石見銀山・大森の町並み
Ōmori, Shimane, Japan
Our first visit to Iwami Ginzan, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, took us through the historic streets of Ōmori — a place that will become an important part of my Beyond Ore research.
What struck me first was the extraordinary atmosphere of this old silver-mining town. Walking along its narrow streets, surrounded by traditional wooden houses, tiled roofs, old walls and small gardens, I felt as though time had slowed down. It is difficult to imagine that this peaceful village was once a bustling centre of activity, connected to one of Japan's most important silver mines.
There were not only miners and merchants, but entire families and communities living here. A post office, banks, administrative and judicial offices, a theatre, shops and numerous temples once formed the fabric of everyday life. Silver brought people here, but it was their lives that shaped the town.
Today, the mining activity has long disappeared, yet much of the historic streetscape remains remarkably intact. The buildings are carefully preserved, and some have gradually found new purposes, while others continue to be lived in. What I find particularly beautiful is that Ōmori does not feel like a museum frozen in time.
There is still life behind the old façades. The architecture carries traces of different generations, and the streets quietly tell stories of prosperity, work, community and change. For this first visit, I simply wanted to walk, observe and absorb the atmosphere — to understand the town through its buildings, its materials and the spaces between them.
The silver mines and the landscape of extraction will be another chapter of my research. But perhaps, before understanding what was taken from the earth, I needed to understand the lives that grew around it. And Ōmori is a beautiful place to begin.