Mine · JP

桜山総合公園展望台

Perched at the summit of a 456-metre hill in the town of Mine, Yamaguchi, the Sakurayama General Park Observation Deck (桜山総合公園展望台) is one of the most unusual viewpoints in western Japan. From its multi-tiered tower you look out over the rooftops of Mine town, across a sea of green mountain ridges, and—on clear days—all the way to the islands of the Seto Inland Sea. What makes the view singular is what lies at your feet: a vast open-pit limestone quarry, one of the largest in Japan, whose terraced white walls look almost otherworldly and have drawn comparisons to a canyon landscape found nowhere else in the country. The deck is a free outdoor lookout open around the clock and a favourite of sunrise and sunset photographers.