Hikarimo Golden Algae Caves ヒカリモ生育地

Spooky luminous algae

While on a cycling trip through Tateyama City, I happened upon this out of the way nature spot. The way finding signs led to a signboard in English and Japanese indicating caves with golden algae. It took me a moment to realize the caves are a series of hollows, most only a meter deep and half a meter high. The first one I peered into was cool and dark, but after some wandering I found two with the seemingly luminous algae. The algae, though not bioluminescent, have a pigment that catches ambient light and makes it appear to glow. If you’re on a cycling or walking adventure in Tateyama, it’s fun to spot the way finding signs. There are a dozen or so historical and natural spots here.