Japan’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites: A guide

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 6^th 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 17^th 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. 

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