満奇洞

Maki-do - Maki Cave

Useful Information

photography — **満奇洞** (Makido - Maki Cave), Japan. Public Domain.

Location:	2276-2, Toyonaga-akouma, Niimi City, Okayama Prefecture 718-2721. East of Niimi city, near Toyonagaakouma. (34.971571, 133.583618)
Open:	All year daily 8:30-17, last admission 16:30. [2020]
Fee:	Adults JPY 1,000, Children (12-17) JPY 800, Children (6-11) JPY 500. Groups: discount. Parking: free. [2020]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	LED
Dimension:	L=450 m, T=15 °C.
Guided tours:	L=400 m, D=20 min.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Makido, 2276-2, Toyonaga-akouma, Niimi City, Okayama Prefecture 718-2721, Tel: +81-867-74-3100.
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

1929	visited by Akiko Yosamo and Tetsuji Yosano.
05-NOV-1957	designated a Natural Monument.
2014	LED light installed.
2015	won the Lighting Diffusion Award from the Lighting Institute of Japan.

Description

満奇洞 (Makido - Maki Cave) is a small show cave off the beaten track. The fossil cave with numerous speleothems is lighted in red, green, or blue lights, a thing which is rather kitschy for western tourists. The Japanese seem to like it though. The cave has an underground lake and a red Ryugu-bashi bridge crossing it.

This cave was discovered by a hunter who was chasing a raccoon with a dog. This was at the end of the Edo period, and so this cave is generally called the first ever discovered cave in Japan. The cave was named by the wife of the famous poet Tetsuji Yosano, Akiko Yosamo