幽玄洞

Yugen-do - Yuugendo - Yugen Cave - Yugendo Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Higashiyama-tyo (Higashiyama Town). 1.3 km north of Genbikei. 5 minutes by car from Geibikei Station on the Ofunato Line. 10 minutes by car from the Rikuchu Natsukawa Station. (39.004208, 141.256175)
Open:	APR to NOV daily 8:30-18. DEC to MAR daily 9-16. [2022]
Fee:	Adults JPY 1100, Children (12-14) JPY 600, Children (6-11) JPY 400, Children (0-5) free. [2022]
Classification:	Karst cave. Carboniferous limestones.
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	L=500 m, T=13 °C.
Guided tours:	L=500 m.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Yuugendo Tourism Co., Ltd., Higashimotomachi-154-1 Higashiyamacho Nagasaka, Ichinoseki, Iwate 029-0302, Tel: +81-191-47-3303. E-mail:
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

1980	cave discovered on the site of the quarry.
APR-1980	cave entered aftzer block in the entrance was removed.
1994	after further exploration the cave was

Description

幽玄洞 (Yugendo Cave) is famous for various speleothems, especially cave coral. The limestone of this cave is 350 Ma old, of Carboniferous age, with many fossils from that period. Notable are sea lilies and brachiopodes which can be seen in the wall. It also has a small emerald green underground lake, which shows a mysterious glow. The cave was discovered in a quarry, but at that time the entrance was blocked by earth and sand. After the sediments were removed, the cave behind was reached in APR-1980 and explored for 130 m. The development was started and new parts of the cave discovered. At the end it was 500 m long and a second entrance was found, so the cave is now a through cave.

The entrance building contains a small museum called 幽玄洞展示館 (Yuugendo Exhibition Hall) with cave map and explanations on the cave. It also contains a fossil exhibition with local fossils of Carboniferous and Devonian age. Central exhibits are Lepidodendron and sea lily gaku.