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Near a dam in the mountainous area of my hometown, I came across an unexpected place.
\nA massive cross-section of exposed geological layers, revealed through excavation.<\/p>\n
The first time I noticed it, I was genuinely moved.
\nThe non-everyday sense of scale, and the fact that this incredibly graphic, almost designed appearance is actually a natural formation \u2014 it was astonishing to realize that something like this exists in nature, and even more so, that it was right here, so close to home.<\/p>\n
This location is the Koka Ballast Aodo Plant, located in Koka City, Shiga Prefecture.
\nIt appears to be an excavation site where one or two mountains have been gradually carved away to extract resources such as limestone.<\/p>\n
When you get close, it\u2019s hard to grasp the full picture.
\nBut viewed from the dam at a distance, the entire shape of the excavated mountain comes into view, revealing its impressive scale.<\/p>\n
What immediately draws the eye is the exposed mountainside itself.
\nThe cut surface forms beautifully defined geological layers, creating elegant horizontal stripes from the base all the way to the summit.<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t help but wonder:
\nHow many tens of thousands of years did it take for these layers to accumulate?
\nThe sense of time embedded here is overwhelming.<\/p>\n
If you look closely, you can spot tiny excavators and dump trucks moving up and down the slope.
\nTheir yellow bodies act like small visual accents \u2014 at that scale, the scene almost resembles a carefully designed graphic poster.<\/p>\n
In Japan, geological layers are often said to form at a rate of about 1 cm per 100 years, meaning 1 meter takes roughly 100,000 years.<\/p>\n
The clearly visible section in these photographs alone appears to be around 50 meters high.
\nThat would represent approximately five million years of geological history.<\/p>\n
Standing before these layers, you realize you\u2019re face-to-face with five million years of time itself \u2014 an experience that exists on a completely different scale from everyday life.<\/p>\n
Of course, I did not approach the site itself.
\nThis is an active work area, and it\u2019s best to keep a safe distance.<\/p>\n
That said, photographing the site from the dam using different lenses, across various seasons and times of day, could be incredibly rewarding.<\/p>\n