Kamakura

Kamakura is today a small city of only 174 thousand people, but in the 12th to 14th Century, it was the seat of the Kamakura Shogunate and was the fourth largest city in the world at the time. It is directly south of Tokyo and borders Yokohama to the north. Much of Kamakura's heritage was destroyed after the fall of the Shogunate, but some important temples and shrines remain.

Sites in Kamakura listed in this blog:

• Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
• Kotoku-in/The Great Buddha
• The Five Great Zen Temples of Kamakura
• Tomb of Minamoto Yoritomo
• Moto Hachiman

Iwami Ginzan

Iwami Ginzan is a silver mine in Shimane Prefecture, and is now listed as a World Heritage Site. Developed in the mid-16th Century, it was frequently contested by warlords until Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of it following the Battle of Sekigahara. The silver was used to mint coins. In the 17th Century, it produced 38 tons a year, a third of the world's production of silver at the time. It was closed down in the nineteenth century. This site shows the role that resource production played during the Sengoku Period and Edo Period.

Site: http://ginzan.city.ohda.lg.jp/wh/en/