Japanese pegmatite localities

There are many pegmatite localities in Japan. Some of them are granite quarries and some of them are feldspar mines. Unfortunately, most of them were closed and collecting in such localities are getting more difficult. Long time ago, those localities produced specimens enough to compare those from Brazil, Pakistan and any other major localities and rare species include minerals first discovered in Japan. Even though, it is almost impossible to find nice specimen, we can enjoy collecting in some place now. 

I will add more detailed information.

Ishikawa area

Ishikawa had many feldspar mines. In those mines, many specimens could be collected. This area produced Japanese biggest beryl, schorl and almandin.

schorl (10cm long)  I collected this in 1993.

Ferrocolumbite with Ishikawaite (?) from Shiozawa, Ishikawa village (3.5cm long)

Monazite with schorl

Tanokamiyama

Tanokamiyama is a hill composed of granite. There were many pocket of granite. This place was called one of three best pegmatite localities in Japan along with Ishikawa and Hirukawa area.

Masutomilite from Nakasawa pocket, Tanokami yama (3.5cm wide)

Mastomilite around zinnwaldite from Tanokamiyama

Suishoyama (Kawamata town, Fukushima prefecture)

Suishoyama is very famous for REE minerals. In red colored feldspar just like that of Ytterby, include many kind of REE minerals. 

fergusonite and thorogumite (photo; 3cm wide)

fergusonite crystal (size of crystal; 1.5cm long)

Uzumine (Sukagawa city, Fukushima prefecture)

Quartz and Feldspar was mined in Uzumine mine. This locality is famous for euxenite. 

Euxenite (2cm wide)

Beryl, chrysoberyl,  schorl, monazite and  ilmenorutil were also reported.

Shimodainou

allanite crystal (3.5cm long)

Zircon along with allanite (each crystals are a few mm long)

Shimodaino is not so famous even in Japan. But it produced many large size REE minerals.

Myokensan

Li rich pegmatite collected in 1993; width 10cm

Myokensan is one of 3 major lithium rich pegmatite in Japan. There was elbaite, lepidorite, monthebrasite, spudumen, pollucite, mangantantalite, manganocolumbite, zircon, uranmicrolite, stibiotantalite and so on. Most of them are much less quality than one's from lithium rich pegmatites in Brazil, California, Pakistan, Afganistan and China and some of them are just microscopic .

About 40 years ago, one company tried to mine feldspar but it have have been never done . And some rocks were left.

Hafnium bearing Zircon (crystals are about 3mm)

I went there about 10 years ago. I could collect massive of lepidorite, not gemmy elbaite, 3mm crystal of zircon 2cm monthebrasite (white massive; not like amblygonite from Brazil) and some very small columbite-tantalite mineral.

 There was 30cm monthebrasite, lepidorite and 30cm long goshnite (That did not have crystal pace) long time before. This pollucite whose size is about 10cm was collected at that time.

Now collecting is prohibited there.

Tango peninsula

Thortveitite from Isanago mine in Tango peninsula

Tango peninsula, Kyoto prefecture, has some pegmatite localities. Isanago mine and Kobe is remarkable in this area. Isanago produced Japanese best thortveitite and Kobe is type locality of kobeite.

Thortveitie from Isanago