The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine area is so much more than just a silver mine. Don’t get me wrong, the silver mine is really interesting and I loved walking through it, but I didn’t realize the area the silver mine is located in was going to be so beautiful.
Located about 2.5 hours away from Iwakuni, it is a perfect day trip. When I was doing research for this trip, I didn’t think I would be spending an entire day here so I had planned on checking out a couple of other spots in the area. I never made it to the other spots though. I spent the entire day here, walking around a charming old town and exploring as much as I could. At the end of the day, I realized I needed to plan another trip here because I saw some hiking trails that I really wanted to check out. A separate blog post might be in order.
My friend Tani was my travel partner when I visited the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine last October. This was our first stop when we arrived, to see if they had any maps or any brochures. 
They didn’t have anyone who spoke English, but they did have maps in English. That works for me! One of the ladies explained in Japanese that there were a few options for getting around the area. We could either take a shuttle bus to different parts, rent some bicycles, or walk. We chose to walk.
It was such a beautiful day and we thought if we got tired, we could always figure out the shuttle bus and hop on it at some point.
The first thing we came upon was the Rakanji Temple. 
They had a little pond with baskets next to it. I wasn’t sure what to do, but the lady who worked there came over and explained to us that we were supposed to wash all of our coins in the pond. Doing this would bring good fortune or good luck with money! Tani didn’t waste any time in getting all of her change out and into the basket. 
After we gave our offering and said our prayer, we paid for a ticket to see the caves and statues across the street. The fee was ¥500 each and it was worth it.
I loved the colors and the carvings on the doors.
They don’t allow any photographing inside the caves. Definitely go in the caves and look at the statues. They were made in the late 1700’s and each face is unique. I even read something somewhere that if you look hard enough you might be able to find one that resembles you.
It is a beautiful spot to enjoy and take pictures of after looking in the caves. I could have stayed here longer, but we had so much more to see!
Don’t forget to bring your shuincho so you can get your stamp from Rakanji.
We kept walking and ended up at a little shop that sold local foods and souvenirs. They also had this really awesome vending machine outside that I fell in love with!
I believe they do this so that they blend in better with the old town style. We decided to start by checking out the Omori Town side first.
The buildings were all old style and even though some of them had been remodeled, they kept the same style.
They even had some old signs like this one for ice cream.
We saw some old stone steps so we decided to see what was at the top, and we were treated to this view. 
This cute little German bakery had some delicious bread and it was a perfect spot to grab a snack. 
After our little pit stop, we continued to the end of Omori Town and the Kigami Shrine. 
Be sure to go inside and look up. Rumor has it that if you stand under the dragon and clap your hands, you will hear what sounds like the roar of a dragon. Give it a try and let me know if you hear the roar! 
Now it was time to go check out the silver mine. We walked back through the charming little town and headed for the path that would take us to the mine.
It was so different from walking around the town area. Much more green. 
We really enjoyed the beautiful scenery while walking along the path. 
I also saw some hiking trails off to the side. Those trails are one of the reasons why I really want to go back. That, and I just want to walk around this area again.
We finally made it to the mine! 
There is a fee of ¥410 per person to walk through the mine. Watch your head as you walk through! I’m not very tall, but I scraped my head at one spot because I forgot to pay attention to the space above me.
It was pretty interesting to walk through and see some of the really small spaces people had to get into to work.
As we were leaving the silver mine area and heading back to the car, we saw these steps leading up to a shrine. Since we were on a time crunch we didn’t get to go up to explore, but I heard from another friend that it is a shrine worth checking out. It has been added to my list for my next trip to this area!
Parking was free and the round trip tolls from Otake (that’s where I usually get on when I am heading north) were between ¥5,000-¥6,000.
This is a great place for a day trip or to add to an itinerary for a longer visit to Shimane Prefecture.
This is where I parked – Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Center
I did see a small parking lot by the store where I found the really cool vending machine and there is parking down by the Kigami Shrine too, but I highly recommend walking. If you have a stroller and you want to walk, it will be easier to park where the little shop is. You can stop at the center to pick up a map, but then drive down to the parking lot by the store. You will drive past Rakanji Temple, but it’s right past it on the left so you’ll easily be able to walk back to it.
Leave a Reply