[Akita Prefecture/Oga Peninsula] Full of view points. Oga Peninsula, a magnificent park created by the earth

Oga Peninsula was born 20,000 years ago. 6,000 years ago it was an island

Oga Peninsula . The peninsula that juts out into the Sea of ​​Japan first appeared on land about 20,000 years ago. The era is the Ice Age. The Oga Peninsula, which was at the bottom of the ocean, became land due to the decrease in sea level caused by the increase in ice in the Northern Hemisphere and Antarctica. However, as the Ice Age ended and global warming progressed, sea levels rose, and about 6,000 years ago, all but a few of the islands sank into the ocean, leaving behind islands off the coast. It became Oga Island instead of Oga Peninsula. 6,000 years ago corresponds to the latter part of the Jomon period in Japanese history, and it is said that this was the period when the earth's temperature was the warmest, and the sea level was 2 to 3 meters higher than it is now.

2,000 years ago, the strait was filled with sand and became a peninsula again.

The Earth cooled down again about 4,000 years ago. It is said that we are currently in the middle of this process (this has nothing to do with "global warming" caused by humans), but as a result, the sea level has been falling little by little. This includes the following: ``The cause of the sea level drop was not cooling, but the increased weight of seawater causing the sea floor to sink slightly, and the magma beneath it to be pushed toward the land, resulting in the land rising. There is also a theory that the apparent sea surface level has decreased as the number of land masses increased.

In any case, the land area of ​​Oga Island has grown larger, and the strait between it and the mainland has become narrower and shallower. has developed a sand spit (a long, narrow ridge made of sand carried by water currents) filled with sand carried by the Yoneshirogawa River (the mouth of which is located in Noshiro City) Around 2,000 years ago, they became connected to each other by land.

Before it was reclaimed, Hachirogata was the second largest lake in Japan.

At that time, the southern part of the Oga Peninsula was not connected, and there was a very shallow sea. Eventually, a sand spit made of sand carried by the Omonogawa River to the south (the mouth of which is in Akita City) spread, and the southern coastline became connected to the land. At that time, the shallow inland seas were left behind and became large lakes (brackish lakes/lakes where fresh water and seawater mix). This is Hachirogata However, in 1977 (Showa 52), the opposite part of Hachirogata was converted to land through land reclamation in order to increase the amount of farmland, so there is almost no trace of the lake now. The Hachirogata site, which became land due to land reclamation, was originally at the bottom of the sea, so its altitude is still below 0m.

The Oga Peninsula, where the island and land are connected by a sand spit, is called a land-connected island Its characteristics are sandy soil where it connects to the land, and rocky terrain on the open sea side. The original island part is home to a series of mountains, including the Oga Sanzan (Mountain/715 m above sea level, Mt. Mayan/565 m, and Mt. Kenashi 617 m) and Mt. Kanpu (355 m) which is known for its mountain lily colony

Ichinome-gata, a national natural monument where water collects in the crater

There are three round ponds near Toga Bay the western part of the Oga Peninsula . It is called Ichinome Lagoon, Ninomegata, and Ninomegata All of these ponds are the result of accumulation of water in explosion craters called marls. Ichinome-gata was built 60,000 to 80,000 years ago, Sannomegata 20,000 to 24,000 years ago, and Ninomegata was formed 20,000 to 24,000 years ago. It is estimated that it was formed somewhere in the middle.

Toga Bay is also semicircular and is a crater. This was caused by a phreatomagmatic explosion about 420,000 years ago, and the pumice ejected from the explosion is distributed on the high ground around the bay.

the Oga Peninsula's viewpoint , Hachibodai, you can see Ninome Lagoon below, and a panoramic view of Toga Bay when you look out to sea. Ichinome Lagoon is designated as a national natural monument, and Sannome Lagoon is designated as a natural monument of Akita Prefecture.

The eastern side is sandy and the rest is rocky and contrasting.

The Oga Peninsula was originally a part of the Eurasian continent, but it became the ocean floor and then rose to the surface. The earth has accumulated over the 4.6 billion years of history since the earth's birth, creating various strata depending on the era in which it was formed. Many unusually shaped rocks appear on the west and south coasts, but each one has a different hardness and color, and upon investigation, some rocks were found to be as old as 90 million years old. . The period 90 million years ago is called the Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs roamed the world.

Oga Peninsula was inhabited during the Jomon period

there are Yonegamori ruins (Daisen City) that are thought to date from 15,000 to 35,000 years ago. It has been discovered that there may have been people living on the Oga Peninsula at that time. It is thought that people first migrated to the Japanese archipelago and started living there about 38,000 years ago, so they must have been there from a very early time.

The oldest ruins on the Oga Peninsula are the Ohatadai ruins which are estimated to date from the middle of the Jomon period, 4,500 to 6,000 years ago. The Ohatadai ruins are located on the grounds of an oil refinery near the southern base of the Oga Peninsula. Therefore, although the ruins themselves are not open to the public, excavated items such as Jomon pottery and stone tools the Oga City Historical Archives (formerly Wakimoto Daini Elementary School) upon request.

<Articles excavated from Ohatadai Ruins> INFORMATON

• Facility name: Oga City Historical Materials Storage (formerly Wakimoto Daini Elementary School)
• Location: 156 Karisawa, Wakimoto Tarusawa, Oga City, Akita Prefecture
• Opening hours: 9:00-21:00
• Closed: December 29th to January 3rd
• access:
  • Railway/Approximately 50 minutes from Wakimoto Station on the JR Oga Line or approximately 7 minutes by taxi
  • Car: Approximately 40 minutes from Akita Expressway Showa Oga Peninsula IC

GOOGLE MAP

Oga's name is a corruption of the name of the person who originally lived there.

The name Oga on the Oga Peninsula originates from the Asuka period, when the Yamato court sent Abeno Hirafu and others from the capital to conquer the Tohoku region, which was known as Emishi, which was not under its control. There is a strong theory that the name was changed from Onga , a chief of the Emishi clan who lived in Oga Kunio Yanagida (1875-1962), a folklorist, disagreed with this, arguing that Oga was changed to Oga because it looked like "Oka" floating in the Sea of ​​Japan.

In any case, there were so many deer inhabiting Oga that there was a cliff called ``Shishiotoshi'' ``Oga'' was applied to the pronunciation of ``Onga'' and ``Riku''. There seems to be no doubt about it.

The Oga Peninsula is home to traditional culture such as the Namahage and its ruins, Daisankyo and Stage Island , spectacular views created by volcanoes such as Ichinomegata, and even stone-grilled cuisine. It is full of highlights and exquisite gourmet food. Recently, ``Godzilla Rock'', , and the photogenic spot ``Uyuni Salt Lake in Akita'' Unosaki Beach are very popular on SNS. There is also a hot spring. For sightseeing, the ``Oga Peninsula Ainori Taxi Namahage Shuttle'' from JR Oga Line Oga Station, sightseeing taxis, and rental cars are convenient. Why not visit the Oga Peninsula, which is currently exploding with interest?

<Oga Peninsula/Sightseeing Sightseeing> INFORMATON

• Facility name: Ainori Taxi Namahage Shuttle
• Operation period: April 1st to October 31st
• How to use: Reservation required
• Internet/Application by 19:00 the day before
• Telephone/Application by 17:00 the day before
• Number of users: From 1 person
• Fares: Oga Station - Nyudosaki 2,500 yen (others vary depending on destination)
• URL: Oga Peninsula Ainori Taxi Namahage Shuttle
• For route buses, see "Oganavi Route Bus Timetable"
• Private car: It is convenient to use the Akita Expressway Showa Oga Peninsula Interchange.

GOOGLE MAP

INFORMATON

• Oganavi
• URL: Oganavi