A stay in Iwa can center on its coast, stone quarrying history, or a traditional cultural event. There are also dive sites accessible from the shore and by boat, as well as the Hiradai geological plateau. Cultural history, scenery, diving, and the summer festival appeal to different interests and offer a variety of starting points for planning your trip.
Coastal Culture, Stone Quarrying, and Earth History
A monument to the ancestors of a stonemason in the Iwa district records that Tsuchiya Kakuei first began quarrying stone there toward the end of the Heian period. On the beach in the Iwa stonemason area, you can see remnants of stone quarrying from the Edo period, in the 17th century. These traces relate to different eras: the monument refers to the late Heian period, while the visible remains date to the Edo period. Together, they show two distinct ways of learning about the history of stone quarrying: through a named historical record and through visible remains.
Hiradai lies in the southern part of the Iwa stonemason area. The plateau formed about 180,000 to 170,000 years ago from a lava flow. This adds a much older geological timescale to the historical periods of stone quarrying. The distinction helps put things in context: the monument and quarrying traces tell a story of human history, while Hiradai reflects the formation of a landform by lava.
Beach and Dive Sites
Iwa Beach is a small sandy beach about 200 meters long, known as the beach from which Minamoto no Yoritomo set sail. Its approximate length gives a sense of the scale of this stretch of coast; the connection to Yoritomo adds a historical perspective. There are toilets and showers in the bathing area at Iwa Beach. Their availability may vary by season. If these facilities are important to your plans, check that they are available before your visit.
The IWA Diving Center has one shore-entry dive site and four boat-access dive sites off the coast of Iwa. The breakdown distinguishes the sites by type and number: there is one shore-entry site and four boat-access sites. This setup may change; check the current facilities if this breakdown is important to your plans.
Iwaikaigan Summer Festival
The Iwaikaigan Summer Festival is designated as an important traditional cultural event of Manazuru Town and is held at 957-1 Iwa, Manazuru. The festival includes lanterns on the water, fireworks over the sea, and Bon Odori dancing. There are also food and drink stalls. The program and offerings may vary. If you would like to plan your stay around the festival, check the dates and program in advance.
Getting to Iwa Beach
The journey from Manazuru Station to Iwa Beach is listed as five minutes by bus or about 17 minutes on foot. Check the travel information again before setting out.
Explore more destinations: Chuo, Ogimachi, Isehara, Atsugi, Chigasaki, Hakone, Hayama, Odawara
For the broader travel overview: Kanagawa Prefecture.
