瓜割石庭公園, Stone garden park in Takahata, Japan.
Melon-splitting Stone Park is a former quarry site in Takahata that has been converted into a public park, displaying striking yellow sandstone walls carved with geometric patterns from extraction work. The site offers multiple viewpoints where visitors can walk through the carved landscape and observe the layered rock formations up close.
Stone extraction at this site took place from 1923 to 2010, providing materials for traditional buildings and regional stone structures. The quarry was later transformed into a public park and recognized with a landscape award in 2003.
The park received the Yamagata Landscape Award in 2003 for its preservation of industrial heritage and transformation into a public space.
The park is located about 15 minutes by car from JR Takahata Station and has parking available for visitors. Marked pathways and viewing areas allow easy exploration of the rock formations without requiring special equipment or preparation.
The park's name comes from a local story where watermelons placed in the cold spring water of the quarry would split open on their own. This folk tale gave the location its distinctive name and remains connected to visitor experiences today.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
