関ヶ原鍾乳洞

Sekigahara dai-shonyudo - Sekigahara Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Near Sekigahara village, 4 km from the train station. Meishin expressway, Sekigahara exit, turn left on Route 365, again left on Route 21. Signposted. (35.3712, 136.42604)
Open:	MAR to JUN Mon-Tue, Thu-Sun, Hol 9-17. JUL to AUG daily 9-17:30. SEP to NOV Mon-Tue, Thu-Sun, Hol 9-17. DEC to FEB Mon, Fri-Sun 9-16. Closed 31-DEC, 01-JAN. [2022]
Fee:	Adults JPY 700, Children (6-11) JPY 300, Children (3-5) JPY 200. Groups (25+): Adults JPY 500, Children (6-11) JPY 250, Children (3-5) JPY 150. Groups (100+): Adults JPY 400, Children (6-11) JPY 200, Children (3-5) JPY 100. [2022]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	T=15 °C.
Guided tours:	D=20 min, L=518 m.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes, up to 64cm wide
Bibliography:
Address:	Sekigahara Cave Management Office, 1328-3 Tama, 〒503-1545 Gifu Prefecture 1328-3, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Tel: +81-584-43-0092, Tel: +81-584-43-0553.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

関ヶ原鍾乳洞 (Sekigahara Limestone Cave) is a well developed show cave. It is also called 関ヶ原大鍾乳洞 (Sekigahara Great Stalactite Cave). It shows stalactites and stalagmites, and has a cave river with fish. The tour is 580 m long, but the tour takes only 20 minutes. Either they give a minimum time or it is actually rather dull, and you walk right through. The cave also has discounts for groups of more than 100 people, which seems to happen rather frequently. We guess that's a result of the location.

Sekigahara is known to every school pupil in Japan, because in 1600 it was the location of a battle between the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu against a coalition of Toyotomi loyalist clans under Ishida Mitsunari. The Battle of Sekigahara was the largest battle of Japanese feudal history and is often regarded as the most important. Several loyalist clans defected before or during the battle, which lead to a Tokugawa victory, and thus to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate. The Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan for two and a half centuries until 1868.