If you drive to Odarumi-toge to go hiking or visit the Dream Garden on Mount Kitaokusenjodake, keep your eyes open for a very big rock on one side of the road. There is a massive rounded boulder 45 meters high and 27 meters wide that was flung from a nearby volcano some 2 million years ago. Now it looks peaceful, overgrown with trees, ferns, flowers and moss, so that it is hard to imagine its violent arrival. There is a sign in Japanese explaining the details (no English, unfortunately). Take a moment to appreciate the wild flowers beside the road too.
- 1 min read
A Very Big Rock and Wildflowers
Sightseeing on the Kawakami-Makioka Line in Yamanashi
![Cathy Cawood Cathy Cawood](https://a1.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/u/1713/240x240!/61d020bdef751f611f5e3c02.jpg)
By Cathy Cawood
Community writer
![The car in the photo can give you a sense of how huge the rock is](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154231/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154231.jpg)
The car in the photo can give you a sense of how huge the rock is
![Young trees screen the sides of the rock](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154230/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154230.jpg)
Young trees screen the sides of the rock
![Sign explaining about the rock](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154229/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154229.jpg)
Sign explaining about the rock
![Small daisy-like flowers](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154232/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154232.jpg)
Small daisy-like flowers
![A kind of hydrangea, only blooming in August because of the high altitude and cool temperatures](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154233/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154233.jpg)
A kind of hydrangea, only blooming in August because of the high altitude and cool temperatures
![The leaves of this pink flower look like shiso (perilla)](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154234/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154234.jpg)
The leaves of this pink flower look like shiso (perilla)
![All the flowers looked fresh in the cool mountain air](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154235/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154235.jpg)
All the flowers looked fresh in the cool mountain air
![Looks familiar, but I can't recall the name](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154236/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154236.jpg)
Looks familiar, but I can't recall the name
![Many flies were attracted to this flower](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154237/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154237.jpg)
Many flies were attracted to this flower
![Mountain scenery along the road](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154238/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154238.jpg)
Mountain scenery along the road
![Trailing branches with pink flowers](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154239/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154239.jpg)
Trailing branches with pink flowers
![Another kind of wild flower](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154240/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154240.jpg)
Another kind of wild flower
![Reminds me of foxgloves, but I don't think they are foxgloves](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154241/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154241.jpg)
Reminds me of foxgloves, but I don't think they are foxgloves
![Flowers spilling over the side of the road](https://a3.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/30680-154242/1000/yamanashi-wildflowers-and-a-very-big-rock-154242.jpg)
Flowers spilling over the side of the road
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