Nippara Limestone Caves - Phil In Japan

Nippara Limestone Caves, Okutama

Nippara Limestone Caves, Nippara, Okutama, Tokyo prefecture.

One of the two largest caves in the Kanto region, measuring 1270m long from the entrance to the end and 134m deep from the bottom to the top. It has been registered a natural monument with stratums from 500 million years ago!

Open to the public between the hours of 9am to 5pm all year round, excluding between December 30th and January 3rd.

With a consistent temperature of 11 degrees C throughout the year, it is the perfect way to cool down after a long walk!

Getting There

To get to Nippara Limestone Caves, please take the dedicated bus service from Okutama Station. It takes approximately 30 minutes and follows a winding path along the mountain side.

Please note that only on weekdays will the bus service take you all the way to the caves! On weekends the bus service stops about a 30 minute walk from the cave.

This service has a dedicated bus stop right outside Okutama Train Station, so please check the timetable.

We visited on a weekend, and after completing the 8.2km Ohtama Walking Trail, we did not feel up to the 30 minute walk, twice (from the bus to the cave, and back) so we decided to hire a car share to get to and from the caves. So please consider this as an option only if you are confident in driving along very narrow and winding, mountain side roads!

Inside The Caves

Inside the caves it is cool, perhaps even cold at only 11 degrees C, so please be sure to take an over shirt or jacket with you!

The route through the cave is well lit, but includes some very low ceilings, tight passageways, steep stairs and the occasional water drip!

The rewards however, are well worth negotiating the passageways for!

With ancient stratums from hundreds of millions or years ago, impressive stalagmites and stalactites, musical water drips, shrines and coloured lighting, the ambience and beauty of the caves really takes you away to a magical place.

Try not to rush through Nippara Limestone Caves, you might just miss something that will take your breath away! It is a truly stunning and awe-inspiring piece of natural beauty and wonder!