Menfudo Stalactite Cave

The stalactites and stalagmites in this mysterious and beautiful cave are rich in expression. The total length of the cave is 170m, and the largest cave is approximately 5 to 6m in diameter and more than 10m high.

Located at an elevation of 878m, the cave is a natural refrigerator that maintains a temperature of 8 degrees Celsius all year round, and the stone Buddha of Fudo is enshrined at the deepest point.

The limestone cave, spread out on the ground on a hill overlooking the village of Dorogawa, is one of the largest of its kind in the Kansai region.

Inside the caves, stalactites form a dome-like ceiling and stalagmites extend from the ground to form various objects, creating a beautiful and mysterious underground palace. The most precious of all is the straw stalactite tube, a straw-shaped stalactite.

One of the most enjoyable ways to get there is to take the monorail, nicknamed “dolocco.

Discovered in 1933, it took five years to excavate the site. The Dorogawa area is a hydrothermal area containing limestone, and it is thought that in ancient times the entire area where the village is now located was a huge limestone cave.

It is thought that this collapsed and the present limestone cave may have been the end of the limestone cave.

It is believed that rainwater containing carbon dioxide dissolved the accumulated “karst topography,” creating a large cavity.

It takes more than 100 years for a stalactite to grow one centimeter.