15 Days in Kanagawa & Hokkaido – Day 11 – Makomanai Cemetery

Whoops. Why were we visiting a cemetery…? Well, for starters, this was the only other place of interest to us in the area, so we included the place – ostensibly as an ‘optional’ place to visit after Takino Suzuran Hillside Park Snow World as we were initially expecting to spend a full day at the Park. We ended up leaving the Park early as none of the activities we were there for were opened to the public as there was insufficient snowfall in the park, so now we had all the time to visit the cemetery.

The entrance to Makomanai Cemetery is just a few stops before the Park, so you can easily visit it when you’re on your way to it, or on the return journey. Keep in mind though that Bus 106 goes past every hour, though there seems to be another bus service – 108 – that also picks-up visitors, though the bus-stop for it is inside the cemetery itself.

What about the place? Well, there are a couple of things you’ll notice right away, even if you’re just going past the cemetery. Firstly, the four Chinese-looking warrior statues at the entrance. Secondly, the 40 giant Easter Island Moai Head statues all lined up in a row. There’s also what looks like a life-sized replica of Stonehenge further in after the statues, though there seemed to be signs forbidding visitors from entering into the inner-stone circle itself. Lastly, on the opposite of the row of statues is a path that leads to a sculptured hill with a gigantic statue of buddha. The hill that surrounds the statue is supposed to be covered with Lavender in warm seasons, but even in winter, it looks almost surreal.

The park is huge, but coupled also with the few visitors in the cemetery – perhaps at most a dozen when we were there – almost meant there was no pushing and shoving for pictures. There are no admission fees too. Worth an hour visit. Just hop off the bus to Takino Suzuran Hillside Park Snow World, visit this cemetery, then hop back on the next bus! :)