World Heritage Sites in Japan

The World Heritage Convention, adopted at the 1972 General Conference of UNESCO, called for a list to be created of natural and cultural sites of “outstanding universal value.”

In December 1993, Japan’s first World Cultural Heritage sites were registered: the Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryūji Temple Area (Nara Prefecture) and Himeji-jō (Hyōgo Prefecture). The addition of the Sado Island Gold Mines (Niigata Prefecture) in 2024 means it now has 21 cultural and 5 natural heritage sites for a total of 26 World Heritage sites.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan

Sites are for cultural heritage, unless otherwise stated.

1. Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryūji Temple Area (Nara): December 1993
2. Himeji-jō (Hyōgo): December 1993
   • Himeji Castle: Japan’s Grandest Feudal Keep
   • The Best Spots to View Himeji Castle
3. Yakushima (Kagoshima): December 1993 (natural heritage)
4. Shirakami-Sanchi (Aomori and Akita): December 1993 (natural heritage)
5. Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto and Shiga): December 1994
   • Kyoto’s Ancient Kamigamo Shrine
   • Byōdōin: World Heritage Buddhist Temple
6. Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama (Gifu and Toyama): (December 1995)
   • The Magnificent Mountains of Autumn: Japan’s World Heritage Villages Keep the Old Ways Alive
7. Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) (Hiroshima): December 1996
   • Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
8. Itsukushima Shintō Shrine (Hiroshima): December 1996
   • World Heritage: Itsukushima Shrine (Time-Lapse Video)
   • Autumn in Miyajima: Momijidani Park and Misen
9. Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (Nara): December 1998
   • Tōdaiji: The Great Buddha of Nara and Historic Temple Complex
   • Kasuga Taisha: Ancient Shintō Site in Nara
10. Shrines and Temples of Nikkō (Tochigi): December 1999
    • World Heritage Site Nikkō Tōshōgū
    • Futarasan Shrine: A World Heritage Destination in Nikkō, Tochigi
11. Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryūkyū (Okinawa): December 2000
12. Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (Nara, Wakayama, and Mie): July2004
    • Mount Yoshino: The Spot to Go for Cherry Blossom Overload
13. Shiretoko (Hokkaidō): July 2005 (natural heritage)
    • Exploring Hokkaidō’s Shiretoko: Lakes, Wild Shorelines, and More
    • Exploring Hokkaidō’s Shiretoko: Hot Waterfalls, Stargazing, and Scenic Drives
14. Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape (Shimane): June 2007
15. Hiraizumi—Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land (Iwate): June 2011
    • World Heritage in Hiraizumi: Iwate’s Chūsonji Embodies a Buddhist Realm
    • World Heritage in Hiraizumi: Mōtsūji’s Pure Land Paradise
16. Ogasawara Islands (Tokyo): June 2011 (natural heritage)
    • An Ogasawara Chronology: From Settlement to UNESCO World Heritage Listing
17. Fujisan—Sacred Place and Source of Artistic Inspiration (Yamanashi and Shizuoka): June 2013
    • Mount Fuji
    • Hashimuki Makoto: Mount Fuji Photographer Par Excellence
18. Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites (Gunma): June 2014
    • The World Heritage Tomioka Silk Mill: A Modern Factory with Japanese Flavor
19. Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining (Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Yamaguchi, Iwate, and Shizuoka): July 2015
20. The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement (National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo): July 2016
21. Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region (Fukuoka): July 2017
    • Munakata Taisha: A World Heritage Site Offers Glimpses of Japan’s Past
    • Munakata Taisha: A Birthplace of Japan’s Ritual Practices
22. Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region (Nagasaki and Kumamoto): June 2018
    • Sakitsu: A Simple Fishing Village Becomes a World Heritage Site
    • Exploring Nagasaki’s Gotō Islands and the History of the Hidden Christians
23. Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan (Osaka): July 2019
    • Touring Osaka’s World Heritage Burial Mounds
24. Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern Part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island (Kagoshima and Okinawa): July 2021 (natural heritage)
    • The Ancient Flora and Fauna of Amami Ōshima and Tokunoshima
    • Yanbaru: Northern Okinawa’s Natural Heritage Site
25. Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan (Hokkaidō, Aomori, Iwate, and Akita): July 2021
    • Step into Japan’s Prehistoric Jōmon Culture at Aomori’s Sannai Maruyama Archeological Site
26. Sado Island Gold Mines (Niigata): July 2024
    • The Shōgun’s Golden Mountain: A Tour of Japan’s Sado Kinzan Mine

Inside the Sōdayū mine at Sado Kinzan. (© Pixta)

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Dōyū no warito, a mountain split by mining activities, is a symbol of gold mining on Sado. © Pixta.)