[Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture] Mt. Chokai/Tobishima Geopark Yurihonjo area, a global park where you can see strata from when Japan was part of the Eurasian continent

Yurihonjo City is a municipality that occupies approximately 70% of the Yuri region, spreading out at the base of Mt. Chokai (2,236 m) With an area of ​​1,200 square kilometers, it occupies approximately 10% of Akita Prefecture and is the largest in Akita Prefecture. is formed along the Sea of ​​Japan coast at the mouth of the Koyoshi River, a first-class river that flows through the center of the city

During the Edo period, three small domains, the Honjo, Kameda, and Yashima domains, , Honjo, Kameda, and Yajima prefectures were established, but they were soon incorporated into Akita Prefecture. I did.

Mt. Chokai, which towers south of Yurihonjo City, is a rare independent peak that rises from sea level in the Sea of ​​Japan. It has been worshiped as a fire-breathing mountain since ancient times, and is now admired by people as a mountain with traces of volcanic activity and precious nature. It is loved.

Mt. Chokai/Tobishima Geopark consists of four areas. The theme of the Yurihonjo area is the mystery of the earth.

"Mt. Chokai/Tobishima Geopark" consists of Mt. Chokai in addition to the Yurihonjo area , with , the Sakata area (Sakata City/Yamagata Prefecture) , the Yusa area (Yusa Town/Yamagata Prefecture), Tobishima (Sakata City), and in the north several areas (Nikaho City/Akita Prefecture) , each with a unique face. In the Yurihonjo area, which stretches to the northeast, you can experience the mysteries of the earth, including exposed strata from when the Japanese archipelago was still part of the Eurasian continent, long before Mt. Chokai was built.

"Ishizawa Otaki" falls through the strata of the era when the Japanese archipelago was part of the Eurasian continent.

"Ishizawa Otaki" is located Ishizawa Valley where a 30 million year old stratum is exposed for about 8 km in the mountains of Sasamori Hills , located in the center of Yurihonjo City

30 million years ago, Japan was still attached to the eastern edge of the Eurasian continent, and of course there was no Sea of ​​Japan. The Japanese archipelago separated from the continent about 20 million years ago, so the strata are 10 million years older than that.

At that time, the earth was erupting from all over the place, and the strata of Ishizawa Valley andesite, which . The valley is lined with cliffs made of andesite, and there are viewpoints such as Ishizawa Falls and Byobu Rock Near Byobu Rock you can also see columnar joints It is closed to the public during the winter (December to late April) and cannot be visited.

<Ishizawa Otaki and Byobu Rock> INFORMATON

• Location: Oyan Nishinokado, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0184-24-6376 (Yurihonjo City Tourism Culture and Sports Department Tourism Promotion Division)
• access:
  • Railway: Approximately 40 minutes by car from Ugohonjo Station on the JR Ou Main Line (closed from December to late April)
  • By car: Approximately 25 minutes from Honjo IC on the Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway, approximately 40 minutes by car from JR Ugo-Honjo Station (closed from December to late April)
• Toilet: Yes
• Shop/rest area: None

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"Akada Otaki" falls from the top of a fault where two streams meet

Akata Otaki is a 23m waterfall located in the northern part of Yurihonjo City. The upper part of the waterfall is bifurcated, and the large stream is called the ``Otoko Falls'' and the other side is called the ``Onna Falls . The geology of this area is complex, and the white rock at the top is rhyolite, which was formed when lava from submarine volcanoes cooled and solidified from about 2,300 to 5 million years ago, when this area was the bottom of the ocean. is. The waterfall is said to have been formed on a fault running north-south.

<Akada Otaki> INFORMATON

• Address: Akata, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0184-24-6376 (Tourism Promotion Division, Tourism Culture and Sports Department)
• access:
• Railway/About 40 minutes by car from JR Ou Main Line Ugohonjo Station
• Car: Approximately 25 minutes from Honjo IC on the Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway
• Toilet: Yes
• Shop/rest area: None
• Parking: Yes

GOOGLE MAP

Approximately 9 meters high. One of Japan's three major Hase Kannon statues, the Great Buddha of Akada

The "Great Buddha of Akada" is about 9 meters tall (approximately 7.878 meters excluding the pedestal) and is located in the Great Buddha Hall of Chokokuji, a temple in the center of Akada that has long been a training ground for ascetic monks (yamabushi ). m) is a large Kannon statue . Along with Hasedera Temple in Nara Prefecture (Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture) and Hasedera Temple in Kamakura Prefecture (Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture) it is counted as one of the three major Haseda Kannon temples in Japan . It is known as the Great Buddha

Hase-dera Temple is said to have been founded in 1775 by Zen master Zesan of the Soto sect, and was a place of prayer for the Kameda clan, which owned this area during the Edo period. of Eleven-faced Kanzeon Bodhisattva , was destroyed along with the Great Buddha Hall in a great fire in 1888 (Meiji 21). The current Kannon statue was restored in 1892 with donations from benefactors, and the Great Buddha Hall was also rebuilt in 1893 (Meiji 26). Hasedera Temple is the 8th temple of the 33 Kannon Sacred Sites in Akita Prefecture, and the 11-faced Kanzeon Bodhisattva statue is a cultural property designated by Yurihonjo City.

<The Great Buddha of Akada> INFORMATON

• Facility name: Shobozan Hasedera Temple
• Address: 115 Akada Ueda Omote, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0184-22-1349 (Shobozan Hasedera Temple)
• Freedom to worship
• access:
  • Railway: Transfer from JR Ou Main Line Ugohonjo Station to Honjo Office and take the bus bound for Akada Daibutsu for about 30 minutes, or take a taxi from JR Ou Main Line Ugo Iwatani Station for about 7 minutes.
  • Car: Approximately 17 minutes from Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway Honjo IC

GOOGLE MAP

Niiyama Park is a hill formed by the uplift of neoandesite 8 million years ago.

Shinzan Park is a park located on a small hill overlooking the city area at the mouth of the Koyoshi River The strata in this area were deposits of volcanic ash and volcanic lapilli ejected by submarine volcanoes about 8 million years ago when it was still a shallow ocean floor, and rose up and appeared over 100,000 years ago. The rock layer, which includes volcanic ash, is about 200 meters thick and is called "new andesite." At Tsubakimori in the park, you can touch neoandesite.

Niiyama Shrine has been built in Niiyama Park the Naked Festival is held every January, a vestige of the days when this area was a training ground for monks. Additionally, Niiyama Park has an altitude of about 100m to 140m, and is a popular park where you can enjoy cherry blossom viewing for a long time in the spring, from the Yoshino cherry trees in the 100m area to the wild cherry blossoms in the 140m area.

<Niiyama Park> INFORMATON

• Location: Ishiwaki Kamishinuma, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0184-24-6376 (Yurihonjo City Tourism Culture and Sports Department Tourism Promotion Division)
• URL: Niiyama Park
• access:
  • Railway/About 10 minutes by car from JR Ou Main Line Ugohonjo Station
  • Car: Approximately 15 minutes from Honjo IC on the Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway
• Toilet: Available (closed in winter)
• Shop/rest area: None
• Parking lot: 15 regular cars

GOOGLE MAP

“Hotai Falls” selected as one of “Japan’s Top 100 Waterfalls”

Hottai no Taki is a waterfall located in Tamada Valley at the source of the Koyoshi River, halfway up Mt. This famous waterfall has been selected as one of Japan's top 100 waterfalls

Houtai Falls is said to have been created when a piece of lava flowed out during the eruption of Mt. Chokai about 100,000 years ago, damming the river. The lava that makes up the waterfall is called “hotai lava” and you can walk on it. It has been designated as a scenic spot and natural monument of Akita Prefecture.

<Waterfall of Dharma Body> INFORMATON

• Location: Momoyake, Chokai-cho, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0184-57-2205 (Yurihonjo City Tourism Association Chokai Branch)
• access:
  • Railway/Approximately 50 minutes by car from Yuri Kogen Railway Yajima Station
  • Car: Approximately 70 minutes from Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway Honjo IC
• Toilet: Yes
• Parking: Yes

GOOGLE MAP

“Kuwanokidai Wetland” where the lily flowers that gave rise to “Yuri” bloom

Kuwanokidai Wetland is located at an altitude of about 700 meters above Mt. Chokai, and is a wetland created by the accumulation of rock avalanches that occurred in prehistoric times. The area is 8 hectares (approximately the size of two Tokyo Domes), and there are wooden paths inside the wetland, so you can enjoy trekking while overlooking Mt. Chokai.

skunk cabbage and cotton sedge in the wetland , and they look beautiful in every season. Particularly in early summer, white cottontail , which is said to be the origin of the name "lily," and astragalus azalea , and the contrast of white and orange colors the wetland.

<Kuwanokidai Wetland> INFORMATON

• Location: Arasawa, Yajima-cho, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0184-24-6376 (Yurihonjo City Tourism Culture and Sports Department Tourism Promotion Division)
• access:
  • Railway/About 40 minutes by car from Yuri Kogen Railway Yajima Station
  • Car: Approximately 60 minutes from Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway Honjo IC
• Toilet: Available (closed in winter)
• Parking lot: 15 regular cars

GOOGLE MAP

Super soft water. ``Botsumeki Spring Water'' is a famous water used for local tap water and local beer.

Botsumeki Spring Water gushes out halfway up , which stands at an altitude of 713mm, on the opposite bank of the Koyoshi River, which flows Mt. Chokai The amount of spring water is approximately 900 tons per day, and the water temperature is approximately 9 degrees Celsius throughout the year, and the water is neutral (pH 6.9) and extremely soft with a hardness of 19. Because of its soft texture, it is used in local tap water as well as local beer. There are theories that “ botsumeki” is a variation of the Ainu word “bubble,” “botsumegu,” I don't know. The area around the spring is a park, and many people come to fetch water.

<Botsumeki Spring Water> INFORMATON

• Location: Higashiyurikurobuchi, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0184-24-6376 (Yurihonjo City Tourism Culture and Sports Department Tourism Promotion Division)
• access:
  • Railway/About 35 minutes by car from Yuri Kogen Railway Yajima Station
  • Car: Approximately 60 minutes from Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway Honjo IC
• Toilet: Yes
• Parking: Yes
• Others: Closed during winter

GOOGLE MAP

The Yurihonjo area of ​​``Mt. Chokai/Tobishima Geopark'' ``Kameda Fudo Falls'' with a drop of about 25 m and a width of 10 m ``Katakinuma Wetland'' which is a rare lowland with an altitude of 30 m , oil fields and natural gas. There are many other geosites where you can enjoy the nature of Mt. Chokai, such as Yurihara Plateau (Higashi Yurihara) which has rice fields Why not visit Yurihonjo City to get a feel for the current state of the earth, which has changed over the years?

<Mt. Chokai/Tobishima Geopark> INFORMATON

• Phone number: 0184-62-9777
• URL: Mt. Chokai/Tobishima Geopark Yurihonjo Area