Taio Gold Mine

On our way home we visited the museum of the Taiokinzan (Gold Mine), in Nakatsue Mura (village). First we used half-sized chopsticks to eat the ramen we bought on the mountain. We only had one pair because we forgot to pick up the chopsticks.

The museum is the actual old mine, opened in the late 19th century. It was later developed into a more modern mine. I found this information on someone else's blog:

Historically, the goldmine had at one time been owned by an Englishman named Hans Hunter (maybe around the turn of the century or so) and according to the sign, to this day Nakatsue-Mura keeps up an exchange with mining towns in Wales.