Shortly before I left for my trip to Japan in September 2019, I realized that it would be possible to tick off one of the 23 locations of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution WHS. Most of these sites are located on Kyūshū or West Honshū, far away from my itinerary. Only one location is in Central Honshū, about 100 km southwest of Tokyo: the Nirayama Reverbatory Furnaces.

Niramaya is almost directly on the Tokaido Shinkansen line (connecting Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka). In Mishima you have to change to a private railway line for the last short section to Izu-Nagaoka station, and then it's a 20-minute walk to the site (through rice fields, of course, we are in Japan). In total, it took me less than two hours to get there from Tokyo.
Having said that, I have to admit that getting there takes longer than visiting. What you can see are four furnaces with four steel-framed brick chimneys. The furnaces are the remains of a cannon factory, and reproductions of such cannons are also on display. Although the furnace was only in operation for seven years, between 1857 and 1864, the site is of historical importance as it represents the beginning of modern iron manufacturing in Japan.
There are information boards in English, but also volunteer guides who are happy to explain the principle of a reverberatory furnace and other details. My guide was a charming elderly lady who spoke English very well. And she had a profound knowledge of other Japanese sites and World Heritage in general. We had a very nice conversation. But the reason why I mention her (and one reason for this review) is that she recommended walking a bit up the street to a viewpoint (photo). From there you have the rare opportunity to capture two World Heritage Sites in one photo.

Visiting one out of 23 locations is certainly not a proper tick, and I don’t feel able to rate the entire WHS. But no question that I took the opportunity to go for this half-day trip. And in the end, it was an entertaining and informative detour and a welcome change to all the temples and shrines.