Timing is everything, at least in the world of urban exploration. If you come too early a place is still in use, if you come too late it’s demolished. If it has security you need a special kind of timing, but even regular explorations need some planning. Some locations are only good at certain seasons – a lot of mines in Hokkaido are inaccessible in winter due to snow, other mines in Kansai are inaccessible in summer since they are completely overgrown. And don’t even mention mosquitos, snakes and spiders!
The Tatsuyama Mine falls in the “inaccessible in summer” category. Luckily I, my buddy Dan and two of his friends went there in spring, when the green hell was nothing more than a brownish limbo. Nevertheless our timing wasn’t perfect – basically because we were running out of time. The Tatsuyama Mine (literally: Dragon Mountain Mine!) was the last stop on a looooong daytrip and we really had to rush to make it to the mountainous Okayama countryside after visiting the abandoned *Japanese Strip Club* and before the sun went down. The sun sets early in Japan, especially in spring, especially in the mountains, but Lady Fortune was on our side – the valley the mine was in opened to the west, allowing us to make the most of the little daylight that was left. On the long drive there I almost gave up hope that we would arrive on time, but in the end we had about an hour… little compared to what we could have used for a proper exploration (3 to 4 hours!), but still better than nothing.
The Tatsuyama Mine is one of those locations everybody seems to know about, but hardly anybody writes about. Photos pop up here and there, but little is known about this abandoned copper mine – except that it was closed in 1961. Yes, 1961. A solid 50 years before me and my friends had a look… Deserted before most other locations presented on Abandoned Kansai were even built!
Unsure what to expect we parked the car on the “main street” and rushed on foot down into the valley, passing shacks we probably would have ignored even if we would not have been in a rush. The mine was built on a slope right in front of us, and then I saw a rather big wooden house appear to the left. While my friends continued straight ahead I quickly entered the building for a short look. There was not much interior left and the staircase to the upper floor was falling apart, so I continued to the mine itself – after a bat let me know that it was its house, not mine. Realizing that soon it would be too dark for a decent video I went back and shot a walking tour for my memories and your viewing pleasure before climbing the slope, partly inside, partly outside of the concrete and wooden structure that once was probably was the sifting plant of the Tatsuyama copper mine. At that point I was really happy to be there in early spring, not in summer – no poisonous animals, no plants blocking progress and light.
The concrete parts still seemed to be in solid condition, but the wooden parts were fading away; not really a surprise after 50 years. With barely any time left I didn’t have to make tough decisions though if it was worth risking a broken leg (or neck…) entering certain parts – I just wanted to get to the top and down again before it was getting dark. With advice from my friends (“Go that way to reach a higher level!”) I actually accomplished that, even finding the entrance to the mine near the top of the plant – now blocked by a small dam (i.e. earth and stones…) and completely filled with water.
I am a huge fan of abandoned mines! The aesthetics of brittle wood, rusty metal and concrete structures just don’t get old to me (no pun intended…), so I enjoyed every second exploring the Tatsuyama Mine, although I wish there would have been more time. Well, maybe a revisit is in order, though it’s unlikely given that the mine is in the middle of nowhere, about 2.5 hours by car from where I live…
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Again, a very nice post and lovely photographs. What I’m not understanding is how come the land these things are on are not being made use of?? Isn’t land at a premium in Japan, even in the countryside?!!! We cold never allow all that space to go unused in Jamaica, which is where I’m from.
Thanks a lot!
I guess when people say that Japan doesn’t have enough land they mean flat land to grow grains and raise lifestock. F;at land where you can build cities for millions of people. That kind of land is rare – but there is plenty of space for people to live a rural life. That mine is in a gorgeous area with plenty of rice fields and small settlements of half a dozen houses – but I guess it takes about an hour to drive to Okayama City and Japanese people still want to become salary men… wearing suits and crunching numbers. So countryside places like that… nobody cares about. Hardly anybody knows about them. I will soon publish some places you won’t believe that they are abandoned. Everything from fully stocked ski areas to a hotel that looked like brand new – but warped to the 21st century from the 1980s…
I like tht picture going down the road. Glad your recklessness 😉 stops at actually going into the mine.
Oh, it was impossible to enter the mine at it was completely filled with water – you need a diving suit to get in there!
But in the past I wrote about a mine I fully explored, the Kasuga Mine. Have a look at the third video after you *clicked here*. Scary stuff!
Wow , its amazing how you find this places , great shot
Lots of research, lots of dedication. And except for one or two places I actually did the research on all the locations I visited myself. The more proud I am of the ones that don’t even appear on Japanese urbex blogs… 🙂
When time stops. Amazing photos. Great work.
Thanks a lot for your kind words!
Really amazing to see this – great exploration of the mine
It was a rushed exploration, but at the same time a very intense one. I would love to go back there one day…
Amazing views of this incredible area with excellent information.
Cheers!
I really enjoy your photos and the stories that go with them. There’s just something about decay that attracts me, and your posts not only attract my attention but captivate my imagination. I look forward to more adventures!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being a regukar reader!
Your posts really pique my interest!
And U hope they’ll be able to do so in the future!
Thanks for sharing! great photos. I love discovering abandoned urban landscapes..they are so eery but spectacular in their own way.
I’m happy to hea that you liked what you saw! Even after 3.5 years I can’t get enough of these unquie aesthetics…
Very interesting and great shots!
Thanks, it was a very interesting exploration!
Love this stuff!
Cheers!
Hi, Florian!
amazing pix! Keep up the good job;
Floreva
Thanks a lot Floreva!