Chubu ＞ Niigata ＞ Sado City

Gyokurin-ji Temple on Sado Island, Where You Can Stay Overnight

2.69K

Shikoku ＞ Kagawa ＞ Nakatado District > Manno Town

Kagawa Prefecture's premier gorge where you can also enjoy river activities! Mikado Gorge

1.18K

Kinki ＞ Wakayama ＞ Tanabe City

Kumano Kodo Dainichi Pass Route: Perfect for Beginners

550

Chubu ＞ Niigata ＞ Murakami City

Scenery from the train window on the JR Uetsu Main Line

167

Kanto ＞ Kanagawa ＞ Yokohama City > Aoba Ward

Sumiyoshi Shrine in Yokohama, near Kodomo-koku

1.14K

Kanto ＞ Tokyo ＞ Bunkyo Ward

The nostalgic and warm shrine of Prince Yamato Takeru, symbolizing Nezu

1.69K

Kanto ＞ Tokyo ＞ Setagaya Ward

Stationery Store with Drawers Open for All to Browse

1.19K

Kanto ＞ Tokyo ＞ Shibuya Ward

Stylish Monja! Moeji Shibuya Scramble Square

1.24K

Kanto ＞ Tokyo ＞ Chiyoda Ward

Take a short break in the Japanese garden of a renowned hotel

520

Kanto ＞ Kanagawa ＞ Yamato City

A cherry blossom stroll in the southern area of "Izumi no Mori" in Yamato City, Kanagawa Prefecture

1.18K

Kanto ＞ Saitama ＞ Kawagoe City

The Special Edition Starbucks in Kawagoe

679

Kanto ＞ Saitama ＞ Hanno City

Tove Jansson Akebono Children's Forest Park in Full Autumn Splendor

The "Castle in the Sky" of Sado Island: The Ruins of the Kitazawa Floating Ore Processing Plant

These days, you can find ruins reminiscent of *Castle in the Sky* in quite a few different regions, and Sado Island is no exception. It’s called the Kitazawa Floating Ore Processing Plant Ruins. It was an ore processing plant for the Sado Gold Mine, and while the word “floating” seems to further emphasize the *Laputa* vibe, “floating ore beneficiation” appears to be a method of collecting valuable minerals by using chemicals such as surfactants to separate finely ground ore into those that float with the bubbles and those that sink. In Showa 15, this was apparently the first place in Japan to successfully put the flotation method for gold and silver into practical use. Once known as “the finest flotation plant in the Orient” and a thriving hub of industry, it is now a ruin covered in moss. It’s a place where one cannot help but feel a sense of melancholy, romance, the weight of human endeavor, and the inescapable passage of time.

Site of the Former Kitazawa Floating Concentrator