Sado Gold Mine (Sado Kinzan)
史跡 佐渡金山38°02′ N 138°15′ EMuseumEdo period to the modern eraUNESCO
Sado Gold Mine at Aikawa is the visitor site of the Sado Island Gold Mines that UNESCO listed on 27 July 2024, and it suits travellers on Sado for a day or more who want to walk through Edo-era and Meiji-era tunnels; the tunnels stay at about 10°C all year, so bring a jacket in August.
Photo Asturio Cantabrio · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Visiting with care · Open to visitors
Conservation work on the national historic site can close tunnels at short notice.
- Some sections have many stairs and cannot take wheelchairs.
- Stay on the marked route inside the tunnels, which are a national historic site and an important cultural property.
- The guided Yamashi tour goes into a dark, muddy working tunnel; follow the guide and keep the lent helmet and lamp on.
Related places
The basic course takes 60 to 90 minutes through two tunnels. Sodayu is an Edo-period hand-dug drift where about seventy figures act out gold and silver mining from the old Sado scrolls. Doyu was cut by machine from 1899 and keeps its trolleys and crushing plant as they stood.
Above the tunnels rises Doyu no Warito, where Edo-era open-cut digging split a mountain in two, and the operator calls it the symbol of the mine. UNESCO inscribed the Sado Island Gold Mines as a World Cultural Heritage site on 27 July 2024, and Aikawa's mining-town streets of Kami-machi and Kyo-machi belong to the listing.
For more, the guided Yamashi tour at 10:30 and 14:30 takes people of junior high age and up into the dark Okiriyama tunnel for ¥5,000 and lends helmets and boots. It runs from April to November and needs booking by 16:00 the day before.
Worth knowing
- Pack a long-sleeved layer even in summer; the tunnels hold at about 10°C.
- Riders on the Sado Long Ride's 40 km gold mine fun ride pass the site in May.
Quick answers about Sado Gold Mine (Sado Kinzan)よくある質問
Is the Sado gold mine a World Heritage Site?
Yes. UNESCO inscribed the Sado Island Gold Mines on the World Heritage List on 27 July 2024.
How much is the Sado Gold Mine?
The Sado Gold Mine's basic course through the Sodayu and Doyu tunnels costs ¥1,500 for junior high age and up and ¥750 for primary school children in 2026.
How long does a visit to the Sado Gold Mine take?
The basic Sado Gold Mine course takes about 60 to 90 minutes.
Can you visit Sado Gold Mine (Sado Kinzan)?
Open to visitors. Some sections have many stairs and cannot take wheelchairs.
What are the opening hours of Sado Gold Mine (Sado Kinzan)?
Sado Gold Mine (Sado Kinzan) keeps these hours: Mon–Sun 08:00–17:30.
How should you behave at Sado Gold Mine (Sado Kinzan)?
At Sado Gold Mine (Sado Kinzan): Stay on the marked route inside the tunnels, which are a national historic site and an important cultural property. The guided Yamashi tour goes into a dark, muddy working tunnel; follow the guide and keep the lent helmet and lamp on.