Ryusendo Cave, Iwate - SweeTrip Japan

Ryusendo Cave

Table of Contents

1 About Ryusendo Cave
2 Cave Highlight
3 Best to visit in ..
4 The Area Spot
5 Information

About Ryusendo Cave

Ryusendo Cave (龍泉洞, Ryūsendō) is an extensive limestone cave in the mountains of Iwaizumi Town in Iwate Prefecture and regarded as one of Japan’s three great limestone caves (along with Akiyoshido in Yamaguchi and Ryugado in Kochi).

Ryusendo cave is estimated to be over 5,000 meters long and Around 700 meters of the cave is open to the public as a sightseeing course.
Featuring a string of vivid blue and emerald green underground lakes, it’s a must-see for those traveling in Iwate.

Cave Highlight

Inside Ryusendo Cave there are four fresh water lakes, and three of them are open to the public for viewing. The deepest of these is 98 meters. The lakes are illuminated, making the water appear a vivid and ethereal blue, the unique coloured water known as “Dragon Blue”

Inside the cave, there is one amazing natural made spot. Spot that stands out is a stalagmite and looks strikingly similar to Jizo, ( Jizo = Buddhist protector of children and travelers).
So they called it “Jizo Rock”

Jizo Iwa – Jizo Rock

Inside the cave there is rare bats which may be seeing while walk inside the dark spots. We couldn`t see one, usually the bats are inactive during the day, but they occasionally make an appearance early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Some of the bats are rare species, So if you are lucky enough you may see one.

Best to visit in ..

Summer!
Far underground, Ryusendo Cave provides a naturally air-conditioned adventure during the sweltering Japanese summer. In fact, the temperature of the cave stays on about 10°C throughout the year , making it quite comfortable in the winter as well.

The Area Spot

The spot has been drawing attention in recent years as a “lover’s sanctuary,” a romantic setting often visited by couples.
And has matching wooden-dragon statue, a famous photo stop.

Also, the name place is “Ryusendo・龍泉洞” which means
Ryu・龍=Dragon ,
Sen・線 = A place where naturally water comes out from the underground
Do・洞 = Cave
So inside the name there is Kanji of Dragon, and that`s is way the area is full of Dragon structure and Dragon art

The nearby Ryusendo Tourist Centre offers local products and a variety of dishes made with local produce (Really recommend their Tororo Soba! It was super delicious!) and there is a rest area on the upper floor where visitors can see photos and videos of Ryusendo Cave while enjoying a free cup of tea or water.

There about 5-10 minutes walk from the parking lot. Because we went there in March it looks little lonely after the winter. I think it will be beautiful green in the summer. Also, there is clear river that pass through .