Michi-no-Eki Taio Kinzan

Michi-no-eki

Prefecture

Oita

Type

Michi-no-eki

N/A

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Restaurant

About This Destination

A roadside station deep in the Nakatsue mountains, next to the Taio gold mine museum. Walk the old tunnels, try panning for gold, then eat at the restaurant before the long drive out.

In the late 1930s the Taio mine was called the largest gold mine in the East, with tunnels reaching hundreds of meters underground. It closed in 1972. About 800 meters of the old workings are now an underground museum next to the roadside station, with mannequin scenes of how the ore was dug, and the air inside stays cool all year.

The museum is a separate, paid attraction. Gold panning is the part children remember: you swirl sand in water and look for flecks of real gold dust. Above ground, the station has a farm produce shop, a restaurant, and a campsite and lodging nearby, which makes sense once you see how far out it is.

This is a long drive whichever way you come. It is on Route 442, about 40 km south of Hita IC on the Oita Expressway or 50 km east of Yame IC, on narrow mountain roads. Hours shorten from December to February (10:00 to 16:30), and since April 2026 the station closes on Wednesdays all year, except most Wednesdays in August.

Location

Prefecture: Oita

Address: Hita, Oita, Japan

Opening hours: Mon–Tue, Thu–Sun 09:00–17:00

Closed: Wednesdays (the next day when Wednesday is a public holiday), except most of August, and 1 January.

Hours note: Shorter hours from December to February (10:00 to 16:30); closed on Wednesdays all year (except most of August) and on 1 January. The museum, shop and restaurant keep separate hours.

Parking and toilets: Free, open 24 hours

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