1Ōmori Townscape, Iwami Ginzan
The heart of the UNESCO-listed Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine: 800 meters of red-tiled streets where samurai and merchant houses stand side by side.
Iwami Region Sightseeing Map
Western Shimane holds the UNESCO World Heritage Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and Tsuwano, the 'Little Kyoto of San'in'. Retro hot-spring streets, gardens by the painter Sesshū, and the Iwami Kagura dance tradition make this a quietly rich corner of Japan.
SightsHistoric eateries & sweets
All spots
2Ryūgenji Mabu Mine Shaft
An Edo-period mine tunnel open to walk through — chisel marks still line the narrow shaft, evoking the silver rush four centuries ago.
3Ōmori Eatery
A homely restaurant in a converted sake brewery near the magistrate's office ruins — set meals and warigo soba, perfect mid-walk through the silver-mine town.
4Yunotsu Onsen
A World Heritage hot-spring port that once shipped Iwami silver. Retro public baths like the Taishō-era Yakushi-yu anchor its red-tiled streets.
5Nima Sand Museum
Glass pyramids housing one of the world's largest hourglasses, which takes a full year to run. The 'singing sand' beach of Kotogahama is nearby.
6Mt. Sanbe
A gentle volcano that appears in Izumo's 'land-pulling' myth, ringed by grasslands and a buried-forest museum — ideal for hiking and camping.
7Iwami Tatamigaura
A wave-cut shelf uplifted by an 1872 earthquake — a natural monument where round 'nodule' stones stud a floor of tatami-like rock.
8Aquas Aquarium
One of western Japan's largest aquariums, nationally famous for beluga whales that blow perfect 'happiness bubble rings'.
9Arifuku Onsen
A mountain spa said to have been discovered 1,350 years ago — stone stairways, small inns, and the retro Gozen-yu public bath.
10Tonomachi Street, Tsuwano
The main street of Tsuwano, 'Little Kyoto of San'in' — colorful carp swim the roadside canals beneath white walls. Try uzume-meshi, the local rice dish.
11Taikodani Inari Shrine
One of Japan's five great Inari shrines (founded 1773). Climb through a tunnel of a thousand vermilion torii for a full view of Tsuwano.
12Yamada Chikufūken
A century-old maker of genji-maki — silky red-bean paste wrapped in thin castella — Tsuwano's signature souvenir.
13Sanshōdō
A beloved wagashi shop known for genji-maki and seasonal fresh sweets; you can sometimes watch the confectioners at work.
14Ikōji Temple (Sesshū Garden)
Its pond garden, designed by the master painter Sesshū in the Muromachi period, is a national scenic site. Pair it with the Sesshū garden at nearby Manpukuji.