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Room of Japan · Nature and geography

World Heritage sites in Japan

In short

Japan has 27 World Heritage sites: 22 cultural and 5 natural. The first four were added in 1993, and the newest in 2026.
World Heritage sites in Japan, in the order of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ list. The Japanese names are from that list. The English names are our own translations.
No.SiteIn JapaneseWhereAddedKind
1Buddhist monuments in the Horyu-ji area法隆寺地域の仏教建造物Nara1993Cultural
2Himeji Castle姫路城Hyogo1993Cultural
3Yakushima屋久島Kagoshima1993Natural
4Shirakami-Sanchi白神山地Aomori, Akita1993Natural
5Cultural properties of ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu)古都京都の文化財Kyoto, Shiga1994Cultural
6Gassho-style villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama白川郷・五箇山の合掌造り集落Gifu, Toyama1995Cultural
7Atomic Bomb Dome原爆ドームHiroshima1996Cultural
8Itsukushima Shrine厳島神社Hiroshima1996Cultural
9Cultural properties of ancient Nara古都奈良の文化財Nara1998Cultural
10Shrines and temples of Nikko日光の社寺Tochigi1999Cultural
11Gusuku sites and related properties of the Ryukyu Kingdom琉球王国のグスク及び関連遺産群Okinawa2000Cultural
12Sacred sites and pilgrimage routes in the Kii Mountains紀伊山地の霊場と参詣道Mie, Nara, Wakayama2004Cultural
13Shiretoko知床Hokkaido2005Natural
14Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its cultural landscape石見銀山遺跡とその文化的景観Shimane2007Cultural
15Ogasawara Islands小笠原諸島Tokyo2011Natural
16Hiraizumi平泉Iwate2011Cultural
17Fujisan富士山Yamanashi, Shizuoka2013Cultural
18Tomioka Silk Mill and related silk industry sites富岡製糸場と絹産業遺産群Gunma2014Cultural
19Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution明治日本の産業革命遺産8 prefectures2015Cultural
20The architectural work of Le Corbusierル・コルビュジエの建築作品Tokyo (with France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Argentina and India)2016Cultural
21Sacred island of Okinoshima and related sites in the Munakata region「神宿る島」宗像・沖ノ島と関連遺産群Fukuoka2017Cultural
22Hidden Christian sites in the Nagasaki region and Amakusa長崎と天草地方の潜伏キリシタン関連遺産Nagasaki, Kumamoto2018Cultural
23Mozu-Furuichi Kofun group百舌鳥・古市古墳群Osaka2019Cultural
24Amami-Oshima, Tokunoshima, northern Okinawa Island and Iriomote奄美大島、徳之島、沖縄島北部及び西表島Kagoshima, Okinawa2021Natural
25Jomon prehistoric sites in Hokkaido and northern Tohoku北海道・北東北の縄文遺跡群Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Akita2021Cultural
26Sado Island gold mines佐渡島の金山Niigata2024Cultural
27The palace capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara飛鳥・藤原の宮都Nara2026Cultural

The first four, in 1993

The first sites from Japan were added in 1993: the Buddhist monuments in the Horyu-ji area and Himeji Castle, which are cultural sites, and Yakushima and Shirakami-Sanchi, which are natural sites.

Cultural and natural

Of the 27 sites, 22 are cultural and 5 are natural. The natural sites are Yakushima, Shirakami-Sanchi, Shiretoko, the Ogasawara Islands, and Amami-Oshima, Tokunoshima, northern Okinawa Island and Iriomote.

Some sites stretch over several prefectures. The Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution are in eight prefectures, from Iwate to Kagoshima.

Shared with other countries

One site is shared with other countries: the architectural work of Le Corbusier. Its site in Japan is in Tokyo, and the others are in France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Argentina and India.

The newest

The Sado Island gold mines were added in 2024, and the palace capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara, in Nara, were added in 2026.

Think about it

There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.

Did you know? — The Le Corbusier site is shared by Japan and six other countries.
Next steps
About this page
List: Agency for Cultural Affairs, “List of World Heritage sites in Japan” (Japanese)
Written by CCN CO., LTD.
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