Long ago, an astonishing one-third of all the silver in the world was mined in Japan and most of it came from here in Iwami Ginzan. Really. I found this incredible. In the mid-16th century ...

KYOTO—As many as 500,000 ceramic coins produced during the metal shortages on the Japanese home front during ... artifacts were stored in 15 wooden boxes. Mount Fuji and a cherry blossom are ...