Use the
Planning a Trip to Japan?
Share your travel photos with us by hashtagging your images with #visitjapanjp
＠Soo City Tourism Association
HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Mizonokuchi Cave
Feel the healing power of nature at this mysterious cave shrine
Osumi Tourism and Regional Development Corporation
Mizonokuchi Cave in the Kirishima Mountains outside Soo City in Kagoshima, southern Kyushu, was created by thousands of years of erosion by spring water. The area is surrounded by chilly clean air and a mysterious atmosphere, with some even saying the cave might be connected to the other side of Earth. In 1964, an expedition team from Kansai University surveyed the site and confirmed its length to be 209.5 meters. This is still a considerable length and it continues to be considered a “power spot,” so why not visit to see if you can feel its healing energy?
For the best photo opportunity, enter the cave shrine and look out to see a bright red Shinto torii gate through the entrance, perfectly framed by the mouth of the cave.
On the Sunday closest to Buddha’s birthday on April 8 every year, a festival is held with a sword or stick dance (the dance style alternates each year) dedicated to the Rock Kannon Goddess of Mercy enshrined at the entrance to the cave. The dances are said to have been started by the Shimazu clan as a celebration of their first victory. Children from Nakatani Elementary School in nearby Takarabe perform the dances that have been passed down through generations as part of their local heritage education.
Whatever time of year you visit, calm your mind and feel the soothing power of nature.
How to get there
It takes about 2 hours to fly from Haneda Airport to Kagoshima Airport and about 50 minutes by car from Kagoshima Airport.
From Hakata Station to Kagoshima Chuo Station by Shinkansen bullet train, it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Kagoshima Chuo Station to Takarabe Station by train, and about 15 minutes from Takarabe Station by car.
4907 Shimotakarabe Takarabe-cho, So-shi, Kagoshima-ken
