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Matthew Haswell | profile | all galleries >> Japan 日本 >> Chūgoku 中国 >> Ōmori and Iwami Ginzan 大森と石見銀山 tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Okayama 岡山 | Kurashiki 倉敷 | Takahashi 高梁 | Tottori 鳥取 | Hiroshima 広島 | Miyajima 宮島 | Matsue 松江 | Adachi Art Museum 足立美術館 | Izumo Taisha 出雲大社 | Ōmori and Iwami Ginzan 大森と石見銀山 | Tsuwano 津和野 | Iwakuni 岩国 | Hagi 萩 | Yamaguchi and Hōfu 山口と防府 | Shimonoseki 下関

Ōmori and Iwami Ginzan 大森と石見銀山

Established in the 16th century, Iwami Ginzan is a historic mining area that under the Tokugawa shogunate produced the third largest amount of silver in the world in the 1600s. Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 along with its beautifully preserved outer town of Ōmori, the area has since become one of the biggest tourist destinations in Shimane Prefecture.
Crane above a water channel along the train line
Crane above a water channel along the train line		 Morning arrival at Ōda-shi Station
Morning arrival at Ōda-shi Station		 Arriving in old Ōmori
Arriving in old Ōmori		 Modern touches in old Japan
Modern touches in old Japan
Restaurant storefront
Restaurant storefront		 Queuing outside a town bakery
Queuing outside a town bakery		 Decoration dangling outside a machiya
Decoration dangling outside a machiya		 Old streetscape in Ōmori
Old streetscape in Ōmori
View across the rooftops of Ōmori
View across the rooftops of Ōmori		 Web with spider in front of a temple
Web with spider in front of a temple		 Looking southwards down the valley
Looking southwards down the valley		 Small Buddhist altar in a rockface
Small Buddhist altar in a rockface
Neatly kept corner of a yard
Neatly kept corner of a yard		 Former Kawashima Residence
Former Kawashima Residence		 Restored machiya along the street
Restored machiya along the street		 Mama-chari outside a machiya
Mama-chari outside a machiya
Old spinning wheel outside a house
Old spinning wheel outside a house		 Pottery and metalworking outside a house
Pottery and metalworking outside a house		 Southern fringes of Ōmori
Southern fringes of Ōmori		 Flower garden out front of a house
Flower garden out front of a house
Countryside beyond Ōmori
Countryside beyond Ōmori		 Tall grains above a rice paddy
Tall grains above a rice paddy		 Rice field and farmhouse with small pagoda
Rice field and farmhouse with small pagoda		 Pair of entrances to the old Shinkiri Mabu mine shafter
Pair of entrances to the old Shinkiri Mabu mine shafter
Sealed entrance to Fukujinyama Mabu shaft
Sealed entrance to Fukujinyama Mabu shaft		 Former Takahashi Residence
Former Takahashi Residence		 Entrance to Ryūgenji Mabu - the main shaft
Entrance to Ryūgenji Mabu - the main shaft		 Entering the cold mine
Entering the cold mine
Relying on the mine's low light
Relying on the mine's low light		 Narrow crevasse at the back of the mine
Narrow crevasse at the back of the mine		 Newly dug rear entrance to the mine
Newly dug rear entrance to the mine		 Path through Iwami Ginzan's forested surrounds
Path through Iwami Ginzan's forested surrounds
Old mine shaft below a bamboo forest
Old mine shaft below a bamboo forest		 Steep steps up to Sahimeyama-jinja
Steep steps up to Sahimeyama-jinja		 Myōshō-ji in its forested setting
Myōshō-ji in its forested setting		 Mid-afternoon back in Ōmori
Mid-afternoon back in Ōmori
Decorative display outside an old house
Decorative display outside an old house		 Steps up to Kanseiin-ji
Steps up to Kanseiin-ji		 Outside the Kumagaike-jūtaku
Outside the Kumagaike-jūtaku		 Former Intendant's Office
Former Intendant's Office
Main hall of Kigami-jinja
Main hall of Kigami-jinja		 Ōda-shi Station
Ōda-shi Station		 Beside the empty tracks at Ōda-shi-eki
Beside the empty tracks at Ōda-shi-eki		 Sunset over the Japan Sea from the JR San-in Line
Sunset over the Japan Sea from the JR San-in Line

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