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鯛生金山（日田市）
TAIO-KINZAN (Taio Gold Mine) / Hita City
鯛生金山 （日田市）
大分県日田市中津江村にある「鯛生金山」は、かつて東洋一とも称された金鉱山。1894年に金鉱が発見され、最盛期には年間2トン以上の金を産出。日本最大といわれた佐渡金山（新潟県）をもしのぐ勢いだったと伝えられています。
現在は、旧坑道の一部約800mが「地底博物館」として公開され、当時の採掘風景をリアルに再現した展示や、ダイナマイトの発破跡などを見学できます。坑道の気温は14度前後と涼しく、夏場の見学にもピッタリです。
地上エリアでは砂金採り体験も人気。水槽の砂をかきわけて金の粒を見つけるシンプルなアクティビティですが、つい夢中になってしまう楽しさがあります。かつて鉱山で働いていた人たちも、同じように金鉱石を見つける瞬間に胸を躍らせたのでしょうか。さらに、隣接する道の駅では地元の特産品がそろう直売所やレストラン、キャンプ施設も整備されており、のんびりとした時間を過ごすことができます。
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 tonnes 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 800m 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 degrees Celsius, 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.
