Mt. Rakanyama’s Rock Formations

On Mt. Rakanyama's slopes near Aso's outer rim, ancient pyroclastic rocks jut out of the ground at strange angles, some formed over two million years ago before the Aso caldera even existed. Buddhist practitioners once built a temple among these formations and placed 16 arhat statues here, which still remain after the temple was destroyed during the Sengoku period. A deep pool called Osoroshi ga Fuchi sits nearby, fed by a waterfall that echoes inside a cave at its back. The unusual landscape has also doubled as a film stand-in for China.