The beginning of Ooyaji Temple Nearby the Utsunomiya City, the Ooyaji Temple has been built surrounded by a cavern. Within the temple are 10 stone carvings of buddha carved directly into the cavern wall including Japan’s oldest statue of the goddess Kannon (the Oya thousand-armed Kannon).   It is said that long time ago, a venomous snake was living in the Oya area and every creatures were killed by its poison. In A.D. 810, a famous monk Kukai Daishi heard this story and stayed at this area for a few days. When he left, he told people that the snake would never come back again. People found that there was a Senju Kannon (also known as Ooya Kannon) carved into the cavern, and built this temple for thanking Kukai Daishi.   Symbol of Japan's Silk Road, the Ooya Kannon In recent study, scholars had found some similarities between Ooya Kannon and the Buddhas of Bamiyan. It is believed to be Japan’s Silk Road heritage carved by Afghan monks.   When you visit, please join your hands in prayer for world peace and happiness for people while reflecting on Kannon’s great heart.

Experience Oya's usually inaccessible underground stone quarry on a special underground cruise that takes place in total darkness . （Please make reservations via our website)

This huge statue of the goddess Kannon was carved into the wall of a former Oya stone quarry and stands 27 meters tall. It was entirely hand carved as a prayer for those who have fallen in battle and as a hope for world peace. There are well maintained paths and stairs around the statue and from the top you can see all across Oya. If you are visiting Heiwa Kannon, you might also want to check out the Oyaji Temple and the local history museum that are nearby."

The old mining site of Utsunomiya’s famous，Oya Stone，has now been turned into a historical museum. The exhibition features the long history of the mining since the 17th century，with many materials on display. The underground cavern，covering 20,000 sq. metres，is large enough to fit a baseball field. With a fantastic atmosphere reminding visitors of the ruins of Ancient Rome.It is used in various scenes such as movie shooting, music videos shooting, weddings, concert, etc. due to its mysterious scenery.

It is an operating open surface quarry of Oya stone. Next to the quarry are a stone processing plant， a stone waste dump and the mountain owner’s residence and office. You can see a flow of stone-quarrying here and make homemade pizzas in Oya stone， wood-fired pizza ovens. You can also take home a bag of Oya stone in an original KANEHON bag. Plus， there is an exclusive offer of Oya stone outlet items and Isseki series by Oya stone craftsman “Takumi” for tour guests only."