🗺️ Mita Coal Mine, Mandata Pit三池炭鉱万田坑

During the Meiji to early Showa period, a large amount of coal was produced, making it one of the coal mines that propelled Japan's modernization. Coal mining began in the Edo period, but it wasn't until 1889, when it was sold to the "Mitsui Group," that formal mining operations commenced. After the war, due to labor disputes at Mitsui Miike and the import of cheap foreign coal, as well as the transition to oil energy, the industry declined, leading to the closure of the mine in 1997. In 2015, it was registered as a World Heritage Site under the "Meiji Industrial Revolution Heritage of Japan." At the Miike Coal Mine's Manda Pit, there are buildings made of red bricks, including the second vertical shaft hoisting machine room, safety lamp room, office, and bathhouse, as well as the second vertical shaft tower and facilities for worshipping the mountain god, all preserved in their original state. Inside the entrance of the second vertical shaft, remnants of the shaft can be seen buried about 274 meters deep. At the nearby Manda Pit Station, visitors can learn about the history of the Manda Pit through restored models, old photographs, and videos.

Registered as a World Heritage Site under "Meiji Japan's Industrial Revolution Heritage: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding, and Coal Industries." It is one of the main shafts of the Miike Coal Mine located in Arao City and Omuta City. The second vertical shaft tower and the second vertical shaft winding room, designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, are symbolic buildings. It is located at the border of Kumamoto Prefecture and Fukuoka Prefecture.