtze River, but here the color comes from red-brown rock stained by iron oxide. Being viewable from both land and sea is a charm unique to the Chibu Red Cliff.

Nearby spots