Spot

A roughly 100-meter stretch of the historical Silver Mine Carriage Road (the Ikuno Kozanryo Bashamichi, now known as the Gin no Bashamichi) can be found in the town of Kamikawa. Connecting the silver mines of northern Hyogo Prefecture with the Shikamatsu port in Himeji, the road was designed by French engineer Leon Sisley (1847–1878) and completed in 1876. It was the first of its kind in Japan, combining French road design pioneered by Pierre-Marie-Jérôme Trésaguet (1716–1796) with the macadam construction methods of Scotsman John Loudon McAdam (1756–1836). Its completion anticipated the tide of Japanese industrialization that would continue throughout the Meiji Period (1868–1912).
    This section of the road curves around a pond lined with cherry trees, and the surrounding scenery has changed little since its construction. Due to its excellent preservation, a portion of this stretch was excavated in 2016 to shed light on the road’s construction techniques.