Loved it, short train ride underground, then a free walk thru the mine tunnels, very wet and cold but very worth it, if you have your own transport there are heaps of other old factories etc in the area
One of the quite interesting experiences — you get to learn about how copper is extracted and actually go into the mine for a real tour. Worth the money.
A small museum with some English displays that can take up to 2 hours of your time.
It was pretty interesting to see how the mine was structured, and the techniques to repeatedly refine the copper.
There was also a small building that had dioramas of the transformation of copper to coins.
Overall a small attraction that's informative (with Google translate) and I feel, in need of support.
Once upon a time, there were many people living in the Ashio area. Today, I saw a few tourists and locals.
I got on a small trolley. The ceiling of the inside mine was so low that I had to watch my head. Apparently, the height of people in the Edo period was shorter than ours! If you were over 180 cm, you would still need a helmet to protect your head! lol.
I arrived at a small museum. The exhibition was so informative.
Outside the mine, I opened the door of the mint museum. The Tokugawa shogunate made coins here. People had to take off their clothes before leaving the mine. The magistrate needed to check that miners didn't steal any coins. I was lucky that I didn't have to take my clothes off! LOL.
I checked a souvenir shop, but the restaurant was closed. Overall, the Ashio copper mine is an important heritage site. It is worthwhile visiting here!
Interesting and educational.
There're a mine train to bring you and learn how the people are working in the mine.
Free parking.
