Abukuma Cave, Fukushima | Japan is Nippon

A limestone cave in Tamura, Fukushima, found by chance during quarrying, with formations said to be 80 million years in the making and a 29m-high hall.

Curtains of stalactites lit in soft yellow light inside Abukuma Cave — Photo: Σ64, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The white limestone quarry wall rising above the garden near the Abukuma Cave entrance — Photo: MAKIKO OMOKAWA, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

An underground world found in a quarry

Abukuma Cave is a limestone cave (shonyudo) in Takine town, Tamura city, in the Abukuma Mountains of Fukushima Prefecture. A limestone cave forms as rainwater and groundwater slowly dissolve the rock.

This whole area was originally a quarry where limestone was dug out. In 1969 the entrance to the cave was discovered in the middle of quarrying, and at first it went by the provisional name Kamayama Limestone Cave. In 1973 a name was chosen through a public contest, and it became Abukuma Cave. North of the car park, a huge white cliff about 140m high, left behind by the quarrying, still towers over the site.

The cave is said to have taken around 80 million years to form. According to the official website it is about 4.2km long in total, of which about 600m is open to visitors. It is designated a natural monument of Tamura city.

Highlights inside the cave

Inside you will find all kinds of formations: icicle-like stalactites hanging from the ceiling, stalagmites rising from the floor like bamboo shoots, and columns where the two have joined. They have been named for what they look like, such as "Goblin Tower", "White Porcelain Falls" and "Mushroom Rock".

In Ryugu-den, a chamber about 13m high, stand two big formations: a column called "Juhyo" (frost-covered trees) and a stalagmite called "Christmas Tree". The biggest highlight is Takine Goten, the largest chamber in the cave, on the highest level of the section open to visitors. It is 29m high, and here you can also see the "Crystal Curtain", so thin that light shines through it like a membrane, and a rare "cave shield" with a disc-shaped top.

At "Tsuki no Sekai" (the World of the Moon) at the end of the route, the lighting changes to show the shifting light from darkness to sunrise and on to sunset.

The standard route and the exploration route

The cave has a standard route of about 600m and a separate "exploration route" of about 120m that branches off part way. According to Tamura city's tourism site, the standard route takes about 40 minutes and the exploration route about 10 minutes. On the exploration route you crouch through narrow spots and cross log ladders and stepping stones. It costs extra and stops taking visitors earlier, so check the official website.

The temperature inside stays at about 15°C all year round, so it feels cool in summer and warm in winter.

Getting there

By train, change to the Ban-etsu East Line at JR Koriyama Station and get off at Kanmata Station, then take a taxi for about five minutes. From Tokyo it takes about 2 hours 10 minutes using the Tohoku Shinkansen and the Ban-etsu East Line.

By car, it is about 15 minutes from the Ono IC (interchange) on the Ban-etsu Expressway or the Tamura Smart IC (ETC cards only). Opening hours change with the season, so check the official website before you go.

Tips

It is about 15°C inside the cave all year, so even in summer a light jacket is a good idea.
The exploration route is narrow, with places where you have to crouch and log ladders to climb. Wear clothes you can move in easily and non-slip shoes.
Buy a web ticket in advance on the official website and you can go in without queuing at the ticket counter.