Makidō Cave.

Nice big caves but need a lot of crouching to get through. From the car park to the cave entrance there is short steep hill where you buy your ticket from the machine. Only cashless payment accepted was ICOCA. It takes about 20 mins to get through the whole cave.

Right it’s 1000 yen to get in. Is it worth it ? Yes it was as it’s pretty massive inside and our walk inside including plenty of stops for pictures took us well over an hour. Nicely lit inside with spoken guides it’s pretty interesting. Only thing is it’s situated really in the middle of nowhere and it’s some drive to get here. We were driving past and this was not that far off our track so gave it a shot. If you’re near this place it’s a worthwhile stop.

Cave lit in a way (especially the return route) so it’s impossible to see low ceiling overhangs. Avoid if you don’t want to get injured.

There is a bus from Niimi station or Ikura station. The bus stop is just right in front of the train station. You will be able to use Google Map for the timing to Makido. I have included the bus schedule from Makido to Ikura/Niimi. Hope it helps! I would say that I prefer Ikura cave instead of Makido as there are more to explore, while Makido is a better place for photo taking. If you are making the trip, I would still suggest for you to visit both the place. However, if you can only visit 1 cave then I would say you can choose either Ikura cave for experience and Makido for the sights.

It's such a really nice place for adults and children alike to visit. It's a really different kind of entertainment if you're used to parks and museums and so on. You go inside a mountain, deep inside dark caves, (actually not really dark because the cave is lit with an assortment of colors making it really cool) It feels a little cool and damp inside, you press a button and you can hear some information about what you're looking at (in Japanese) but at the entrance, the brochure you are given before entering the cave is in English and Japanese, so it's very convenient. There is a parking lot just 50 meters from the cave. Getting to the Makido caves is best done by car...I wouldn't recommend getting there even by bus. It's a really remote/rural kind of place. It'll take you an hour or a little more to visit the entire cave (450 meters). Be ready to crouch, watch the low ceiling and your feet (there is an underground stream/water there) ...the kids and I had a lot of fun.