The pillars of earth seen at Awa are hoodoos, thin spires of rock that have been weathered in such a way as to take on an unusual shape.

[1] In Tsuchiya Takakoshi prefectural natural park, the hoodoos seen are made from layers of ancient gravel and sand (later compressed into sandstone) deposited by the nearby Yoshino River, which used to cover the area.

Thought to have formed 1.2 million years ago, the compacted gravel deposited by the river weathers at a slower speed than the sandstone, creating the erratic rock formations.

The hoodoos at Awa are one of only three such formations in the world, with the other two being in the Rocky Mountains and Tyrol.

[5] Media related to Awa Earth Pillar at Wikimedia Commons