Hello, I am Yoshi from NILS Japanese language school. Today’s topic is the World Heritage of Japan: Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape.
Japan was the biggest exporter of silver in the world during the Warring States period and the early Edo period. Many trade ships from Portugal and Holland headed to Japan attracted by Japanese silver. Iwami Silver Mine financed Hidehyoshi Toyotomi’s Korean invasion, also the Tokugawa shogunate government.
Japan was also known as a gold exporter inthe Kamakura period when Marco Polo was in China. He must have introduced as the country of gold when he returned to Europe because he thought that in Japan even houses were made of gold. It is said that he believed this because he had heard about the Golden Hall of Chuson-ji temple (also registered as the World Heritage this year) from Chinese people.

July 6th News, from NILS Japanese language school.