Irimizu-shōnyūdō Limestone Cave — Attraction in Tamura

I did the B-course and I absolutely loved it. Definitely bring a change of clothes. There are changing rooms and lockers for valuables. You can rent sandals at the cave (regular shoes or even rubber boots really won't work). It was probably the coolest thing I've ever done (but I am a little obsessed with caves and bats, so I have a slight bias). There are bats everywhere, so close that you have to be careful not to knock them off the walls. The underground river rushes by with such force at some points that you can feel it vibrating the rocks themselves. Parts of the cave are unlit, so if you cover your light, you'll be in total darkness with bats above your head and a river rushing by. I'd definitely recommend a headlamp if you have one so that you can keep your hands free for crawling. I was there on a slow day in the off-season, and I think that really improved the experience. I've seen videos from people who visited on busy days, and the water was a bit muddied and squeezing past others was a hassle, so if you can, try to visit when there will be...

Accidentally went to the other caves a 10 minute drive from here. The staff at the ticket booth was really nice and guided us to this limestone cave. It was 1,000 yen for B course and spent an hour in the caves. Cannot book ahead of time but we were able to go straight into the caves once we bought a ticket at the entrance. Really worth the money as it was such a unique experience. Most of the course was pitch black and needed a headlight. The water was quite frigid and at one point it went past the knees. Some places we had to squeeze through really small gaps as well as crouch through water. Highly recommend bringing a spare change of clothes as clothes most likely will get wet. There is a changing room and lockers to put in valuables for 100 yen. Do not recommend brining anything unnecessary into caves as highly likely will get wet or dropped. The whole experience was brilliant as it was evident how untouched the caves were by humans and it was interesting to be able to see how the water has hollowed...

A pretty cool cave system! There are 3 courses: A, B, and C. A is simple and easy -- good for kids and people who really don't want to get wet. B and C are not for the squeamish! You're going to get wet and you are going to get cold. If you are the adventurous type, you're going to have a blast wading through icy cold water and crawling along stones! Our guide was cool and very helpful. Don't bring your smartphone into the cave if you take the B or C course. Actually, I wouldn't advise bringing anything in -- put it all in one of the...