Tochigi Prefecture - Utsunomiya Underground Oya Stone Quarry

 I have wanted to visit the Utsunomiya Underground Oya Stone Quarry for a long time. And, we finally did it!

In Japan it is always a good idea to visit the Tourist Information Center. So, the first thing we did was visit the Utsunomiya City Tourist Information Center. They not only gave us maps and schedules, they also sold us tickets for the bus to get us to the Oya Stone Quarry and tickets to get in the Quarry... at a discount price!

Our plan was to visit the quarry first thing Monday morning to avoid crowds. This is the parking lot for the quarry, it looks like our plan worked.

This is the front of the underground quarry.

As one can see, it's underground. What one can't see is how fast the temperature drops. 

Our first view... this place is huge!

For anyone seriously interested in the history of this place, and especially if one is thinking of visiting here, please check out this official website

This underground quarry is now a historical site. 

I used an extreme wide-angle lens to take these pictures.

These pictures are nice but until one visits here it's hard to grasp the enormity of this place.

We are not just wondering around, there is a route to follow and we're following it. 

It's cold down here, it's like walking in a refrigerator. We brought jackets with us and I'm glad we did.

It's not only cold down here, it's damp, too! All the floors are wet.

In this picture it's easy to see the grooves in the walls left from the stone cutters.

All the walls have the grooves in them. 

There's Emi!

We're now on the return part of the tour route.

I'm switching back to black & white photography.

What an adventure! 

Getting close to the exit.

And, out we go. 

Outside of the underground quarry and already tour buses are arriving. I'm glad we came here early.

Now we're going to walk to Oyaji Temple (it's included in the ticket we bought at the tourist information center.

When we arrived at the temple there was a small tour group in front of us.

The temple is a sacred place and is built into the side of this mountain.

I'm still using the wide-angle lens so things look a little distorted.

In we go! Since this place is sacred there is no photography allowed inside.

Back outside and we're visiting the temple's pond and garden.

Next up is a short walk to visit the Heiwa Kannon Statue.

The statue is 27 meters tall.

There is some excellent information on this statue at this website

That's Emi in front of the statue.

Well, that's it. Here we are waiting for the bus to take us back to Utsunomiya city where we plan to have gyoza for lunch! Utsunomiya city is famous for gyoza!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mike

Destination - Ishikawa & Fukui Prefecture! (part 2)

This is part 2 of the Ishikawa & Fukui Prefecture adventure! After departing from the scenic cliffs of Tojinbo we went to the Echizen Matsushima Aquarium in Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture. Like I said before, group tours get one to go places they might never visit otherwise. This is true for me because I never think about visiting aquariums, but here we are!

We had to wait outside while the tour guide got our tickets. However, once we got inside the fun began! Lot's of fun!

We watched a dolphin show.

I have to say that the dolphins were amazing.

The way the dolphins and the trainers work together is impressive.

I watched little children feeding  Sea turtles.

There was a place where people could shake hands with octopuses. 

We watched the penguins march on a sidewalk through the middle of the aquarium.

Then they were fed.

This young woman was in charge of the penguin show. In this picture she was answering questions from the audience.

After the penguins were fed they cooled them down with water...

And, then they marched back to their special home.

We did a lot of other things including watching a 3-D movie about whales... it was amazing. Eventually it was time to go and our bus and tour guide were waiting to take us to our Onsen resort hotel for the night. 

That night we stayed at the Mikuni Ocean Resort & Hotel. 

https://breezbay-group.com/mikuni-ocean/

I didn't take any pictures but it was a wonderful hotel. I'd love to stay there again. 

Last day of the trip and this is a big day. We are visiting the "Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum". I didn't know it but it turns out that Fukui is the site of a lot of dinosaur fossils. So, it is the Dinosaur capital of Japan. The museum is huge!

It was raining when we arrived.

This is the main entrance. This museum is so popular people have to make reservations in advance to get in.

A statue near the entrance. 

Like I said, this place is huge!

Emi loves dinosaurs.

There she is taking a picture of the dinosaur.

By-the-way, it's a mechanical dinosaur that moves and roars; it's very realistic.

All the displays are so lifelike.

The little dinosaur is biting the big one on the rear-end; not very nice. 

I get the feeling that some people come here for the whole day. We stayed for about 4 hours; that included eating lunch at the dinosaur cafeteria.

Young and old everyone here loves dinosaurs.

Eventually I ran out of energy and sat on a bench and watched the people go by. 

People older than me are so full of energy. Emi was still full of energy when she came to get me. I guess I'm not a true dinosaur lover.

Eventually it was time to leave. It was raining harder when we left than when we arrived. 

After the museum we went to the Fukui City train station where we boarded a Shinkansen train for the trip home. We had done so much and saw so many things in just 3 days. Sometimes group tours are the best! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Mike