Sandanbeki Cave & Sandanbeki Rock Cliff

While the Sandanbeki Observation Deck is free of charge, the Sandanbeki Caves have an admission fee of ¥1,500. You should be able to complete your visit to the cave in about 20 – 30 minutes.

The experience of going down to sea level and getting the opportunity to explore the cave while being close to the sea waves might be something novel. Considering the overall experience in the cave, the admission fee of ¥1,500 may be on the high side for an attraction of this scale. The experience of getting up close with the sea waves crashing against the walls of the cave is pretty exciting, although this can only be viewed from a limited number of spots along the walking path and depending on the number of visitors, you may not be able to enjoy this at a leisurely pace (as you would need to let other visitors have the viewing spot).

If you are just looking for a scenic photo spot overlooking the ocean, you might want to consider simply proceeding to the Sandanbeki Observation Deck (which has free admission) instead.

Nevertheless, we still feel that the Sandanbeki Observation Deck and the Sandanbeki Cave are a unique stop for travellers in the Shirahama region, especially for those who have not been here before and are looking to get up close to nature.

When you first reach the Visitor's Centre of the Sandanbeki Cave, staff will guide you down an elevator that travels 36m to sea level and the depth of the Sandanbeki Cave. There you will explore the 200 m-long passageway, where you will come to learn about how the Sandanbeki Cave was formed, and how the Kumano Pirates (熊野海賊, Kumano Kaizoku) utilised the cave for their operations.

During the Heian Era (0794-1185, 平安時代, Heian-jidai), the Sandanbeki Cave served as a hideout for the Kumano Pirates, also known as the Kumano Navy (熊野水軍, Kumano Suigun), who were a large group of pirates who were said to have control over the Seto Inland Sea (瀬戸内海, Seto-naikai) at the time. They were said to be based in the southern Kii Peninsula (紀伊半島, Kii Hantō), and you will be able to find replicas of their hideout along the passageway. This includes recreations of the resting room of the Kumano pirates where they waited to be deployed out to sea.

Another interesting object you'll find as you wander the cave is a bronze statue of Benzaiten (弁財天, Goddess of Fortune), one of the Seven Gods of Fortune (七福神, Shichi-fukujin). Interestingly, this particular bronze statue is actually one of Japan’s largest bronze statues. Visitors will then head over to the viewing areas by the sea, where you can experience the strength of the sea waves up close and personal. While there are no worries about getting drenched, you can feel the strength of the waves as they surge and collide against the walls of the Sandanbeki Cave, and see the huge splashes they generate.

While your exploration at the Sandanbeki Cave concludes here, your journey continues as you proceed back up to the ground level to the Sandanbeki Observation Deck (三段壁展望台, Sandanbeki Tenbōdai) for a bird's eye view of the caves. From here, you can catch breathtaking views of the 50m-high Sandanbeki Cliffs (三段壁, Sandanbeki) as well as a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean (太平洋, Teiheiyō).

By the way, Sandanbeki is also designated as a Lover’s Sanctuary (恋人の聖地, Koibito no Seichi) due to an urban legend from the 1950s. It is believed that a couple vowed to be bound to each other by eternal love, then used lipstick to write on a piece of rock that “the sea of Shirahama is also very rough today” (白浜の海は今日も荒れている, Shirahama no umi wa kyō mo arawareteiru) before committing suicide together in the area. A friend was said to have then carved this statement directly into the rock in honour of their memory, where you can still see it today. Ever since then, this area has been known to represent two people being in eternal love.

So who knows how your relationships will flourish after paying a visit to the area!