Tagawa, Mining heritage city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
Tagawa is a city in central Fukuoka Prefecture that spreads across hilly terrain surrounded by mountain ranges including Kaharudake and Funao. The settlement sits in a valley where residential neighborhoods, school buildings and remnants of old industrial plants thread through.
Systematic exploitation of coal deposits transformed the village into the largest mining center of the Chikuhō coalfield after 1900. Following closure of the last mine in 1970, the economy shifted entirely to cement manufacturing.
The Coal Mining Historical Museum displays machinery, documents and photographs from the era when the region depended on mining. Visitors can trace how underground work shaped family life across generations.
The city is easy to explore on foot since residential areas, schools and the museum lie close together. Visitors can follow signs to the coal museum or ask locals for directions.
Eight elementary schools, two junior high schools and four high schools form the educational system, complemented by Fukuoka Prefectural University. This concentration of educational institutions shapes the cityscape and daily rhythm of residents.
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