阿曽風穴

Aso Windhole

Useful Information

Location:	〒519-2704 Aso, Taiki Town, Watarai County. (34.3355359, 136.4438801)
Open:	no restrictions. [2025]
Fee:	free. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	T=15 °C.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Taikyo Town Commerce, Industry and Tourism Division, Tel: +81-598-86-2243.
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

Description

阿曽風穴 (Aso-huketsu, Aso no Kazeana, Aso Windhole) is a strange show cave, and there are actually several of this type in Japan. This cave was developed with trails, ladders and electric light. There is a sensor, so the light turns on automatically when someone enters the cave. The cave is a show cave, but it is not gated, access is unrestricted and free. The entrance is a little narrow and many people actually rethink a visit. That’s a shame as the cave widens as soon as you are down the short ladder. The passage is quite spacious and well lit, but also very short. It ends at a sump.

Obviously the cave is much bigger than the small section which is developed. Unfortunately its quite low and there is a cave river running through. In other words its necessary to crawl through 15 cm high water. There is a video on youTube where some explorers visited this undeveloped part. We did not link this video and must add a word of warning: which the cave is horizontal, and there are no dangerous climbs, crawling through water is not a good idea. Heavy rain in the vicinity might flood the cave while you are in. And the low temperature of the water requires appropriate equiment, otherwise there is the danger to become hypothermic. Please do not copy their exploration.

There are numerous caves in Taiki Town, the area is karstified. But while some webpages praise the spectacular speleothems and the cave paintings left by ancient people, Either this is AI nonsense or it is marketing babble. The cave is a river cave and regularly flooded, at least the lower part. This prevents the formation of speleothems and destroys cave paintings. Actually the cave is quite spectacular for the quite impressive scallops on the walls which were formed by the flowing water.