Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park

Lore & Background

The Akiyoshi plateau consists of uplifted reef limestones of Paleozoic age, thickened by overfolding during the Akiyoshidai orogenic movement. Erosion has created an undulating karst landscape with dolines and limestone pinnacles up to two meters high. Beneath the surface lie hundreds of caves, including Akiyoshidō, named by Emperor Hirohito on May 30, 1926, when he was crown prince. This cave is up to 100 meters wide with 8.79 km of passages, making it one of the longest in Japan after Akkadō cave, and one of the longest in Asia. A one-kilometer section is open to the public with a walkway and bridge system, entering at the cave's lowest point and exiting via an artificial elevator. The cave is decorated with large, colorful speleothems.

Reader's Guide

Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park is significant for its extensive karst landscape and cave system, which preserve Pleistocene fossils including Japanese rhinoceros, Stegodont elephant, Naumann elephant, and Young tiger. The area was heavily forested about 500,000 years ago, and during the Jōmon period served as a hunting ground with sinkhole bottoms used as vegetable fields. Paleolithic artifacts have been recovered. With the advent of farming, local people replaced forests with Japanese pampas grass for animal feed and thatching, and repeated burning has kept trees from regrowing. The park's facilities include a natural history museum, visitor centre, rest house, youth hostel, and park headquarters, along with a scenic roadway and walking trails. Annual events include a fireworks festival in July, a 'Karst Walk' in November, and a February grass burning called 'Yamayaki'. The Akiyoshidai Groundwater System is a Ramsar Site, highlighting its wetland importance. The park is managed by the local prefectural government, typical of all Japanese Quasi-National Parks.

Did You Know?

• The park was founded on 1 November 1955 and covers 45.02 km².
• The plateau contains over 400 limestone caves and is rated IUCN category V.
• Pleistocene fossils found in the caves include Japanese rhinoceros, Stegodont elephant, and Naumann elephant.