TAIO-KINZAN (Taio Gold Mine) / Hita City

Taio Kinzan (Taio Gold Mine) in Nakatsue Village, Hita City, was once known as the most productive gold mine in East Asia. Having been discovered in 1894, it produced over 2 t of gold annually at its peak and is said to have outshined the Sado Gold Mine (Niigata Prefecture), which was believed to be Japan’s largest gold mine at the time.

Today, a section of the 800 m tunnels remains open to the public as part of an ‘Underground Museum’, which realistically recreates mining scenes from the time, as well as allowing visitors to see the now defunct dynamite blasting sites. The temperature in the tunnels is cool at around 14 °C, making it the perfect attraction to visit in summer.

The gold mining experience is also a popular attraction in the aboveground area. It’s a simple, enjoyable activity where visitors are invited to wade through a tank of sand to find gold nuggets, and it’s a fun way to really get stuck–in to the mining experience. It’s interesting to imagine whether the people who originally worked in the mines got as excited as visitors do when they find gold. In addition, the adjacent roadside station has an outlet store with a wide range of local products, restaurants and camping facilities, allowing visitors to spend their time relaxing in various different ways.