Machu Picchu in the East

To the memory of the people once lived here

Takako Sakamoto Dec 15, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>Located 750 meters above sea level, the Tonaru district is called 'Machu Picchu in the East'</p>

<p>This small tunnel has become the exhibition hall of copper conveyer equipment used in the Tonaru district</p>

<p>Tonaru Cableway Base (It's a ropeway-like facility used to transport copper ore which was mined here)</p>

<p>At this Cableway Base they used to operate and maintain equipment</p>

<p>The 'Incline' site. The materials transported through the Cableway were carried up the mountains by this 'Incline'.</p>

<p>This Cableway Base was an essential facility through which copper and also food, and other daily commodities were transported</p>

<p>Massive copper warehouse made of granite</p>

<p>The mined copper was temporarily stored here before being transported to the foot of the mountain</p>

I visited the Tonaru district of Niihama City in Ehime Prefecture on 2nd November, 2014.

This district is considered to be the origin of Niihama City, and the Tonaru Cableway Base and Copper Warehouse here are definitely must-see sites. The Copper Warehouse was made of granite quarried in Shimanami Region, which is located between Ehime and Hiroshima Prefectures. This massive building is known as one of the landmarks of this historical site. The resemblance of its scenic beauty to 'Machu Picchu', a World Heritage Site once part of the Incan Empire (Peru), has earned this place the alias, 'Machu Picchu in the East'.

Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto

I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...