Check out a replica of the The Great Buddha of Nara at the Naganobori Copper Mine in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
A day may come when robots take all the jobs and popular holidays are extracting copper ore with a pickax just to experience backbreaking manual labor.
That day is not here yet, but you can get ahead of the game in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan, with a visit to the Naganobori Copper Mine.
The mine, which operated from the early eighth century until 1962, is a tourist attraction these days. The remnants of the mine were rediscovered in 1972, and its smelting site was excavated. The area was designated a national historic site in 2003.
Visitors can’t do actual mining, but they can check out and even operate some of the old-school equipment and learn about the history of the facility.
Illustrated tiles show daily life for ancient workers at the Naganobori Copper Mine in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
The Museum of the Great Buddha greets visitors arriving at the mine, which is surrounded by forested hills and valleys.
Japan’s oldest state-operated copper mine produced copper that was used to make a giant Buddha statue in Nara in the eighth century.
The Great Buddha of Nara – known as the Daibutsu – is a colossal bronze statue at Todai-ji Temple in the ancient Japanese capital. It’s the largest bronze Buddhist statue in the world, standing 49 feet tall and weighing an estimated 250 tons.
The statue was constructed over nine years by building casts, then pouring 500 tons of molten bronze into them. The museum includes a small replica of the Buddha and explanations of how it was made.
Copper was used by ancient Japanese artists to make green paint. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
Statues of ancient Japanese workers greet visitors to the Naganobori Copper Mine in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
The museum includes sculptures of ancient miners, ore samples, and a pile of green powder made with copper that was used to make paint highly valued by ancient Japanese artists.
From the museum you can take a short hike up hill to see what’s left of the mine. On the day Stars and Stripes visited a guide handed out bear bells to ward off any furry friends that might be lurking in the trees.
After a short climb, you’ll find yourself at the mine, where remnants of copper extraction including the ruins of old buildings, tailings and a display of tiles showing what daily life was like for the people who worked there.
A guide shows visiting journalists how to operate bellows using bodyweight at the Naganobori Copper Mine in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
Once you’ve explored the area you can head back down the hill to a small workshop. If you have energy left, hop onto an old set of bellows used to pump air into a furnace. The bellows are operated by two or more people using their body weight like a seesaw.
For 500 yen, or $3.08, try your hand making small tin medallions. Kids might enjoy decorating them with Japanese cartoon characters.
Try your hand making tin medallions decorated with Japanese cartoon characters at the Naganobori Copper Mine in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
On the QT
Directions: Naganobori Copper Mine – Museum of the Great Buddha
610 Mitōchō Naganobori, Mine, Yamaguchi 754-0213, Japan
Times: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Costs: Adult admission, 300 yen; children aged 7 to 15 admitted for 150 yen.
Food: No food or drink are sold at the mine, so bring something to drink at a minimum.
Information: Online: karusuto.com/spot/naganobori