List of geosites
River terraces in the urban area of Yamanashi Uenohara
Additional band
Deep breath
When an oceanic plate subducts in a trench or trough, sediments accumulated on the ocean floor are scraped off and pushed towards the land. This process is called accretion, and the resulting sedimentary body with a wedge-shaped (prism-like) cross-section, formed by numerous reverse faults added to the tip of the landward slope, is called an accretionary prism.
Nishihara Biryu-kan
Saihara Biryukan
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Mountain valley topography. Late Cretaceous marine mudstone layers.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
A cluster of old mountain houses is located on the surrounding flat land. Jomon pottery was unearthed from a field.
Yuzuhara Mew Forest
Yuzurihara Myu no Mori
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Mountain valley topography. Folded strata of Paleogene marine sandstone.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
An amusement-style campsite that makes full use of the natural terrain and ecosystem.
Yuzuhara Hometown Longevity Hall
Yuzurihara Hometown Museum
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Mountain valley topography. Paleogene marine sandstone layers.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
A cluster of old farmhouses and cultivated land surrounded by a wild boar fence, nestled on the southern slope of a mountainous area. Famous as a village known for its longevity and good health.
Guntori Shrine
Gundari Shrine
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Located in a mountain valley, this is the source of a tributary of the Tsurukawa River.
A folded stratum of marine mudstone from the Late Cretaceous period.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
This shrine boasts a 500-year history dating back to the Sengoku period and enshrines Yamato Takeru as a god of war.
Kurodagawa Siphon
Kurotagawa Syphon
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Mountain valley terrain
Paleogene to Neogene marine mudstone layers.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
This irrigation canal was built during the Taisho era to secure water for agriculture. A U-shaped inverted siphon crossing the valley still exists.
Yuzuhara -Shobu-ren
Yuzurihara Shomure
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Mountain valley topography. Turbitite-like strata of marine mudstone from the Paleogene to Neogene periods.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
Yuzuhara is a village known for its longevity and health. The Yume Suspension Bridge was built to cross a gorge. The first bridge was built in 1929. The current suspension bridge was completed in 2017.
shelf head
Tanagashira
Topographical and geological features, historical features
A mountain valley topography. Folded strata of marine mudstone from the Paleogene to Neogene periods. The characteristics of the Shimanto Group are clearly evident.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
A 2-meter-tall Nio statue believed to have been created in the late Edo period.
Yaeyama
Yaeyama
Topographical and geological features, historical features
A low mountain with an elevation of 506m. Located at the northern foot of the Kanto Mountains.
Mesozoic marine mudstone layer.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
The school forest of Uenohara Municipal Elementary School was donated by Ms. Yae Mizukoshi.
Uplifted zone
Ryukitaiki
Uplift and subsidence are terms used in conjunction in geography and geology. Uplift refers to the increase in elevation of the ground relative to sea level, while subsidence refers to the decrease in elevation of the ground relative to sea level. Uplift can occur due to absolute rise or fall of the ground caused by crustal movements, volcanic activity, etc., or it can occur as a relative change in ground elevation due to the rise or fall of sea level.
Ohno Reservoir
Ohno Chosuichi
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Originally called Tanida. During the Meiji period, a dam was built to block the stream and create a reservoir. Neogene marine conglomerate layer.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
Nationally designated important cultural property.
Iwa-Katsura River Valley
Iwao-Katsuragawa Prefecture
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Both banks are sheer cliffs that rise almost vertically. Neogene basalt.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
This river once supported water transport. There is also a legend that it is the river from which Momotaro's peach floated away.
Katsuragawa Fisheries Cooperative
Katsuragawa Gyokyo
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Both banks are well-developed river terraces. Neogene marine conglomerate layers.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
During the construction of the Sagami Lake Dam, compensation was secured for the annual release of one million ayu (sweetfish) fry, making it a perpetual project.
Yatsusawa Hydroelectric Power Plant
Yatsusawasuiryokuhatsudenshisetsu
Topographical and geological features, historical features
A rocky mountain on a ridge extending in an east-west direction. Neogene marine conglomerate layer. The eastern end of the conglomerate body that continues from Iwadono-yama in Otsuki City.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
A nationally designated important cultural property - a hydroelectric power plant that is still in operation today.
Katsura River and Kingi Rock (Ryumon Gorge)
Katsuragawa Kingiwa
Topographical and geological features, historical features
The banks are sheer cliffs rising vertically. Neogene marine conglomerate rock formation.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
The rock that Yosano Tekkan called "Kingi-iwa" was later named "Ryūmon-kyō" (Dragon Gorge).
Scenery along the Katsura River
Katsuragawa waterside scenery
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Both banks are well-developed river terraces. Neogene marine conglomerate layers.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
In its heyday, it was a landing place for boats transported by water, and there were inns for boatmen. It essentially functioned as a "river station" for water transport on the Katsura River.
Momotaro's birthplace
Momotaro's Founding House
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Both banks are well-developed river terraces. Neogene marine conglomerate layers.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
According to legend, this is the place where Momotaro's peach, which rolled down from Mount Hyakuzo in Otsuki City, drifted ashore.
Tokoji Spring Water
Toukouji Wakimizu
Topographical and geological features, historical features
A terrace surface extends at the edge of a nearly vertical terrace. Mesozoic marine conglomerate layer.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
They use spring water from the terrace as their source of drinking water.
Collision zone
Shōtotsu Taiiki
A collision zone is a narrowing boundary (converging boundary) where two continental plates collide. When two low-density, light continental plates collide, one plate rides up onto the other. At that time, the riding plate is subjected to strong lateral forces, deforming and curving in a wave-like manner, causing the ground to rise (folding), or faults are formed, causing the ground to rise as it slides up along the fault surface.
Tenjin Tunnel
Tenjinzuido
Topographical and geological features, historical features
The surrounding area consists of almost vertically rising rocky mountains. The Mesozoic period is characterized by andesite, basaltic andesite lava, and pyroclastic rocks on the north side, and dacite rhyolite on the south side.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
During the Meiji era, the village headman at the time, Zen'emon Harada, was deeply troubled by the frequent accidents involving people and horses falling over the mountain pass. He invested his personal fortune and spent 10 years completing this hand-dug tunnel. Until the Shin-Tenjin Tunnel opened in 2011, it was the only tunnel connecting Uenohara and Akiyama.
Kamabuchi
Kamanbuchi
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Both banks are sheer outcrops that rise almost vertically. It is a two-tiered waterfall, with well-developed pools at both the top and bottom. Neogene dacite rhyolite.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
The waterfall basin is a natural swimming pool. In its heyday, it was a perfect place for local children to play in the water.
Kanayama Gold Mine
Kanayama Kinzan
Topographical and geological features, historical features
A mountain valley landscape along the Kanayama River, a tributary of the Akiyama River. Neogene period, basalt.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
The settlement originated from a gold mine developed during the Sengoku period for gold mining. It was a "hidden gold mine" of the Takeda clan, a powerful warlord family of the Sengoku period.
Kanayama Kinzan
Kyu Akiyamamura Sakurai Elementary School
Former Akiyama Village Sakurai Elementary School
Topographical and geological features, historical features
A topography along a mountain stream. Neogene period, basalt. A magnificent curved rock formation on the eastern slope of the school grounds.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
Its origins lie in the temple school of Shinfuku-ji Temple, a Rinzai Zen temple founded during the Muromachi period. It is a geopark concept base.
Tomioka
Tomioka
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Mountainous terrain along the Akiyama River and its tributary, the Anjisawa River. Neogene period, basalt.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
In the early Showa period, an irrigation canal was constructed from the upper reaches of the Anjisawa River, and terraced rice paddies were developed. Today, it is the top rice-producing area in Uenohara City.
Akiyama Onsen
Akiyama Onsen
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Mountainous terrain along the Akiyama River. Neogene period, basalt.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
A simple alkaline hot spring with a water temperature of 36 degrees Celsius. It was established in 1996 by Akiyama Village, which merged with Uenohara Town (now Uenohara City), as a community hub with a health concept.
Mushono
Unspeakable
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Mountainous terrain at the source of the Akiyama River. Neogene period, dacite rhyolite.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
This large Buddhist chanting tradition, which began 1600 years ago, is the only one in Japan that preserves its original form. It was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2022.
Uenohara Waterway and Tsukimigaike Pond
Uenohara Water Park and Tsukimigaike Pond
Topographical and geological features, historical features
The terrace surface of a river terrace formed in the Sagami River (Katsura River and Tsurukawa River) system. Quaternary terrace deposits.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
Construction began in 1911 to develop rice paddies on the Uenohara Plateau. Tsukimigaike Pond is a regulating reservoir for the Uenohara irrigation system, constructed in 1931. In 2010, it was selected as one of Japan's Top 100 Reservoirs by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Koshu Kaido Road, Inume-juku
Koshukaido Inumejuku
Topographical and geological features, historical features
A plateau landscape developed at the northern edge of the Kanto Mountains. Neogene marine conglomerate rock formation.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
The 21st post town on the Koshu Kaido road from Nihonbashi.
The view of Mount Fuji from here has been the subject of paintings by Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige. It is also the birthplace of Inume no Hyosuke, a righteous outlaw of the late Edo period. According to legend, this is the place where he made a dog his servant in the Momotaro legend.
Koshu Kaido Road, Nodajiri Post Town
Koshukaido Notajirijuku
Topographical and geological features, historical features
A plateau landscape developed at the northern edge of the Kanto Mountains.
Neogene marine conglomerate layer.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
The 21st post town on the Koshu Kaido road from Nihonbashi.
The view of Mount Fuji from here has been the subject of paintings by Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige. It is also the birthplace of Inume no Hyosuke, a righteous outlaw of the late Edo period. According to legend, this is the place where he made a dog his servant in the Momotaro legend.
Koshu Kaido Road, Tsurukawa Post Town
Koshukaido Tsurukawajuku
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Riverbank flat topography on the west bank of Tsurukawa River, Neogene marine conglomerate layer.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
It was the 19th post town on the Koshu Kaido road from Nihonbashi. It was the only post town on the Koshu Kaido that employed river porters.
Koshu Kaido Road, Uenohara Post Town
Koshukaido Uenoharajuku
Topographical and geological features, historical features
The terrace surface of a river terrace formed in the Sagami River (Katsura River and Tsurukawa River) system. Quaternary terrace deposits.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
The 18th post town on the Koshu Kaido road from Nihonbashi.
It flourished as a center of logistics, and a city was established there. Several earthen storehouses remain along the current National Route 20, giving a glimpse into its past glory.
Uenohara Station
Uenohara Station
Topographical and geological features, historical features
Built on the middle of a river terrace on the north bank of the Katsura River, the northern and southern entrances have a height difference of 17m. Behind the northern side is a terrace 50m high. The terrain is flat. Neogene marine conglomerate layer.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
The easternmost station in Yamanashi Prefecture. It was established in 1901 as the terminal station of the Japanese National Railways Chuo Line. Due to technical reasons such as the limits for constructing elevated bridges and the limits for iron wheels to climb steep gradients at the time, the station was built on the side of a terrace.
Uenohara Research & Technopark
Uenohara Research Park & Techno Park
Topographical and geological features, historical features
The terrace surface of a river terrace formed in the Sagami River (Katsura River and Tsurukawa River) system. Quaternary terrace deposits.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
It was opened in the 1990s with the aim of attracting corporate research facilities. Although it was deviated from the original plan after the collapse of the bubble economy, it continues to function as a logistics hub.
Shiotsu Station / Comoa Shiotsu
Shiotsu Station / Komoashiotsu Station
Topographical and geological features, historical features
A flat, artificially created landform. Neogene period, dacite rhyolite.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
Developed in the 1990s to meet the demand for detached houses. It served as the setting for the movie Spirited Away.
View from Tsurushima Island
Tsurushima Men from Keikan
Topographical and geological features, historical features
A terrace surface formed by the Sagami River (Katsura River and Tsuru River) system. Neogene marine conglomerate layer.
Folkloric and historical characteristics
It has flourished as a water transport hub since ancient times. There is a legend that it is the place where Momotaro grew up.