Made of sedimentary rocks, the islands of Matsushima Bay were eroded by waves, wind and rain, and thus some of them have been shaped in unusual forms.

In many cases, the locals named them inspired by the shape, and that’s the case of the small island photographed here, called Niojima, because it is said to look like the statue of a Nio guardian, a type of deity often placed at the entrance of a Japanese Buddhist temple.

Niojima, Matsushima, Miyagi

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Simply beautiful Japanese scenes, Imabari castle reflection