In a mood for treasure hunting? Sado Kinzan in Niigata is Japan’s largest gold and silver mountain and had been operated as an active mining mountain until 1989. Kinzan, in Japanese, means 'gold mine' but it is written with the characters for gold and mountain. On the whole, Sado Kinzan holds a whole history of about 400 years, and the mining tunnel stretches out to 400 kilometers long. Since 2010, local authorities have applied for the Sado gold mine to receive UNESCO World Heritage site status and currently wait for the official registration. Regardless of whether it is officially recognized, if you have even a cursory interest in the history of mining and geology, you should make a stop here on your visit to Niigata.