Caves - 洞穴

Even during the summer, the temperature in the Ice Cave usually stays below freezing. Consequently the cave has been used since the early 1900s to store ice for use around the year. The circular walk through this cave is not very long, but contains passages with low ceilings and slippery stairs.

These remnants were used to preserve silkworm cocoons and seeds. To prevent growth of the cocoons and to preserve the quality of seeds and promote budding, they were stored in a refrigerated environment.

This well was actually used before water service came into being.

Remnants of huge trees that grew 1100 years ago. The ceiling is 91cm high, and you can walk through the tunnel sideways.

This is a reproduction of an ice storage unit. The wall was formed by piling up blocks of ice. It was used before refrigerators came into being.

Water droplets seeping from the ceiling freeze into icicles, which pile up into ice pillars. They are a beautiful, natural work of art. Natural ice forms during winter, and can be seen until about the beginning of the fall season.

In the past, this cave was used as a natural storehouse and refrigerator, as the temperature inside stays at a relatively constant zero degrees Celsius throughout the year. The cave is furnished with a few shelves that store boxes of acorns and silkworm cocoons. It is the most easily walkable and least exciting of the three caves.

The entrance is a wide gaping hole situated amid the lush forest. The ceiling below the staircase is low, so be sure to watch your head.

The walls of ice are reminiscent of a culture long ago when natural ice was cut up into blocks and stacked in piles for use as a natural refrigerator.

Before the lava completely hardened, its walls would peel away in the shape of a log.

This is where lava has been raised up in a rope-like manner, due to the slower downstream flow of lava being pushed down from the top.

Until around 1955, the cave served as a storage place for seeds and cocoons that were actually used. In order to keep them from growing, and to preserve good quality seeds for better budding, the cocoons and seeds were kept in cold storage.