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Araiyasushige / CC0 1.0
Minetopia Besshi (Besshi Copper Mine Heritage Site)
マイントピア別子Ehime · Shikoku
Built on the site of the Sumitomo family's Besshi copper mine — worked continuously for 283 years until 1973 — this heritage park lets visitors ride a mine train into an actual excavated tunnel and walk among red-brick smelter ruins and hydraulic pipeline remains. The more remote Tonaru zone up in the mountains, reachable by tour bus, is nicknamed the "Machu Picchu of the Orient" for its stone terraces swallowed by forest. Best timed for autumn (October-November) for foliage over the ruins; spring for mild hiking weather.
- Best season
- Spring · Autumn
- Crowd level
- Moderate
- Rating
- 3.9· 3,706 reviews
- Opening hours
- Daily 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Nearest station
- JR Iyo-Niihama Station (then ~15 min by bus or taxi)
- Website
- besshi.com
Usual hours — confirm with the official site for holidays + seasonal closures.
Today
9:00–17:00Stored weekly hours
Daily 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tags
historymineindustrial historyruins
Location
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