UNESCO
UNESCO World Heritage sites in Japan
Japan ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1992; its first four sites — Horyu-ji, Himeji Castle, Yakushima and Shirakami-Sanchi — were inscribed in 1993. Each profile explains why the property is of outstanding universal value, what its components are and how to visit.
Cultural (21)
NaraBuddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji AreaHōryū-ji Chiiki no Bukkyō KenzōbutsuThe oldest wooden temple buildings in the worldInscribed 1993HyogoHimeji-joHimeji-jōThe White Heron: the finest surviving castle of feudal JapanInscribed 1993Kyoto, ShigaHistoric Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)Koto Kyōto no Bunkazai (Kyōto-shi, Uji-shi, Ōtsu-shi)A thousand years of architecture and gardens in the imperial capitalInscribed 1994Gifu, ToyamaHistoric Villages of Shirakawa-go and GokayamaShirakawa-gō, Gokayama no Gasshō-zukuri ShūrakuThatched farmhouses of the snow countryInscribed 1995HiroshimaHiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)Genbaku DōmuThe ruin preserved as a warning against nuclear weaponsInscribed 1996HiroshimaItsukushima Shinto ShrineItsukushima-jinjaA shrine on the sea, framed by a sacred mountainInscribed 1996NaraHistoric Monuments of Ancient NaraKoto Nara no BunkazaiThe first permanent capital and the cradle of classical Japanese cultureInscribed 1998TochigiShrines and Temples of NikkoNikkō no ShajiThe shoguns' mausoleums in a sacred mountain forestInscribed 1999OkinawaGusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of RyukyuRyūkyū Ōkoku no Gusuku oyobi Kanren Isan-gunCastles, tombs and sacred groves of a vanished island kingdomInscribed 2000Wakayama, Nara, MieSacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain RangeKii-sanchi no Reijō to SankeimichiSacred mountains and the pilgrim roads between themInscribed 2004ShimaneIwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural LandscapeIwami Ginzan Iseki to sono Bunkateki KeikanThe silver mine that drew Japan into global tradeInscribed 2007IwateHiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure LandHiraizumi – Bukkokudo (Jōdo) o Arawasu Kenchiku, Teien oyobi Kōkogakuteki Iseki-gunA northern capital built as an image of paradiseInscribed 2011Yamanashi, ShizuokaFujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspirationFuji-san – Shinkō no Taishō to Geijutsu no GensenThe sacred mountain that became the icon of JapanInscribed 2013GunmaTomioka Silk Mill and Related SitesTomioka Seishijō to Kinu Sangyō Isan-gunThe factory and farms that made Japan the world's silk supplierInscribed 2014Nagasaki, Fukuoka Prefecture, Saga Prefecture, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Yamaguchi, Shizuoka, IwateSites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal MiningMeiji Nippon no Sangyō Kakumei Isan: Seitetsu, Seikō, Zōsen, Sekitan SangyōFurnaces, docks and mines of Japan's rapid industrialisationInscribed 2015TokyoThe Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern MovementRu Korubyujie no Kenchiku Sakuhin – Kindai Kenchiku Undō e no Kencho na KōkenLe Corbusier's museum of unlimited growth in UenoInscribed 2016Fukuoka PrefectureSacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata RegionKami Yadoru Shima Munakata, Okinoshima to Kanren Isan-gunThe island where the gods live, untouched for a thousand yearsInscribed 2017Nagasaki, KumamotoHidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki RegionNagasaki to Amakusa Chihō no Senpuku Kirishitan Kanren IsanVillages where a banned faith survived in secretInscribed 2018OsakaMozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient JapanMozu, Furuichi Kofun-gun – Kodai Nihon no Funbo-gunThe keyhole-shaped tombs of Japan's early kingsInscribed 2019Aomori, Hokkaido, Iwate, AkitaJomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern JapanHokkaidō, Kita-Tōhoku no Jōmon Iseki-gunTen thousand years of settled life without farmingInscribed 2021NiigataSado Island Gold MinesSado no KinzanThe shogun's gold mines on a Sea of Japan islandInscribed 2024
Natural (5)
Aomori, AkitaShirakami-SanchiShirakami-sanchiThe last great beech wilderness of East AsiaInscribed 1993KagoshimaYakushimaYakushimaAncient cedars on an island of mountains and rainInscribed 1993HokkaidoShiretokoShiretokoWhere sea ice, salmon and bears connect ocean and landInscribed 2005TokyoOgasawara IslandsOgasawara-shotōA laboratory of evolution in the middle of the PacificInscribed 2011Kagoshima, OkinawaAmami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote IslandAmami-Ōshima, Tokunoshima, Okinawa-jima Hokubu oyobi Iriomote-jimaIsland rainforests of rabbits, rails and wild cats found nowhere elseInscribed 2021