08/07/2012

Toi Gold Mine in West Izu

Tunnel tour, museum and gold panning

Por Adeline Ong

Community writer

One of the shrines in the tunnel. There is another one farther along in the tour.

Entrance to Toi Gold Mine. There is a ticket window to the left and the entrance behind is guarded by a Samuri doll who actually moves and speaks when you get near.

Pond with statue and several gold koi fish.

Hill above the gold mine and tunnels. The tunnel entrance is just to the right.

Entrance to gold mine tunnels and museum.

One of the tunnels -- It is all very well maintained, clean, and safe.

Life-sized recreation of mining life and mining activities in the Edo period. There are educational descriptions of the scenes and mining life.

Location of where the first vein of gold was found 400 years ago.

Surface diorama -- scene of miners working.

Gold bar -- you can touch this. It was too heavy for me to pick up. I forget to get a picture of the world's biggest gold bar. There is a 250 kg gold bar that you can touch. It is huge!

Gold panning -- There are 3 rows filled with little rocks and sand and water. People line up on either side and start panning for gold.

You get instruction on how to pan for gold. Somehow it is not as easy as when they do it. You are allotted 30 minutes to find as much tiny gold flecks as you can.

Toi Gold Mine is located in Nishi Izu. Admission gets you a tour of the tunnels, a description of the mining process, entrance to the museum where the world’s biggest gold bar can be touched, and a chance to pan for gold. After finding gold, you can try wasabi ice cream.

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Adeline Ong

Por Adeline Ong

Community writer

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