The moment you step underground, many visitors fall silent.
Before you stretches an immense space that feels almost like an ancient temple.
Located in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Oya History Museum preserves and opens to the public a real underground stone quarry that was once actively used.
This extraordinary space was created through the extraction of Ōya stone from 1919 to 1986, and its scale is astonishing — covering about 2 hectares with ceilings reaching up to 30 meters high.
The temperature remains around 8°C throughout the year.
Quiet and cool, the underground chamber is also known as a filming location for movies and commercials.
In this article, we’ll introduce the highlights, history, and nearby spots of this remarkable underground world, in a way that’s easy to understand for first-time visitors.
Oya History Museum refers to the entire facility built around a vast underground stone quarry. Its main highlight is the quarry site itself — the very place where stone was once cut and extracted.
The underground space visitors can explore today is the actual site of excavation, not a recreated exhibit. Massive stone pillars, intentionally left behind to prevent collapse, stand throughout the chamber, supporting high ceilings that create a space reminiscent of an underground temple.
In terms of scale, the ceiling reaches up to about 30 meters high, and the open area covers roughly 2 hectares (about 20,000 square meters) — large enough to fit a professional baseball field.
Because the site lies deep underground, the temperature remains stable at around 8°C throughout the year. Even in midsummer, it feels very cool — often quite cold. This naturally low temperature has also been used in the Oya area for storing items such as wine.
The space is also frequently used as a filming location for movies and commercials. Once you see it in person, it’s easy to understand why.
Address: 909 Oya-machi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi (View on Google Maps)
Nearest stations: JR Utsunomiya Station / Tobu Utsunomiya Station
The most common way to reach Oya History Museum is by local bus from either JR Utsunomiya Station or Tobu Utsunomiya Station.
Below are directions from each station. For more details about Utsunomiya Station, please see our related article.
Go to the bus terminal at the west exit of JR Utsunomiya Station.
Board the bus from Platform 6.
Take the No. 45 bus bound for Oya, and get off at “Shiryokan-iriguchi (Museum Entrance)” bus stop (View on Google Maps).
From the bus stop, it is about a 3-minute walk to Oya History Museum.
Bus ride: about 27 minutes
Fare: 530 yen
Walk to the “Tobu-ekimae (in front of Tobu Station)” bus stop near Tobu Utsunomiya Station (View on Google Maps).
Take the No. 45 bus bound for Oya, and get off at “Shiryokan-iriguchi (Museum Entrance)” bus stop.
This is the same Route 45 bus as the one from JR Utsunomiya Station — it passes through Tobu-ekimae on the way.
Bus ride: about 22 minutes
Fare: 530 yen
The underground space at Oya History Museum is an actual quarry site formed through the extraction of Ōya stone between 1919 and 1986.
Ōya stone is a type of tuff — rock formed from compressed volcanic ash — found around the Oya district of Utsunomiya. Because it is relatively easy to shape and work with, it was widely used as a building material. As demand grew, quarrying expanded and gradually moved from the surface to deeper underground.
In the early years, quarrying was done entirely by hand using tools such as pickaxes. According to official explanations, hand excavation continued until around 1960.
Mechanization then began to transform the industry. The first automated quarrying machine was completed in 1957, and by around 1960, quarrying operations in the area had largely become mechanized.
Underground, a mining method was used in which large stone pillars were intentionally left in place to support the ceiling and prevent collapse. This technique created the vast open spaces seen today.
The area open to visitors covers about 20,000 square meters, reaching depths of roughly 30 meters underground.
One reason underground quarry sites like this are rarely open to the public is that most stone extraction in Japan has traditionally been done through open-pit quarrying, where hillsides are cut away. This method usually does not leave behind large underground spaces.
In Oya, however, quarrying involved not only surface excavation but also extensive underground mining. As a result, enormous subterranean chambers were created.
Underground spaces also require continuous safety management and maintenance. In the Oya area, local authorities have addressed preservation and safe management of quarry landscapes and excavation sites as important issues.
For these reasons, even though quarry remains exist in various places, only a limited number are maintained and operated in a condition suitable for regular public access. Oya History Museum is therefore widely recognized as a representative site where visitors can explore a preserved underground quarry.
Even in summer, the temperature inside the underground space drops to single digits Celsius, so be sure to bring a long-sleeved layer.
It’s about a 3-minute walk from the “Shiryokan-iriguchi (Museum Entrance)” bus stop, so it’s easy to find.
Before heading to the museum, make sure to check the return bus schedule, as buses do not run very frequently. A photo of the timetable is provided below.
As mentioned earlier, the underground quarry is vast.
The sheer scale makes it easy to see why it’s often compared to an underground temple.
Finally, here is the bus timetable for your reference.
Blue: Weekdays
Green: Saturdays
Red: Sundays and public holidays
If you have some extra time after visiting Oya History Museum, two nearby spots worth stopping by are Ōya Kannon and Heiwa Kannon.
Both are within walking distance — about an 8–10 minute walk (around 600 meters) from the museum.
They stand across the road from each other, so you can think of them as being in the same area.
Ōya Kannon is located inside a temple building (Ōya-ji Temple), while Heiwa Kannon is a giant stone statue in an outdoor park. Even a short visit offers a completely different atmosphere from the underground quarry.
Address: 1198 Oya-machi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi (View on Google Maps)
Ōya Kannon is a cliff-carved image of Senju Kannon (the Thousand-Armed Kannon) located inside the main hall of Ōya-ji Temple.
The statue is about 4 meters tall and is carved directly into the rock face.
According to the temple’s official explanation, tradition says the statue was carved in 810 AD by Kobo Daishi (Kukai).
Opening hours
Apr–Sep: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Oct–Mar: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
(Last admission 20 minutes before closing)
Closed
Thursdays (open if Thursday is a public holiday)
Dec 26 – Dec 31
Admission fee
Adults: 500 yen
Junior high school students: 200 yen
Elementary school students: 100 yen
Cash payment only
Address: 1174 Oya-machi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi (View on Google Maps)
Heiwa Kannon is a 27-meter-tall statue of Kannon carved into a massive rock face of Ōya stone.
It was created to honor those who lost their lives in World War II and to pray for world peace. Construction began in 1948 and was completed in 1954.
The surrounding area is now maintained as Oya Park, and visitors can freely view and pay their respects.
Opening Hours
Apr–Nov: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (last entry 4:30 PM)
Dec–Mar: 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM (last entry 4:00 PM)
Admission
Adults: 700 yen
(According to the official announcement, the admission fee will increase to 800 yen from April 2026.)
Children (elementary & junior high school): 350 yen
Preschool children: Free
Cash payment only.
Closed
Apr–Nov: Open daily (no regular closing days)
Dec–Mar: Closed on Tuesdays
(If Tuesday is a public holiday, the museum closes the following day.)
Year-end / New Year closure: Dec 26 – Jan 3
Note
Information is current as of November 30, 2025.
According to the official announcement, admission fees will change from April 2026.
Please check the official website for the latest details before visiting.
Utsunomiya Stat…
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