Japan accepted the UNESCO World Heritage Convention on 30 June 1992.^[1] As of July 2021, twenty-five properties have been inscribed on the World Heritage List: twenty cultural sites and five natural sites.^[1] A further five sites and one site extension have been submitted for future inscription and are currently on the Tentative List as of 2017.^[1]

World Heritage Sites

Name	Location	UNESCO data	Area:	Monuments
Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area	Nara Prefecture	660 (1993) i, ii, iv, vi	586 ha; (570.7 ha)	Hōryū-ji, Hokki-ji
Himeji-jō	Hyōgo Prefecture	661 (1993) i, iv	107 ha; (143 ha)	Himeji Castle
Yakushima	Kagoshima Prefecture	662 (1993) vii, ix	10,747 ha	Natural Site: warm temperate ancient forest
Shirakami-Sanchi	Aomori/Akita Prefecture	663 (1993) ix	16,939 ha	Natural Site: Siebold's beech forest, mountains
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto	Kyoto/Shiga Prefecture	688 (1994) ii, iv	1056 ha; (3,579 ha)	Kamigamo Jinja, Shimogamo Jinja, Tō-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Enryaku-ji, Daigo-ji, Ninna-ji, Byōdō-in, Ujigami Jinja, Kōzan-ji, Saihō-ji, Tenryū-ji, Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, Ryōan-ji, Nishi Hongan-ji, Nijō-jō
Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama	Gifu/Toyama Prefecture	734 (1995) iv, v	68 ha; (58,873 ha)	Shirakawa-go, Gokayama
Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)	Hiroshima Prefecture	775 (1996) vi	0.4 ha; (43 ha)	Atomic bomb Dome
Itsukushima Shrine	Hiroshima Prefecture	776 (1996) i, ii, iv, vi	431 ha; (2,634 ha)	Itsukushima Jinja
Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara	Nara Prefecture	870 (1998) ii, iii, iv, vi	617 ha; (2,502 ha)	Tōdai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Taisha, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji, Heijō Palace, Kasugayama Primeval Forest
Shrines and Temples of Nikkō	Tochigi Prefecture	913 (1999) i, iv, vi	51 ha; (373 ha)	Futarasan Jinja, Rinnō-ji, Nikkō Tōshō-gū
Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu	Okinawa Prefecture	972 (2000) ii, iii, vi	55 ha; (560 ha)	Tamaudun, Sonohyan-utaki Ishimon, Nakijin Castle, Zakimi Castle, Katsuren Castle, Nakagusuku Castle, Shuri Castle, Shikinaen, Seifa-utaki
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range	Wakayama/Nara/Mie Prefecture	1142 (2004) ii, iii, iv, vi	495 ha; (1,137 ha)	Seiganto-ji, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, Kongōbu-ji, Niukanshōfu Jinja, Kumano Hongū Taisha, Niutsuhime Jinja, Mount Yoshino, Ōminesan-ji, Kōyasan chōishi-michi, Jison-in, Yoshino Mikumari Jinja, Kinbu Jinja, Kimpusen-ji, Yoshimizu Jinja, Kumano Nachi Taisha, Nachi Falls, Nachi primaeval forest, Fudarakusan-ji, Kumano Kodō
Shiretoko	Hokkaidō	1193 (2005) ix, x	71,100 ha	Natural Site: peninsula and marine area
Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape	Shimane Prefecture	1246 (2010) ii, iii, v	529 ha; (3,134 ha)	Yunotsu, Iwami Ginzan Kaidō Yunotsu-Okidomaridō, Site of Daikansho, Okidomari, Ginzan Sakunouchi, Site of Yataki-jō, Ōmori Ginzan, Miya-no-mae, Iwami Ginzan Kaidō Tomogauradō, Site of Yahazu-jō, Site of Iwami-jō, Kumagaika residence, Rakan-ji Gohyakurakan, Tomogaura
Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land	Iwate Prefecture	1277 (2011) ii, vi	187 ha; (5,998 ha)	Chūson-ji, Mōtsū-ji, Kanjizaiō-in, Muryōkō-in, Kinkeizan
Ogasawara Islands	Tokyo	1362 (2011) ix	7,939 ha	Natural Site: Chichi-jima, Haha-jima, Muko-jima, Iwo-jima
Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration	Shizuoka/Yamanashi Prefecture	1418 (2013) iii, vi	20,638 ha; (49,376 ha)	Mount Fuji, Fuji Five Lakes, Fujisan Hongū Sengen Shrine, Kitaguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Shrine, Yamamiya Sengen Shrine, Murayama Sengen Shrine, Suyama Sengen Shrine, Higashiguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Shrine, Kawaguchi Sengen Shrine, Fuji Omuro Sengen Shrine, Oshino Hakkai, Miho no Matsubara
Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites	Gunma Prefecture	1149 (2014) ii, iv	7.20 ha; (415 ha)	Tomioka Silk Mill
Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining	Kyūshū, and Yamaguchi, Shizuoka and Iwate prefectures	1484 (2015) ii, iii, iv	307 ha; (2,408 ha)	Hashima Coal Mine, Former Glover House, Shūseikan, Miike Coal Mine, Yawata Steel Works, Mutsurejima Lighthouse, Hagi reverberatory furnace, Shōkasonjuku Academy, Hagi castle town
The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement	Tokyo	1321 (2016) i, ii, vi	0.93 ha; (116.17 ha)	National Museum of Western Art
Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region	Fukuoka Prefecture	1535 (2017) ii, iii	98.93 ha; (79,363.48 ha)	Okinoshima, Munakata Taisha
Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region	Nagasaki Prefecture and Kumamoto Prefecture	1495 (2018) iii	5,566.55 ha (12,252.52 ha)	Ōura Cathedral, Hara Castle, Hirado Island
Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun, Ancient Tumulus Clusters	Osaka Prefecture	1593 (2019) iii, iv	166.66 ha (890 ha)	Mozu kofungun, Furuichi kofungun
Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island	Kagoshima Prefecture, Okinawa Prefecture	1574 (2021) x	42,698 ha (24,467 ha)	Amami Ōshima, Tokunoshima, Yanbaru, Iriomote
Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan	Hokkaidō, Aomori/Iwate/Akita Prefecture	1632 (2021) iii, v	141.9 ha (984.8 ha)	Sannai-Maruyama Site, Ōdai Yamamoto I site

Tentative list

The Tentative List consists of sites previously nominated, but not yet inscribed.

Name	Location	UNESCO data	Monuments (incomplete listing)
Temples, Shrines and other structures of Ancient Kamakura	Kanagawa Prefecture	370 (1992) iii, iv	Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, Jufuku-ji, Kenchō-ji, Zuisen-ji, Kōtoku-in, Kakuon-ji, Ruins of Buppō-ji, Ruins of Yōfuku-ji, Ruins of the Hokkedō, Ruins of the Hōjō Tokiwa Residence, Kamegayatsuzaka Pass, Kehaizaka Pass, Daibutsu Pass, Gokuraku-ji, Engaku-ji, Egara Tenjin Shrine, Jōkōmyō-ji, Asaina Pass, Ruins of Tōshō-ji, Nagoshi Pass, Shōmyō-ji, Wakae Island
Hikone-jō	Shiga Prefecture	374 (1992) i, ii, iii, iv	Hikone Castle
Asuka-Fujiwara: Archaeological Sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties	Nara Prefecture	5097 (2007) ii, iii, iv, v, vi	Ishibutai Kofun, Takamatsuzuka Tomb, Kitora Tomb, Kawara-dera, Asuka-dera, Oka-dera, Yamada-dera, Fujiwara-kyō, Yamato Sanzan
The Sado complex of heritage mines, primarily gold mines	Niigata Prefecture	5572 (2010) ii, iii, iv	Sado mines
Hiraizumi - Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land (extension)	Iwate Prefecture	5760 (2012) ii, iii, vi	Shirotori-tate Site, Takkoku-no-Iwaya, Yanagi-no-Gosho Site, Chojagahara Haiji Site, Honedera-mura Shoen Site

Other UNESCO heritage lists

UNESCO List	Exclusive Entries of Japan	Shared/Multinational Entries Involving Japan	Total
UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves	8	—	8
UNESCO World Heritage List	22	1	23
UNESCO Memory of the World Register	5	2	7
UNESCO Global Geoparks Network	10	—	10
UNESCO Creative Cities Network	8	—	8
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists	24	—	24

References

External links

World Heritage Sites in Japan

World Heritage Sites in Japan
Hokkaido	Shiretoko Jōmon Prehistoric Sites	Flag of Japan
Tōhoku	Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land Shirakami-Sanchi Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining Jōmon Prehistoric Sites
Kantō	The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier Shrines and Temples of Nikkō Ogasawara Islands Tomioka Silk Mill
Chūbu	Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining
Kansai	Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area Himeji Castle Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
Chūgoku	Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) Itsukushima Shinto Shrine Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining
Kyushu	Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining Yakushima Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island

Lists of World Heritage Sites in Asia

Lists of World Heritage Sites in Asia
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