To reach the main part of the Iwami Ginza silver mine I took a bus to Omori Ginzan from Odashi station. The walk up to the Ryugenji shaft was interspersed with interesing buildings related to the operation of the mine. The Ryugenji shaft has been enlarged and illuminated to accommodate visitors, but what amazed me were the other shafts visible in the bush, but closed off with steel barriers. These were tiny by comparison, and the miners had to crawl through these with candles for illumination, and chip away at the silver ore.

Another part of this WHS that I visited was Yunotsu, a port from which the silver was exported to Korea and other parts of the world. Today it is a sleepy fishing village, and still contains many old wooden houses, inns and commercial buildings. It is just a short walk from Yunotsu station.