About this location: Katsurahama Beach
Katsurahama is a beach on the Pacific, celebrated in classical poetry as a famed moon-viewing spot. Five-colored pebbles, Kuroshio-current waves, and the 5.3-m statue of Sakamoto Ryoma (erected 1928) make it iconic. The area is Katsurahama Park, with an aquarium and Ryoma Memorial Museum.
Key features
- Sakamoto Ryoma Statue — erected 1928, 5.3 m tall; the Bakumatsu reformist gazing across the Pacific. Climb stairs behind the pedestal for the seaside low-angle composition
- Bow-shaped Beach — about 400 m of white sand strewn with multicolored stones (chert, agate, amethyst, and more)
- Cape Ryuo and Ryugu Shrine — a vermilion shrine on the headland, contrasting the surf with the cape itself
- Mid-Autumn Moon — the «moon over Katsurahama,» celebrated for centuries; the «Meigetsu Ekin Festival» is held in mid-autumn
- Katsurahama Aquarium — opened in 1931; with a Pacific Ocean backdrop, the show stadium photographs spectacularly
