travel

白神山地 – Shirakami Sanchi

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Japan currently hosts 26 World Heritage Sites, including Shirakami-Sanchi, a mountainous region spanning Aomori and Akita Prefectures. Recognized in 1993, Shirakami-Sanchi boasts vast primeval beech forests, among the largest untouched natural reserves globally. These ancient forests, free from modern development, provide sanctuary to a rich diversity of flora and fauna, including the elusive black woodpecker and the Japanese serow, a designated natural monument.

白神山地は現在日本にある26の世界遺産の一つ。白神山地は青森県から秋田県にまたがる山地帯の総称。「人の影響をほとんど受けていない原生的なブナ天然林が世界最大級の規模で分布」として、1993年世界遺産に登録された。白神山地は幻の鳥と言われるクマゲラや天然記念物のニホンカモシカなどの保護区になっている。

Japan’s World Heritage Sites

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As of February 2025, Japan proudly hosts 26 World Heritage Sites, each contributing uniquely to global heritage.

1 Buddhist monuments in the Horyu-ji area Nara 1993 cultural
2 Himeji Castle Hyogo 1993 cultural
3 Yakushima Kagoshima 1993 natural
4 Shirakami-Sanchi Aomori and Akita 1993 natural
5 Cultural Assets of the Ancient Capital of Kyoto (Kyoto City, Uji City, Otsu City) Kyoto and Shiga 1994 cultural
6 Shirakawa-go and Gokayama Gassho-style Villages Gifu and Toyama 1995 cultural
7 Atomic Bomb Dome Hiroshima 1996 cultural
8 Itsukushima Shrine Hiroshima 1996 cultural
9 Cultural Assets of the Ancient Capital of Nara Nara 1998 cultural
10 Shrines and Temples of Nikko Tochigi 1999 cultural
11 Gusuku and Related Properties of the Kingdom of the Ryukyus Okinawa 2000 cultural
12 Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range Mie, Nara, Wakayama 2004 cultural
13 Shiretoko Hokkaido 2005 natural
14 Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine Site and its Cultural Landscape Shimane 2007 cultural
15 Ogasawara Islands Tokyo 2011 natural
16 Hiraizumi – Architecture, gardens and archaeological sites representing the Buddhist Pure Land – Iwate 2011 cultural
17 Mount Fuji: an object of worship and a source of artistic inspiration Yamanashi and Shizuoka 2013 cultural
18 Tomioka Silk Mill and Silk Industry Heritage Sites Gunma 2014 cultural
19 Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution Heritage Sites: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding, and Coal Mining Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Yamaguchi, Iwate, Shizuoka 2015 cultural
20 Le Corbusier’s Architectural Works – Outstanding Contributions to the Modern Architectural Movement – Tokyo 2016 cultural
21 “The Sacred Island” – Okinoshima and Associated Heritage Sites in Munakata Fukuoka 2017 cultural
22 Hidden Christian Sites in Nagasaki and the Amakusa Region Nagasaki and Kumamoto 2018 cultural
23 Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group – Ancient Japanese Tombs Osaka 2019 cultural
24 Amami Oshima, Tokunoshima, northern Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island Kagoshima and Okinawa 2021 natural
25 Jomon ruins in Hokkaido and northern Tohoku Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Akita 2021 cultural
26 Gold Mine of Sado Island Niigata 2024 cultural

小町絵図 – Komachi Ezu

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Gokusaishiki Umeiro Komachi Ezu (極彩色梅匂小町絵図) is the title of a fusuma painting by contemporary painter Daruma Shōten (だるま商店) in 2009.  The life of the mysterious poet, Ono no Komachi is depicted in this painting.  You can see it in Zuishin-In temple (随心院) in Kyoto.  This temple is believed to be related to Ono no Komachi.

御神渡り – Omiwatari

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Omiwatari is a natural phenomenon that occurs on lakes such as Lake Suwa.  In winter the entire lake surface freezes, and, due to the temperature change, the volume of the surface ice changes.  When the volume increases, sections of the ice push against each other.  When the volume decreases, the ice sections pull apart.  This causes the ice to make noise, crack and rise, forming what is called a; pressure ridge.  In Lake Suwa, these pressure ridges form a path that can extend for several miles.  Japanese people call it Omiwatari or “God’s Crossing” instead of a pressure ridge… it’s romantic, isn’t it?  Unfortunately, because of global warming, it’s getting harder and harder to see one.

さんじゅーろー – Sanjūrō

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Sanjūrō is a cat that was found inside Matsuyama Castle (備中松山城).  He stayed in the castle and became popular among visitors.  There was an incident when he went missing, but he was found and brought back to the castle safely.  Afterwards he officially became the lord cat of the castle (猫城主).

花手水 – Hana Chōzu

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There is a temple in Kyoto called Yanagidani Kannon Yōkokuji (柳谷観音楊谷寺) that started decorating chōzuya with flowers and leaves from their garden in 2018-2019.  They called this Hana chōzu.  Since the COVID19, many shrines and temples in Japan prohibited the use of chōzuya, but some places also took up the idea of hana chōzu, and started to decorate their chōzuya.  Nowadays Hana chōzu have become very popular.  It is definitely a tool to bring people to their shine or temple.

渋谷駅 – Shibuya Station

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In 1885 Shibuya Station was only on the Yamanote Line, and had an average of 34 users per day.  At that time Shibuya was more of a rural area and survived through the Great Kanto Earthquake 1923 when the downtown area was destroyed.  But later many people moved their businesses to Shibuya and more subway lines were added to the station.  There was no central plan however, and more train lines were just added one at a time in a disorderly fashion as the area became more and more popular.  As a result the Shibuya Station became a colossal labyrinth that had insufficient earthquake resistance and flooding issues.  Finally in 2006 the government decided to rebuild the station to make it safer and less confusing and ever since then they have been remodeling it without closing down the entire station.  In order to do this workers have to practice their techniques at a simulated location so that they can minimize construction time on the actual worksite. The Shibuya Station upgrade is supposed to finish in 2027.

Tokyo Aquatics Centre

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The Tokyo Aquatics Centre is another beautiful building that was built especially for the 2020 Olympics.  It is used for the swimming and diving competitions.  A special sound control system was built into the structure so that the reverberation (echo) time is less than three seconds.

Yoyogi National Gymnasium

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The Yoyogi National Gymnasium was built for the Tokyo 1964 Olympics.  It is a beautiful gymnasium with a suspension roof design that does not use pillars.  In 2017 the earthquake‐resistant repair work was done to meet today’s safety standards.  It is located 1.5 miles from the National Stadium.