Kyūsendō Cave

photo by inunami · CC BY 2.0

photo by Babi Hijau · Public domain

Discovered in 1973 by university students: 30-minute tour, or 60 with boots and helmet.

You do a loop of about 30 minutes on walkways and iron stairs, among cave formations grown over about 300 million years in a limestone that was once seabed. Those who choose the adventure route hire boots and a helmet and go down where icy water flows, looking for a heart-shaped stone that, the website says, brings happiness.

In March 1973 an Ehime University expedition went down a vertical shaft known as a bat refuge, on Mount Gongen (694 m) above the Kuma River, and at a depth of 70 metres found the cave. After two years of surveys, in 1975 part of it was opened to the public. The official website gives the length as about 5,000 metres, the prefecture and Wikipedia 4,800, of which about 800 can be visited. In July 2020 torrential rains caused two debris flows on the slope behind the cave, which stayed closed for almost two years. Today it is run by the village forestry cooperative, which has next to it a shop, a café, a campsite and a stretch of rafting on the Kuma.

ℹ️ Open every day 9:00–17:00, last entry 16:30 (adventure tours 9:00–16:00), with closures for bad weather and at the end of the year (dates not published). Standard tour, about 30 minutes: 1,100 yen from high school up, 800 for junior high, 600 for elementary, 450 from age 3. Adventure route, 60 minutes: 800 yen more per person, from elementary school (small children with an adult), with boots and helmet for hire; it leaves at fixed times that change with the situation in the cave, so phone 0966-32-0080 first. Booking is not needed, except for groups of 10 or more. Many steep stairs, tiring for the elderly and small children; it is cold inside, so bring a jacket. Car only: 30 minutes from the Hitoyoshi exit, 50 from the Yatsushiro one, 20 from Ashikita. The official access page still speaks of a train (station 球泉洞): this does not apply, because the JR Hisatsu line between Yatsushiro and Yoshimatsu is suspended (prefectural portal, 08/09/2026). A municipal bus of Kuma-mura passes by. ⚠️ After the earthquake of 28/07/2026 the adventure route was suspended and resumed on 08/08/2026; the website and the prefectural portal (08/09/2026) say the cave is operating normally.

🚉 Kyusendo · 13 min walk

Sources: kyusendo.jp · kyusendo.jp · kyusendo.jp · kumamoto.guide · ja.wikipedia.org

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