Giant 'Pac-Man' rock drawing crowds to mountain in Miyazaki

MIYAZAKI – A giant rock resembling Pac-Man is drawing climbers to a mountain in Miyazaki Prefecture, with visitors eager to snap photos to share on the internet. A 90-minute hike from the Shishigawa campground in Nobeoka, takes mountain climbers and tourists to "Pakkun Iwa" ("Pac-Man Rock"). The boulder, around 7 meters in diameter, sits on a trail leading to the top of 1,277-meter Mount Hoko. The large opening in the lower part of the rock prompts visitors to strike funny poses, as if they are being devoured like the dots and fruit the round yellow character eats in its namesake video game. The rock is in the Sobo-Katamuki-Okue mountain range, which was designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO last year.