Travel Guide Ōta

Ōda is a municipality of 38 000 inhabitants whose history is closely linked to that of Iwami Ginzan silver mine throughout the Edo era. The silver mine that has been listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List since July 2017. Ōda changes status in 2005, encompassing the villages of Nima and Yunotsu. The latter is located in the central coastal part of Shimane prefecture, between the Sea of Japan and the Montagnes Mountains. This harbour village has many thermal baths (onsen). The Ōda region has been seen for many years as an important strategic area, at the crossroads of three former transport routes «Kaidô», those of San'in, Izumo, and Bingo. The road between the port of Yunotsu and that of Okidomari was between the th and the th century the main communication axis between the coast and the silver mine. This very intense activity enabled the creation of important economic and cultural exchanges around the world, including the arrival of Europeans in Asian trade.