Discover Yonaguni Monument – Japan’s Mysterious Underwater “City”

Lost, ancient civilizations more advanced than should be possible have popped up throughout history. The most famous is Atlantis, but it’s not the only one. There are many cities theorized to have existed, such as the Lost City of Z, El Dorado, Avalon, and Shangri-La. The Yonaguni Monument might be evidence of Japan‘s own lost underwater city.

Want to learn more about the mysterious underwater city that could be a long-lost ancient civilization? If so, you’ll need to continue reading below.

Where Is Yonaguni Monument?

The Yonaguni Monument is just off the coast of Yonaguni. It’s part of Okinawa, in the southernmost part of the Japanese Ryukyu Islands. To put its location in another perspective, it’s just 62 miles east of Taiwan.

What Is the Monument?

The monument measures 328 feet by 197 feet by 82 feet. It’s under the water, in a rather shallow area of the ocean. People who have seen the monument often describe it as a pyramid or a building with a lot of steps.

Based on the way the building looks, it’s very likely that the monument is man-made. After all, though nature is amazing, the stairs, smooth surfaces, and general design of the structure make it rather difficult to believe that it was an accidental design.

However, the problem is the age of the monument. It’s several thousand years old. This would put it well before humans were known to make structures like this. The Jōmon people, a group of hunter-gatherers native to Japan, would have had to have been the ones to make the structure. One problem with that is that they were not known to make big monuments.

Lost Civilization or Nature?

This has led people to believe that the monument could be evidence of a lost civilization. It could be Japan’s own version of Atlantis. There were two theorized to be near Japan; Mu and Lemuria. For this to be the case, the structures would have to be at least 5,000 years old, which these structures definitely are.

There is still a lot of debate surrounding the monuments. Not everyone is convinced that it’s something made by humans instead of nature. There are similar formations on land just north of Yonaguni that have similar designs. Scientists are fairly certain that these structures were made by nature.

Those who argue that nature did make the monument generally point to tectonic activity. It’s possible that frequent earthquakes from tectonic activity could have caused the geometric patterns and designs on the stone that look manmade. It would also explain why the stairs are so large. They are much too large to use as actual stairs.

Some people say they see animal-like carvings around the monument. However, people tend to take random designs and patterns and try to place sense on them. It’s called pareidolia. This is the same phenomenon that causes you to see faces in buildings or animals in the clouds. People might think they’re seeing an animal-like carving in the stone. However, it could just be their brains trying to make it into something it’s not.

Also, the exact age of the structure isn’t known. The sandstone and shale that make up the stone date back to 20 million years ago.

When Was the Monument First Discovered?

Yonaguni Monument was first discovered in 1986. A diver local to the area, Kihachiro Aratake, was out swimming and exploring. He’d gone to check out some nearby hammerhead sharks when he stumbled across the monument.

He immediately knew it was something important, and that people needed to be told about what he discovered.

Can Anyone Tour the Monument?

Pretty much anyone can visit the monument. It’s in shallow waters, so it’s easy enough to get down to. However, there are strong currents on occasion. For this reason, many tour companies require you to have diving certifications and experience.

While taking a tour is useful, because it allows you to get more information about the monument and have skilled divers with you in the event something goes wrong, they aren’t required. The monument isn’t protected, so people are allowed to visit it at their own discretion.

There are occasionally scientists in the area studying the rocks. Some expeditions are sent out to try and get more definitive information about the monument. But otherwise, tours and people curious about the monument are all that you’ll find near there.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Melkov – License / Original