Dogashima and Tensodo Cave

About this place

Dogashima is a scenic stretch of coast in the town of Nishiizu on the west coast of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, about 20 km in a straight line north-west of Shimoda, facing Suruga Bay. It is known as the «Matsushima of Izu» for its pumice cliffs, volcanic rock formations, sea caves and uninhabited islands. The pumice cliffs around Dogashima were laid down by underwater volcanic currents from an explosive eruption of a submarine lava dome. Its best-known feature is Tensodo, a sea cave named after the «skylight» that formed when part of its ceiling collapsed through erosion; it was designated a Natural Monument in 1935 and has been part of the Izu Peninsula Geopark since 2011. From the promenade around the opening, visitors look down on turquoise water inside the cave, while boats enter from the sea and pause beneath the skylight as sunlight falls on the water. Around the cave rise cliffs banded in white and grey layers, topped with pines, and small islands scatter across the blue sea. The promenade is free, and boat trips are paid and stop when the sea is rough. Sunsets over Suruga Bay are lovely here, and on clear days Mount Fuji may appear on the horizon.