Japan’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites: A guide
The UNESCO World Heritage Sites Japan has scattered across its islands give visitors a look into different sides of its culture, as well as a chance to learn more about its long and fascinating history. From traditional Japanese historic sites to places of pilgrimage, others linked to the country’s industrial revolution and to modern art, plus some of the country’s natural treasures, we’ve listed the complete set of Japan’s UNESCO Sites and picked out some of our own highlights, many of which you can see on a holiday to Japan.
How many World Heritage Sites does Japan have?
In total, there are 26 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan, including 21 cultural sites and another five another sites. A further four sites are on the tentative list, to be considered for future inclusion
Cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites Japan
Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area, Nara Prefecture
Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration, Shizuoka/Yamanashi Prefecture
Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, Okinawa Prefecture
Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region, Nagasaki/Kumamoto Prefecture
Himeji-jo, Hyōgo Prefecture
Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land, Nishiiwai District/Iwate Prefecture,
Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome), Hiroshima
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, cities of Kyoto, Uji and Otsu
Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, Nara Prefecture
Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, Gifu/Toyama Prefectures
Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, Hiroshima Prefecture
Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape, Shimane Prefecture
Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan, Hokkaido/Tohoku
Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan, Sakai and Habikino/Fujiidera
Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites, Munakata Region
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, Kii Peninsula
Sado Island Gold Mines, Niigata Prefecture
Shrines and Temples of Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture
Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining, Yamaguchi Prefecture and across the Kyushu Region
The National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo – part of the Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement
Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites, Gunma Prefecture
Natural UNESCO World Heritage Japan sites
Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island, Ryukyu Chain of the Nansei Islands
Ogasawara Islands, Ogasawara Subprefecture
Shirakami-Sanchi, Tohoku Region
Shiretoko, Hokkaido
Yakushima, Kagoshima Prefecture
Mount Fuji
Shizuoka/Yamanashi Prefecture
Just 100km southwest of Tokyo, soaring, snow-capped Mount Fuji is a true icon of Japan. The almost perfectly symmetrical conical mountain - the highest in the country at 3,776 metres - has been reproduced in countless artworks, not to mention millions of tourist snapshots. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 as ‘a sacred space and source of artistic inspiration,’ joining 16 other sites across the country, including temples, historic monuments, gardens and national parks.
Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama
Gifu/Toyama Prefecture
Among the most engaging of Japan’s World Heritage Sites are the Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, in the Shogawa Valley in central Japan. The distinctive wooden houses with steep thatched roofs were once used for silk production, with colonies of silkworms kept in the attics, and today, the villages, with their Buddhist temples, shrines and rice paddies, offer a picturesque look into Japan’s rural past.
Hiroshima Peace Garden (Genbaku Dome)
Hiroshima Prefecture
A more poignant and thought-provoking monument on the Japan UNESCO sites list can be found further west in the city of Hiroshima. The Genbaku Dome, or Hiroshima Peace Memorial, was the only building left standing when the atomic bomb was dropped here on 6 August 1945. Today, this skeletal ruin stands at the centre of a city park dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives that day and is a powerful symbol of peace.
Himeji Castle (Himeji-jō)
Hyōgo Prefecture
Japan’s countryside is dotted with centuries-old castles, recalling the days of the Samurai. These towering wooden structures with their ornamental gables were designed to be aesthetically impressive, as well as functional fortresses, and one of the best examples is the UNESCO-listed Himeji Castle, around 50km west of Kobe. Considered a masterpiece of 17th century architecture, it’s the biggest and most visited castle in Japan, and with its gleaming whitewashed walls and multiple roof layers, it’s certainly a striking sight.
Itsukushima Shinto Shrine
Hiroshima Prefecture
The Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima, better known as Miyajima, is one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions thanks to its dramatic gate, or torii, and its setting. With the peaks of Mount Misen, forests and ocean backdrop, the gate itself seems to float in the water. Accessible today by ferry, the first gate was said to have been erected here in the late 6th century and the shrine dedicated to the Shinto goddesses of seas and storms.
Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
Nara Prefecture
For most visitors, the former capital of Japan is best known for its friendly deer, but the city is home to eight separate sites ensuring Nara a place on the Japan UNESCO list. The 8th-century Todai-ji temple is supposedly the oldest wooden structure in the world, while you can also visit the Nara Palace site, where the emperor ruled during the Nara period as well as the Kohfuku-ji Temple, Kasuga-Taisha Shrine, Kasugayama Primeval Forest, Gango-ji Temple, Yakushi-ji Temple and Toshodai-ji Temple.
Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region
Nagasaki/Kumamoto Prefecture
Nagasaki has some of the most unusual history in the whole country. Once the only place foreigners could legally set foot in Japan, you’ll find Dutch trading stations and buildings dating back to the 17th century. But long before the atomic bomb was dropped on the port city, it was also a secret stronghold of Christianity, with ten villages among the Japan UNESCO sites, along with Hara Castle and a cathedral, where Christians practised their banned faith for centuries.
Cathy Winston is a London-based travel journalist, who’s steadily working her way around the world – 60+ countries visited so far.
Cathy Winston | About the author
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