Former Hokutan Yubari Coal Mine Mock Tunnel

A Brick Mine Passage Opened for Visitors

The Former Hokutan Yubari Coal Mine Mock Tunnel (旧北炭夕張炭鉱模擬坑道) is a brick mine passage made from part of a Tenryu Pit side tunnel for visitors and the training of miners of the late Meiji era, extended in the early Showa era in Takamatsu, Yubari City, Hokkaido, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 18, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a brick and concrete passage 180 metres long, reinforced with steel; registration number 01-0073.

A Passage for Visitors and Trainees

The mock tunnel of the Hokutan Yubari Coal Mine, about 40 metres east of the materials incline portal, dates from the late Meiji era and was extended in the early Showa era (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Made from part of a side tunnel of the Tenryu Pit, it was fitted out for visitors and for training miners.

A brick-arched passage 180 metres long, combining an incline and a level, it is partly reinforced with old rails and is still used as a public facility (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Hokkaido Shimbun (April 30, 2025), it reopened to the public on April 19, 2025, after a fire on April 18, 2019.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.

What to Look For

In the mock tunnel, look for the brick-arched incline and level passage and the old rails used to reinforce it (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

The owner is not listed in the Agency record. The mock tunnel and the Tenryu pit portals lie in the grounds of the Yubari Coal Mine Museum; according to its official site (checked November 2026), a real Tenryu pit portal survives at the exit of the mock tunnel. The museum is closed for winter from November 4, 2026 to late April 2027. The Hokkaido Tourism Organization gives its hours as 10:00 to 17:00 (April to September) and 10:00 to 16:00 (from October), closed on Tuesdays, with an entry fee.