These are the remains of a radio facility that was built 27 years after Marconi discovered wireless telegraphy in 1895, but from the outside it looks like a concrete chimney. That’s because the towers are arranged in an equilateral triangle with sides of 300 meters, with wires connecting the tips and transmitting radio waves toward the horizon, so if there were no antenna wires, they would look like three chimneys no matter how you look at them.
The tower was made by arranging rectangular boards to create the outer frame, then pouring concrete into it. This process was repeated many times to gradually increase the height, and traces of this can be seen, demonstrating the massive work that went into building the 136-meter tower. You can see the steel beams that support the tower from inside, and it is said that after the facility closed, local children climbed to the top of the tower as a test of courage. Once inside the tower, try clapping your hands. The echo is incredible, and the sound echoes back and forth like the roaring of a dragon, a sound that can be heard in the temple halls of Kyoto.
It is believed that this radio equipment was used to transmit the “Niitakayamanobore“(literally “climb up Mt.Nitaka”) radio command to the fleet at sea, signaling the start of the Pacific War. The radio waves used were long waves, which were believed to have reached long distances at the time, and therefore required a 300-meter long transmitting antenna wire. Naturally, since it is a long wave, it requires a huge amount of power, so a huge space where the equipment for this purpose was likely installed remains in the middle of the three pylons. The feeling of ruins is incredible.
Please note that although a volunteer ladys are at the reception desk, it is only open until 4pm. A group of patrons of the Saga Shinkin Bank arrived after 4pm in three large buses and forced their way in, which was unfortunate for the receptionists. Admission is free, so please be mindful of your manners. By the way, near the reception desk they were selling Saikai mikan mandarins for 200 yen per bag. Nagasaki is actually a mandarin orange producing region, so you should definitely buy some.
Detour
A small entrance to the huge Omura Bay is located near Hario, and two beautiful Saikai Bridges connect the mouth of the bay. There are several viewpoints, but the one I highly recommend is Saikai no Oka(Hill of Saikai). This is a great viewpoint where you can see the three radio towers of Hario together, and if you shift your viewpoint to the right you can see the two Saikai Bridges.
As it is a small bay mouth of Omura Bay, you can see whirlpools depending on the time of day. Please check the spring tide times beforehand. Hill of Saikai is quite difficult to reach even with a navigation system, and if you lose sight of it, you will be taken to a completely unexpected place, so don’t just rely on your navigation system; try to find the location of the Shin-Saikai Bridge viaduct by sight.
One more thing, the Saikai Pearl Line that goes through the Shin-Saikai Bridge has a toll of 100 yen for the downhill and 200 yen for the uphill, and you can’t use ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) so you have to pay in cash only, so be sure to have some coins ready. It’s quite surprising in this day and age.
Finally, I would have loved to visit Mukyudo if I had had the time. There are remains of a school built inside an air raid shelter by students at the end of the Pacific War, digging into the bedrock. This is also free.
