Kitagi Island Quarry and Stone-Cutting Canyon Observation Deck

Kitagi Island has long coexisted with stone and is recognized as a Japan Heritage site known as the “Island of Stone.” One of its constituent cultural properties is Tsuruta Quarry, where stone has been quarried on Kitagi Island for 132 years since 1892 (Meiji 25). Located within Tsuruta Quarry, the Stone-Cutting Canyon Observation Deck offers views not of an industrial relic, but of a working quarry that continues to change as active quarrying takes place.

Quarrying currently takes place below the surface of the Seto Inland Sea in search of higher-quality stone, allowing visitors to safely take in the entire quarrying site from the observation deck. Excavations have reached more than 40 meters (131 feet) below sea level, and the difference in elevation within the quarry exceeds 100 meters (328 feet). Experience the thrill of its dizzying height and depth.

From the observation deck, you can get a vivid sense of the canyon’s depth and the scale of the quarrying operation. Ladders used by the workers connect like something from a video game as they extend deep into the canyon, while heavy machinery and tire tracks far below look as small as toys.

Take in sights found only at a quarry with more than 100 years of history, including exposed rock faces that reveal how quarrying methods have changed over time and weathering that attests to the quality of the stone.