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ThemeBeyond the reasons for listing
Jomon villages, the shrines of Nikko, Mt Fuji, Shirakawa-go, ancient Kyoto, Horyu-ji and ancient Nara, Yoshino and Omine, Asuka-Fujiwara, Itsukushima, the Hidden Christians, Gunkanjima, Yakushima and Shuri: World Heritage sites, read one step deeper than the guidebooks.
16 articles
AomoriSannai-MaruyamaWorld Heritage｜Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan (2021)Sannai-Maruyama in Aomori City was a Jomon village for some 1,700 years. Six giant pillars, mounds and chestnut groves reveal a rich prehistoric life.Read →
AomoriThe Jomon Sites and the Goggle-Eyed FigurineWorld Heritage｜Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan (2021)The Jomon Prehistoric Sites, World Heritage since 2021: the goggle-eyed dogu of Kamegaoka, lacquered pottery from Korekawa and the stone circle of Komakino.Read →
NikkoSecrets in the CarvingsWorld Heritage｜Shrines and Temples of Nikko (1999)The Yomeimon Gate, the Sleeping Cat, the Three Wise Monkeys — Nikko Toshogu's highlights get reduced to photogenic snapshots.Read →
Hida-TakayamaShirakawa-go and the Gassho HousesWorld Heritage｜Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama (1995)Shirakawa-go's World Heritage gassho houses: steep thatch, silkworm attics, saltpetre under the floor, shared re-thatching, and a castle lost to an earthquake.Read →
Mt FujiBehind the World HeritageWorld Heritage｜Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration (2013)Mount Fuji was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2013, but over a decade earlier, the Japanese government had actually been pursuing registration…Read →
KyotoKyoto HistoriaWorld Heritage｜Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (1994)A thousand years of burning and rebirth. Kyoto's hidden history — terrain, vengeful spirits, civil war, the Shinsengumi, the Lake Biwa Canal, Nintendo and more — beyond the guidebooks.Read →
NaraHoryu-jiWorld Heritage｜Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area (1993)Horyu-ji, Prince Shotoku's temple founded c. 607: the debate over the fire of 670, the Wakakusa excavation and the mural fire behind Fire Prevention Day.Read →
NaraTodai-ji and the Great BuddhaWorld Heritage｜Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (1998)Nara's Great Buddha stands about 14.7 m tall. Todai-ji's history from Emperor Shomu's edict to two fires, the Nio guardians and Omizutori since 752.Read →
NaraMount Yoshino and the Southern CourtWorld Heritage｜Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (2004)Mount Yoshino's 30,000 cherry trees, planted as prayers since En no Gyoja. Kinpusen-ji's 34 m Zao-do, Go-Daigo's Southern Court, and Yoshitsune and Shizuka.Read →
NaraThe palaces and temples of AsukaWorld Heritage｜Asuka-Fujiwara: Archaeological Sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals (2026)Asuka was Japan's political centre for over a century in the 6th and 7th centuries. The Asuka Daibutsu, the palace of the 645 coup and its mystery stones.Read →
HiroshimaMiyajima and Itsukushima ShrineWorld Heritage｜Itsukushima Shinto Shrine (1996)Taira no Kiyomori's shrine over the sea, the Heike Nokyo sutras, a torii standing by its own weight and the Battle of Itsukushima on World Heritage Miyajima.Read →
HakataMunakata Taisha and OkinoshimaWorld Heritage｜Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region (2017)Okinoshima, a World Heritage island that is itself a god, held rituals for 500 years and 80,000 National Treasures. Its taboos, goddesses and Miare Festival.Read →
NagasakiHidden ChristiansWorld Heritage｜Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region (2018)The 26 Martyrs, the ban and the fumie, the Shimabara uprising and the 1865 'discovery of the believers' at Oura Church: 250 years of Japan's hidden Christians.Read →
NagasakiGunkanjima and Industrial HeritageWorld Heritage｜Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution (2015)Hashima (Gunkanjima), once said to be the most densely populated place on earth, its 1916 concrete apartments and the giant shipyard crane: World Heritage sites of modern Japan.Read →
KagoshimaThe Forest of YakushimaWorld Heritage｜Yakushima (1993)Yakushima, registered as Japan's first UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 1993, is symbolized above all by Jomon Sugi, the giant cedar standing in the fores…Read →
OkinawaShuri Castle and the Ryukyu KingdomWorld Heritage｜Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu (2000)The Ryukyu Kingdom, unified in 1429, and Shuri Castle: five fires from 1453 to 2019, each rebuilding, the Shureimon gate and World Heritage status.Read →
