🗺️ Oyu Stone Circle大湯環状列石(おおゆかんじょうれっせき)

The Oyu Stone Circles are a Jomon archaeological site dating back approximately 4,000 years, located on a plateau at an elevation of 180 meters in the northeastern part of Akita Prefecture. It is one of the 17 sites that make up the "Northeast Hokkaido Jomon Archaeological Sites," which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021. The site consists of two circular stone arrangements: the "Manza Stone Circle," made up of about 6,500 stones (with a maximum diameter of 52 meters), and the "Nonaka-do Stone Circle," composed of around 2,000 stones (with a maximum diameter of 44 meters). At the center of both stone circles, a "sundial-shaped arrangement" is set towards the northwest. When the stones at the center of each circular arrangement align with the "sundial-shaped arrangement," it can be observed that they almost perfectly match the direction of sunset on the summer solstice (the day when the sun is closest to the northern hemisphere, resulting in the longest day of the year). Nearby, there is the "Oyu Stone Circle Museum," which exhibits and explains the artifacts unearthed from the site, providing an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the profound wisdom of ancient humanity.

In July 2021, it was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It consists of the "Manza Circular Stone" and "Nonaka-do Circular Stone," dating back to the late Jomon period (around 4,000 years ago). When the points of the two circular stones are connected, they are almost aligned with the direction of the sunset on the summer solstice.