Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration
Shizuoka Prefecture: Shizuoka City [Miho no Matsubara], Fujinomiya City, Susono City, Gotemba City, Oyama Town [Registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2013]

Straddling Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures, Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. The numerous eruptions going back to antiquity created the beautiful form recognized and appreciated still to this day and has been worshipped as a dwelling for the Kami [deity] since ancient times. In the 9th century, Sengen-jinja [shrine] was built to quell the eruptions, becoming a center for the Shugendo faith in the 11th century and many people started to climb the mountain when trails were opened in the 16th century.

The beauty of Fuji has been captivating by people, as early as the 8th century, it appeared in the "Man'yōshū" [Anthology of Classical Japanese Poetry], and it has continued to appear as the subject of fiction, "Waka" [Japanese poetry], and "Haikus" down to the present day. It also features in many works of visual art, such as the woodblock print collections of "Hokusai" and "Hiroshige", both entitled "Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji".

UNESCO recognized Mt. Fuji for the universal value as the large influence on the view of Japanese people on nature and Japanese culture as an "object of worship" and a "source of artistic inspiration", a global treasure that should be passed onto future generations.
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Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama
Gifu Prefecture: Shirakawa Village of Ono County [Registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1995]

The Village of Ogimachi in Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture was registered as a World Heritage Site along with Ainokura and Suganuma in Gokayama, Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture for houses built in the Gassho-Zukuri style, which are tall and steeply sloped roofs, shaped like two hands pressed together ["Gassho"].

Ogimachi Village in Shirakawa-go is home to more than 100 Gassho-Zukuri buildings of various sizes, learning about how people coped with the heavy snowfall of the region. The tranquil landscape of the fields and straw roofed villages in the mountains is picturesque in the fullest meaning.
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Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
Mie Prefecture: Owase City, Kumano City, Taiki Town of Watarai County and Kihoku Town of Kitamuro County, Mihama Town and Kiho Town of Minamimuro County [Registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2004]

The mountains of the Kii Peninsula in central Japan are home to three revered sacred sites: Kumano Sanzan, Koyasan, and Yoshino and Omine. These sacred places fostered various forms of religious faith, including Shinto, originating in reverence for nature, Buddhism, which saw unique development in Japan after introduction from China, and the synthesis of both in Shugendo [mountain asceticism]. In July 2004, these sites, the pilgrimage routes connecting them, and their cultural landscapes formed through the lengthy interaction of nature and human activity were recognized by UNESCO as the shared heritage of humankind and registered jointly as the World Heritage Site "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range."
Iseji is a pilgrim's "path of prayer", winding over several steep mountain passes that Japanese on pilgrimage traveled from Ise Jingu to Kumano Sanzan, which takes special place in the hearts. As the old proverb, "Seven times to Ise, three times to Kumano," indicates, people in the past longed to visit these special places during their lifetimes. Visitors today can still feel those traditional landscapes and their rich history and culture all along Iseji.
Note: "Kumano Sanzan" is the collective name for the three shrines of Kumano: the Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and the Kumano Nachi Taisha.
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Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)
Shiga Prefecture: Otsu City [Registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1992]

Kyoto, the verdant jewel of western Japan, was the capital and cultural center of the country from 794 until the mid-19th century. The city and its wealth of culture and gorgeous views have been the backdrop for countless works of art and literature up through the modern era. The prestige of the city continues to an international level today, as 17 of its shrines, temples, and castles are now registered as World Cultural Heritage sites in 1994.

All these properties are considered to have played a major historical and cultural role in their respective practices. These registered cultural properties are in Kyoto proper, Uji, and Otsu in Shiga.

The registered 17 sites are: Kamowakeikazuchi-jinja [Kamigamo shrine], Kamomioya-jinja [Shimogamo Shrine], Kyo-o-gokoku-ji [To-ji, temple], Kiyomizu-dera [temple], Enryaku-ji [temple], Daigo-ji [temple], Ninna-ji [temple], Byodo-in [temple], Ujigami-jinja [shrine], Kozan-ji [temple], Saiho-ji [temple], Tenryu-ji [temple], Rokuon-ji [temple], Jisho-ji [temple], Ryoan-ji [temple], Hongan-ji [temple], and Nijo-jo [castle]. Of the 17, the Enryaku-ji [temple] is in the Shiga Prefecture.
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Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama
Toyama Prefecture: AinokuraVillage and SuganumaVillage of Gokayama Area (Nanto-shi) [Registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1995]

"Gokayama" collectively refers to five regions upstream of the Shogawa River, running through the southwestern part of the Toyama Prefecture.
The region was long isolated from the surroundings, by the steep mountains and the heavy snow, leading to the development of a unique culture that grew out of the harsh natural surroundings and social environment.
Ainokura Village and Suganuma Village are known for the Gassho-style houses and have comprised a UNESCO World Heritage Site collectively with the Ogimachi Village in Shirakawa-go Gifu Prefecture for preserving historic landscapes.
Ainokura Village is a medium-sized village of Gassho-style houses, located on a gentle slope on the left bank of the Shogawa River, with twenty such homes of various sizes. Ainokura has uniquely hilly terrain, and the stone retaining walls serve to level out the foundations of the houses.
Suganuma Village is in a flat area along the Shogawa River, in the northern part of Akaodani. Today, there are nine Gassho-style houses here, built from the mid-19th century through the start of the 20th century.
The snow-blanketed scenery of this Gassho-style village is beautifully lit up for Cultural Property Disaster Prevention Day in January, and to celebrate the “Coming of Spring Light-Up Days” in February and March. Gokayama folk songs are also performed in this magical atmosphere.
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