THINGS TO DO > HISTORY Miike Coal Mine Miyanohara Pit

Miike Coal Mine in Omuta City was Japan’s largest coal mine and the second mine to be modernized for mass production. Before that, everything — from digging to operating the elevators to the mine pits — was done manually. It was a major player in Japan’s industrialization, which is why Miyanohara Pit is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list together with other Meiji industrial revolution locations. Visitors can explore a small portion of the pit that remains, with a shaft-head building, steel frames, and imported machinery from Britain. Tour guides — some of them retired miners — keep the fascinating stories of the dark coal pits alive.

Address:: 1-86-3, Miyaharamachi, Omuta City

URL:: miike-coalmines.jp

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