Sightseeing in Ohya Village

Quarry, Stoneware, Towering Goddess Statue, Temple

Stacy Kurokawa Sep 30, 2012 - 1 min read

Across from Ohyaji Temple, find a couple of shops selling stone lanterns and bowls like these ones, presumably for gardens

View out gift/coffee shop window, Ohya Quarry Ruins

Find Ohya Heiwa Kannon in Ohya Keikan Koen, just across from Ohya-ji Temple

Ohyji Temple's garden has a carp pond, some lovely trees and Japanese bridge

Of all the places I took my mother in Japan, she liked Ohya best. We went there by bicycle. Greenery is abundant and seems to taking over. We saw quite a few derelict homes like this. The stone industry was far bigger years ago

We visited the gift shop at the public quarry and relaxed for a while with some refreshments in this attached coffee shop

Here's my friend in front of a square peak. Ohya is a lovely to cycle around when the weather allows for it. Bicycles can be rented from Utsunomiya Station for Y100/day

Ohya holds a festival by this river each year at the end of September. You will pass this spot just before you arrive at Ohyaji Temple

Most tourists don't have the means to carry this kind of souvenir home but some smaller items can be found. I bought a tiny stone vase

Ohya is a beautiful little town in Tochigi Prefecture. Ohya and limestone are synonymous. The town is surrounded by cliffs and spectacular peaks created from limestone production, so big it was used to manufacture airplanes during WWII, and so deep that it is always chilly (bring a cardigan or jacket). Ohyaji Temple is near the quarry and unique for Japan’s oldest Buddhist figure, sculpted into the wall of a cave as well as the skeleton remains of a prehistoric man. Then, climb to the head of a towering Peace Kannon statue in Ohya Keikan-koen Park.

Stacy Kurokawa @stacy.kurokawa

It's with a love of adventure that I came to Japan in 2003. I love getting off the beaten track and getting around by bicycle. In 2020, I qualified as a Forest Therapy Guide. I guide in parks in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture nowadays.