The local children call Stone Circle A, which is made up of more than 1,200 stones, the “Melon.” Each stone has a different color and shape, but don’t let that distract you from paying attention to the arrangements itself. Do you see the shape of a ladder? This same stone placement can be found in the Jomon sites in Aomori as well. So what’s going on here, what’s the connection?

Even back then the Jomon people crossed the oceans and traded with other settlements. Sometimes more than just goods were exchanged, and there were inter-village marriages. When that happened, ideas like stone arrangements were also exchanged. Perhaps a bride from Aomori came to this settlement and said, “Back home we arranged them like this!” To which the locals said, “Oh, let’s try that here!” There’s no particular evidence to that effect, but no one can deny the plausibility.