Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Exploring Susa Hornfels Looking up at the striped cliffs by the sea, then enjoying live squid in Susa
At Susa Hornfels in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, you can get up close to striped rock layers about 12 m high. On a summer morning, follow the trail down to the shore and look up at the cliffs; then enjoy Susa’s live squid at a certified restaurant.
Here’s my summer-morning walk down to the shore, with the cliffs towering above and waves breaking nearby. I’ll also share my stop for live squid in Susa.
SummerA summer morning
I held my hair against the wind and traced the stripes in the rock
One summer morning, I followed the trail down from Susa Hornfels to the shore. I’d come in a cropped white top and khaki skirt, and the sea breeze hit me head-on. I held my hair with one hand and looked up: striped cliffs stretched out right in front of me. I hadn’t expected to get this close, and their sheer size made me gasp.
From a distance, the lines in the rock look even, but up close, the layers vary in thickness and shape. I followed them from the bottom of the cliff to the top with my eyes, noticing places where the pattern bent and deep cracks split the rock. I’d come to check out the stripes I’d seen in photos, but now I wanted to take in all the little details I hadn’t noticed in the photos. I stood still and traced each one slowly with my eyes.
It turns out these layers were formed by sand and mud settling on the seafloor. The waves are breaking right beside me now, but the sea from long ago is still here in the rock. With that in mind, the lines that had looked like a simple pattern a moment ago suddenly caught my attention. Thinking of how these layers, thick and thin, had survived all this time made me want to look more closely.
A strong gust blew my hair back across my cheek. As I brushed it aside, the waves grew louder; the sea in front of me crashed against the rocks, then pulled away. I’d been focused on the cliffs, but the sea never stopped moving either. I let my gaze travel between the far-off horizon and the striped cliffs right beside me. I was overjoyed to be able to see both.
At lunchtime, I tried Susa’s live squid. I lifted a piece with my chopsticks and took a bite; with every chew, its sweetness came through. I’d been so caught up in the cliffs that I’d forgotten I was hungry, but from the first bite, I was completely absorbed in my meal. Eating squid after seeing the sea made lunch feel like the trip was still unfolding.
Even after lunch, I couldn’t stop thinking about the striped cliffs. I could still picture the thickness of the layers up close and hear the waves crashing. Next time, I’d like to see the cliffs in the late-afternoon sun. I’m curious how they’ll look, but for today, I’ll take home the memory of looking up at them in the summer breeze.
The story sections are fiction inspired by this location. For accurate information, please consult official tourism and information websites.
Local specialty
Susa-no-Mikoto Squid
The Susa Hospitality Association lists Koufuku no Chisōya Umenoha as a certified restaurant where you can try the local live-squid specialty. I had some after taking in the coastal cliffs. With every bite, I could taste its sweetness, and I wanted to remember that flavor as much as the scenery.
Highlights
The striped rock layers left by sand and mud
These stripes are part of the Susa Group, made up of alternating layers of sand and mud deposited on the seafloor. There are also rocks nearby that were affected by heat from magma about 15 million years ago. Once I learned these layers had settled on an ancient seabed, I found myself thinking back to the thin band I’d noticed a moment earlier.
Waves and cliffs from one spot
Susa Hornfels is on the coast within Kita-Nagato Coast Quasi-National Park. From there, you can take in the cliffs with the Sea of Japan just beside them. I stood with one hand holding my hair against the wind, and every time I shifted my gaze from the rocks to the sea, I was struck by the contrast between the cliffs looming close by and the sea stretching into the distance.
Trail information
Susa Hornfels walking trail
The trail takes you down to the base of the coastal cliffs. I looked up at the layers from below, tracing their thickness with my eyes. Listening to the sea as I took it all in was the best part of the day.
After driving to Susa Hornfels, take the trail down to the shore to see the cliffs from below. The striped cliffs that looked far away a moment ago suddenly fill the view. I was so struck by their scale that I stopped there for a while.
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