Amanohashidate

　Amanohashidate has become extremely popular with Asian tourists as a result of inviting Chinese social media influencers—who had amassed large followings even before the COVID-19 pandemic—to promote its attractions.

　It is one of Japan’s Three Great Views, alongside Matsushima in Mutsu and Miyajima in Aki. The current landscape, featuring a sandbar stretching approximately 3.6 km, is believed to have taken its present form in the early 19th century; the width of the sandbar and the appearance of its tip differ from those depicted in Sesshū’s ‘View of Amanohashidate’, a National Treasure painted during the Muromachi period. Sesshū is a Japanese Zen monk and painter who is considered a great master of Japanese ink painting.

　There are cable cars at Kasamatsu Park on the north side of Amanohashidate and at Viewland on the south side, offering visitors the chance to enjoy the magnificent scenery. Both locations feature viewing platforms with ‘straddle-view’ spots, which are popular because they make the sandbar appear as if it were the edge of the sky. However, visibility is heavily dependent on the weather, and the downside is that the view disappears completely when fog rolls in.