Taiwan’s Yehliu & Japan’s Akiyoshidai Form Sister Geoparks

By MOOK Travel Life Network, Chen Guanxin, compiled and reported

 

The Yehliu Geopark in Wanli District, New Taipei City, will form a sister geopark partnership with Akiyoshidai National Park in Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture—the largest limestone plateau in Japan. The signing ceremony will be held at 11:00 AM on February 15 this year at the Yehliu Visitor Center. In addition to an exciting drum performance, the event will also feature the debut appearance of Queen, the mascot of Yehliu Geopark, who will host a quiz game with giveaways. To enhance understanding of Akiyoshidai Geopark, a special exhibition on its terrain will be held on the second floor of the Yehliu Visitor Center, using 3D displays to immerse visitors as if they were on-site.

 

 

Additionally, Mine City in Yamaguchi Prefecture, located in the southwestern part of Japan’s Honshu Island, is home to nationally designated Special Natural Monuments, with Akiyoshidai being the largest limestone plateau and a national park. These vast and unique terrains were formed over countless years of environmental changes. Beneath Akiyoshidai, erosion of the limestone has created numerous limestone caves, among which the Akiyoshi Cave on the southern foothills of Akiyoshidai is the largest and most spectacular in East Asia. It was named during a visit by Emperor Showa in 1926 (Taisho 15). Moreover, the cave’s most renowned features, the “Golden Pillar” and the largest “Hundred Plates,” are masterpieces of nature’s artistry that continually appear in this mysterious world. As such, these landforms are not only important sites of long-term geological research but also highly acclaimed scenic destinations, leading to their designation as Special Natural Monuments in 1952 (Showa 27).

 

 

●  Extended Reading:

Thank you, Taiwan！ Japan designs mascot “Taiwan-chan” to promote the island

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