A stone town over a vast underground quarry
Oya, on the edge of Utsunomiya north of Tokyo, has long quarried Oya stone, a soft, green-flecked stone that Frank Lloyd Wright used for his Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Walk down into the vast space left underground by the quarrying, then see Buddhas carved into the rock face. It is about 30 minutes by bus from Utsunomiya, which is under an hour from Tokyo by shinkansen.
Walk down into a former quarry about 30 m deep and some 20,000 m² wide, its rock walls still scored by the tools that cut the stone. It stays around 10°C even in summer, so bring a jacket. From December to March it closes on Tuesdays.
A temple whose hall is built against a cliff, where ten Buddhist figures are carved into the rock, including a thousand-armed Kannon about 4 m tall that is said to be among the oldest stone Buddhas in Japan. Closed on Thursdays, and photos are not allowed inside the hall.
A 27 m Kannon carved by hand into the rock face from 1948 to 1954, to mourn the war dead and pray for peace. Steps beside it lead up for a closer look, a short walk from Oya-ji.