Iwami Ginzan & Yunotsu

The Iwami Ginzan silver mines and the Omori old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Yunotsu, a historic harbour and hot-spring town with old-fashioned bathhouses and Iwami Kagura performances. A stop on a deep trip along the San'in coast.

Iwami Ginzan–Yunotsu lies in the city of Ōda in central Shimane Prefecture. It is the core of the “Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape,” inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2007. Silver mined here between the 16th and 17th centuries was shipped out through the ports of Yunotsu and Okitsu, supporting silver trade between Japan, East Asia and Europe. The main sites are in three areas.

First is the Ōmori area, with the red-tiled old street of Ōmori Ginzan, the site of the magistrate's office, and the Kumagai House. From the Ginzan River, you can walk about 2.3 km south along the trail to Ryugenji Mabu, a mine tunnel. Along the way are the Gohyakurakan (500 Arhats) at Rakanji Temple and the ruins of the Shimizudani smelting works.

Second is Yunotsu, about 15 km west. Its old-fashioned hot-spring street has two public bathhouses fed by springs, Yakushi-yu and Motoyu. On Saturday evenings you can see Iwami Kagura performances. Nearby are the old harbours of Okitsu and Tomonoura.

Third, to the northeast, are the Mount Sanbe volcanic grassland, the Azukihara buried forest and the Kotonohama singing sand beach.

The best seasons for hiking are April–May and October–November. Summers are hot and humid, and the rainy season in June brings a lot of rain.

Getting there: From Ōda station on the JR San'in Main Line, take a bus for about 25 minutes to Ōmori. Yunotsu has its own JR station. From Izumo city, it is about 1 hour by car. From Hiroshima, take an expressway bus for about 2.5 hours. Private cars are not allowed into the Ōmori area, so park at the World Heritage Center and transfer by shuttle bus. You can rent electric bicycles. The best option is to stay at an inn in Yunotsu and plan 1–2 days: one day for a silver mine hike and one day for Yunotsu and the surrounding area. Shops in the old street generally close around 5 p.m., and some facilities close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Top sights

Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft – The only Edo-period mine in Iwami Ginzan open year-round. You can walk about 273 metres of tunnel to see chisel marks and side galleries.
Omori Ginzan Townscape – A mining town stretching about 800 metres along the Ginzan River, with samurai residences, merchant houses and temples. It is a nationally…
Yunotsu Onsen Town – A quaint hot-spring town beside Ginzan's outer port, and Japan's only hot-spring town designated as an Important Preservation District for…
Yakushiyu Bathhouse – Yunotsu's landmark public bath, with a Taisho-era Western-style building and tea-brown hot spring water fed straight from the source. Upsta…
Mount Sanbe – A dormant volcano ringed by several peaks, including Otoko-Sanbe, around a crater plateau. Open grasslands and summit views, with a chairli…
Kumagai Residence – The largest merchant residence in Ōmori, an Important Cultural Property, with rooms furnished with everyday objects that show how the wealt…
Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine Museum – A museum on the site of the Ōmori magistrate's office, housed in a former district office, showing silver coins, ore, mining tools and offi…
Rakan-ji Five Hundred Arhats – Three cave shrines carved into a rock face, housing 500 stone arhat statues dedicated to the prayers of miners who died in the silver mines.
Shimizudani Refinery Ruins – A modern silver refinery built at great expense in the Meiji era but operated for only about a year and a half. Its stone terraces stacked…
Okubo Mabu Mine Shaft – One of the largest mine shafts at Iwami Ginzan, accessible only on a limited guided tour. Wear a helmet and carry a torch into tunnels from…
Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Center – The Ginzan visitor centre and exhibition hall, with large models, films and replica silver bars. It is also where you park and transfer to…
Kigami Shrine – The guardian shrine of Ōmori, with a large dragon painted on the ceiling of its worship hall. Clapping beneath the dragon's eye produces a…
Tatsu-Gozen Shrine & Iwami Kagura – A small shrine at the end of Yunotsu's street, backed by a huge rock. Saturday-evening performances of Iwami kagura, with fierce drumming a…
Okidomari Port – A small bay on Yunotsu's north side, used as a naval port for shipping silver and loading supplies in the Edo era. Dozens of boat-mooring h…
Tomogaura Port & Old Silver Road – A port used in the early development of Ginzan to ship silver ore, with mooring holes still visible in the rock walls. The Tomogaura Road l…
Sanbe Azukihara Buried Forest – A cedar forest buried in mudflow about 4,000 years ago when Mount Sanbe erupted. From the underground exhibition pit you look up at giant t…
Sanbe Nature Museum Sahimel – A prefectural natural history museum on the northern side of Mount Sanbe, with volcanic and biological specimens, a planetarium and a large…
Kotogahama Singing Sand Beach – A white-sand beach about 1.6 km long where dry sand squeaks underfoot. It is one of Japan's celebrated singing-sand coasts.
Nima Sand Museum – A museum themed on sand. Its glass pyramids hold the world's largest One-Year Hourglass, which townspeople turn together every New Year's D…
Mononobe Shrine – The Ichinomiya, or chief shrine, of ancient Iwami Province. It enshrines the ancestral deity of the Mononobe clan, and its main hall is in…

Where to eat

Cafe Jyuru – A café in a century-old traditional house in Omori-cho; its signature beef tendon stew lunch is limited and often full.
Minato no Shokudo KAN – A harborside seafood restaurant at the entrance of Yunotsu Onsen; its signature Gyoshi-meshi set is assembled at the ta…
Gungendo Iwami Ginzan Main Store Café – The flagship store of the lifestyle brand Gungendo; its café area in a traditional house faces a green courtyard and se…
Oshokujidokoro Omori – A soba restaurant right opposite the Omori Daikansho Ruins; its signature Daikan soba set offers both warigo and kama-a…