If you drive to Odarumi-toge to go hiking or visit the Dream Garden on Mount Kitaokusenjodake, keep your eyes open for a very big rock on one side of the road. There is a massive rounded boulder 45 meters high and 27 meters wide that was flung from a nearby volcano some 2 million years ago. Now it looks peaceful, overgrown with trees, ferns, flowers and moss, so that it is hard to imagine its violent arrival. There is a sign in Japanese explaining the details (no English, unfortunately). Take a moment to appreciate the wild flowers beside the road too.
- 1 min read
A Very Big Rock and Wildflowers
Sightseeing on the Kawakami-Makioka Line in Yamanashi

By Cathy Cawood
Community writer

The car in the photo can give you a sense of how huge the rock is

Young trees screen the sides of the rock

Sign explaining about the rock

Small daisy-like flowers

A kind of hydrangea, only blooming in August because of the high altitude and cool temperatures

The leaves of this pink flower look like shiso (perilla)

All the flowers looked fresh in the cool mountain air

Looks familiar, but I can't recall the name

Many flies were attracted to this flower

Mountain scenery along the road

Trailing branches with pink flowers

Another kind of wild flower

Reminds me of foxgloves, but I don't think they are foxgloves

Flowers spilling over the side of the road
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