• title Hachibodai Observation Tower
    one word explanation named by the late Imperial Highness Takamatsunomiya
    keywords geologynaturebeautiful
    confirm, register Oga Quasi-National Park
    conservation laws and ordinance Natural Parks Act

    Named in 1952 by the late Prince Takamatsunomiya, Hachibodai Observation Tower offers a magnificent 360°view. Offering an unbroken picturesque view of the former Kitaura Town, the observatory solicited possible names from the public and the most fitting name was chosen from those suggestions by the Prince. Its name roughly translates to “a view from all directions”, and as befitting the name, there is an unobstructed view of Mt. Honzan, Mt. Shinzan, and Mt. Kanpuzan from the viewing platform. The Edo Period travel writer Masumi Sugae drew his view of Ichinomegata Maar, Ninomegata Maar, and Toga Bay, and now you can enjoy the same views with your own eyes.

  • title Ichinomegata Maar
    one word explanation the window that the deep Earth wished for
    keywords geologylegendfood
    confirm, register National Natural Monuments, Oga Quasi-National Park, One hundred geological sites in Japan
    conservation laws and ordinance Act on Protection of Cultural Properties, Natural Parks Act

    Ichinomegata Maar, Ninomegata Maar, and Sannomegata Maar make up the Oga-megata Maars. The only ones of their kind in the Tohoku Region, these freshwater lakes known as maars (crater lakes) provide water for the city of Oga. Ichinomegata Maar has a diameter of 600m, a depth of 44.6m, and is thought to have been formed about 60-80 thousand years ago. You can see peridotite which erupted from the depths of the earth, as well as layers of sedimentary rock called varve, making this important cultural asset world famous.

  • title Ninomegata Maar
    one word explanation the only volcano in the Tohoku region
    keywords geologyhealingbeautiful
    confirm, register Oga Quasi-National Park
    conservation laws and ordinance Natural Parks Act

    With a diameter of 400m and a depth of 11.8m, the freshwater lake of Ninomegata Maar is one of the Oga-megata Maars. A volcano formed by a single eruption is called a monogenetic volcano, and the Oga-megata Maars are an example of this type.

  • title Sannomegata Maar
    one word explanation the only volcano in the Tohoku region
    keywords geologynaturehistory
    confirm, register Akita Prefectural Natural Monuments, Oga Quasi-National Park
    conservation laws and ordinance Akita Prefecture Ordinance for the Protection of Cultural Properties, Natural Parks Act

    Along with Ichinomegata Maar and Ninomegata Maar, Sannomegata Maar is one of the Oga-megata Maars. These freshwater lakes known as maars (crater lakes) are the only ones of their kind in the Tohoku Region. In spring, the shore is covered in beautiful wildflowers such as corydalis ambigua and anemone flaccida.

  • title Toga Bay
    one word explanation A crater formed into a bay after long period of erosion
    keywords geologynaturebeautiful
    confirm, register Oga Quasi-National Park
    conservation laws and ordinance Natural Parks Act

    Toga Bay was formed when the sea flowed into the crater of a monogenetic volcano (a volcano formed by a single eruption). The eruption that formed this volcano occurred about 40 million years ago. The hills around the crater, formed by volcanic material such as pumice, are called a tuff ring. The difference between this and the maars is that although they were also formed by a single eruption, they do not have this hilly ring.