Hokudan Earthquake Memorial Park

The Hokudan Earthquake Memorial Park is a memorial park in Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture, that preserves the Nojima Fault, which surfaced during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Inside the park is the Nojima Fault Preservation Museum, where you can observe, as it appeared on the ground surface, the displacement created by the earthquake fault. Access is about a 20-minute drive from Awaji IC on the Kobe–Awaji–Naruto Expressway. The former Hokudan Town Ogura area, where the park is located, suffered severe damage, including many fatalities and extensive destruction of homes. At the Nojima Fault Preservation Museum, visitors can witness firsthand the terrifying power of earthquakes, and can also listen to firsthand accounts and lessons from “earthquake storytellers” (survivor guides). The park also features the “Wall of Kobe,” a firebreak wall originally built as part of a public market before the war; it neither burned in the Kobe air raids nor collapsed in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. It was relocated from Kobe City as a relic to prevent the memories of World War II and the earthquake from fading. In addition, you can enjoy local Awaji cuisine at the on-site restaurant, and on the way home you can browse the products shop for Awaji Island souvenirs.