Besshi Copper Mine (Tonaru)

The Besshi copper mine operated in the mountains above Niihama and was one of Japan's major copper sources for more than two centuries. The Tonaru area, also read Higashidaira, sits at around 750 meters elevation and served as the mine's operations base from 1916 to 1930, when several thousand people lived there. After the mine closed, stone retaining walls and brick structures remained on the steep slope, and their appearance has led to the nickname the Machu Picchu of the East. The site now has a history museum and a craft workshop, and admission to the area is free. It lies about 11 kilometers up a mountain road from the Minetopia Besshi facility, roughly a 30-minute drive. The narrow mountain road is closed to traffic each winter from December through the end of February.