30/01/2023
A 50-Meter-High Cliff! Exploring the Scenery of Iwado
In the southern part of Oita Prefecture, where the Ono River's main current and the Okudake River merge, stands a 50-meter-high and 500-meter-long towering cliff!
The greater part of this rock cliff, called “Iwado,” is made of welded tuff rock formed 90,000 years ago by deposits from a large body of pyroclastic flow from a massive eruption of Mt. A*o, which melted and then hardened.
Alongside the opening of the Inukai Line (currently the Hohi Main Line) in 1922, the Momoeda Tunnel was dug into the cliff. The dynamic sight of the Momoeda Railway Bridge and the c***ecting Momoeda Tunnel is called the “Iwado Scenery,” and it is very popular among railway enthusiasts.
The train flying out of the wall is an enthralling sight viewable from National Route 502, between Miemachi Station and Bungo-Kiyokawa Station!