入水鍾乳洞

Irimizu shonyudo - Jusui shōnyūdō - Irimizu Limestone Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Dairoku-89-3 Takinemachi Sugaya. Tamura, Fukushima 963-3601 2 km from JR Banetsu East Line Kanmata Station. 11 km from Banetsu Expressway Ono IC. (37.355534, 140.664841)
Open:	16-FEB to 19-NOV daily 8:30-17:00 20-NOV to 15-FEB daily 8:30-16:30 [2022]
Fee:	Tour A: Adults CNY 600, Children CNY 500, Disabled CNY 400. Groups (15+): Adults CNY 550, Children CNY 450. Tour B: Adults CNY 800, Children CNY 600. Groups (15+): Adults CNY 700, Children CNY 500. Tour C: Adults CNY 6,000. [2022]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	L=900 m, T=10 °C (water).
Guided tours:	Tour A: self guided, L=300 m, D=30 min. Tour B: self guided, L=1,200 m, D=60 min. Tour C: guided, L=1,800 m, D=90 min, Min=1, Max=5.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Irimizu Stalactite Cavern Management Office, Dairoku-89-3 Takinemachi Sugaya, Tamura, Fukushima 963-3601, Tel: +81-247-78-3393. Abukuma Caves Management Office, 1 Higashikamayama, Takinemachi, Tamura City, Fukushima Prefecture 963-3601, Tel: +81-247-78-2125, Fax: +81-247-78-2127. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1927	cave discovered.
28-DEC-1934	designated as a national natural monument.

Description

入水鍾乳洞 (Irimizu shonyudo, Irimizu Limestone Cave) offers three different tours, a short and a long tourist tour, and a cave trekking tour, which includes an active passage. The passage is 900 m long, and the tours all visit the same passage and return to the exit. For the short tour the point of return is after 150 m, so they have a total walking distance of 300 m. The long tour goes 600 m deep inside and the cave trekking tour 900 m to the end of the passage. The last part has a cave river, so this tour includes wading through the mostly knee-deep water.

The ticket office rents shorts and plastic sandals for the river part, which is probably a bit too refreshing as the water has only 10 °C, which is much colder than tap water. They also sell candles, simple plastic raincoats, and headlamps, helmets and knee-pads are provided free of charge. We recommend bringing your own helmet with a good headlamp, and wear a fleece jacket, so you won't need the raincoat. Cavers generally use gum boots for such caves, but we guess water shoes, especially those made of neoprene, are far more comfortable. Since canyoning and other water sports have become so popular, it's quite simple to get them in shoe shops. The cave trekking tour is guided, unlike the other two, and the groups are very small, probably due to the size of the cave passage. As a result the fee is pretty steep.