Old Nakayama Tunnel

Japan's longest hand-dug tunnel at 877 meters, built entirely by the residents of Komatsugura between 1933 and 1949 using pickaxes, shovels, and wooden minecarts. The village needed a safer route to neighboring towns for medical care and daily necessities, as the only existing path was a dangerous mountain crossing made worse by heavy winter snow. Construction took 16 years, interrupted by World War II. A community campaign saved the tunnel from demolition after its 1998 closure, and a 2003 documentary about its construction won several awards. Visitors can walk the first 70 meters.