Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Center

The Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Center is a facility and museum in Oda City, Shimane Prefecture, serving as the base for on-site visits to the World Heritage site “Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape.” Many remains such as tunnels and workshop sites are preserved, and tours and learning programs are held as needed. Since silver was discovered in 1526, the mine was worked for about 400 years, and the center presents this history through exhibits divided into an exhibition building and a storage/experience building. You can also visit actual mine tunnels, where chisel marks on the walls are visible and evoke the work of the past. You can explore on your own, but a low-cost “one-coin guide” is recommended to make the visit more valuable. It is said that most of the “Japan silver” that accounted for about one-third of world output was mined here. Access: from JR San’in Main Line Oda-shi Station, take an Iwami Kotsu bus and get off at “Omori / Sekai Isan Center,” immediately nearby.