Toi Kinzan | An Old Gold Mine in Izu — and Why Taiwan's Gold Museum Lost by 30 kg

By Nihongo to Japan · Updated June 11, 2026

Toi Kinzan in Izu City, Shizuoka, was a Tokugawa shogunate-controlled gold mine during the Edo period. Today you can walk the actual mine tunnel, see Keichō koban gold coins stacked chest by chest, and stand in front of a Guinness World Record-certified 250 kg gold bar — nearly 30 kg heavier than the one at Taiwan's Gold Museum in Jinguashi.

[The Taiwan Gold Museum mindset]

Before visiting Toi Kinzan, there was a thought running in the background: Taiwan has its own gold museum in Jinguashi, near Jiufen, with a 220.3 kg gold bar on display. Then at Toi Kinzan, the wall reads: ギネスブック認定 (Guinness certified), 250 kg. Nearly 30 kg heavier.

A quiet moment of regret on Taiwan's behalf — followed immediately by the realization that these two places aren't really in the same category. Different scale, different history entirely.

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[The mine tunnel]

The main draw at Toi Kinzan is walking the actual mine tunnel — about 100 meters of carved rock, arched ceiling, wooden support beams along both walls. The first thing you notice going in is the cold: mine tunnels run noticeably cooler than outside air, regardless of season. Bring a layer.

Deeper in the tunnel is a small shrine — 大山祇廠 (Oyamatsumi-sha) — where miners once prayed to the mountain deity. Seeing it lit inside a carved rock tunnel is unexpectedly quiet. The working lives of the people here were more complicated than most visitors think about.

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[The Keichō koban — chest by chest]

In the exhibit hall, a display shows reproductions of Keichō koban gold coins: six black iron chests stacked together, each with small windows revealing a neat row of oval gold coins. The placard: minted 1601–1695, total production 14,727,055 ryō.

The number is hard to picture. But looking at the chests, it's difficult not to start thinking about where you'd store them. Anywhere, really. Anywhere at all.

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[Coin boxes and treasure chests]

A nearby case holds a ぜに箱 (coin box) — an Edo-period household safe for everyday merchants — alongside a 千兩箱 (1,000-ryō chest). Both are wood-and-iron construction, plain but solidly made. Inside: reproduction koban, arranged neatly. The display conveys something about what money felt like as a physical object in that era.

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[The 250 kg gold bar]

In the main exhibition hall, a glass case holds the gold bar that left Taiwan 30 kg behind. The label is clear: Guinness certified, world's largest display gold bar, 250 kg, purity 99.99%. The outer glass adds: 防犯ビデオ作動中 — security camera in operation.

You can touch it. Staff are present and will let you feel the gold bar — that's part of the experience.

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[Before You Go]

・Address: 2726 Toi, Izu City, Shizuoka

・Access: From Mishima Station (Shinkansen) → Tokai Bus to Toi approx. 70 min; or from Shuzenji Station → bus to Toi approx. 50 min; or ferry from Shimizu Port → Toi Port approx. 70 min

・Admission: Adults ¥1,000 / Children ¥500

・Hours: 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)

・For comparison: Taiwan Jinguashi Gold Museum gold bar is 220.3 kg; Toi Kinzan is 250 kg — a 29.7 kg difference

・For Izu travel options, check [Klook](https://klook.tpx.lv/IuSKdjjt) or [KKday](https://kkday.tpx.lv/juFfN7dI)