Choose your Travel,
Choose your Future.

- World Natural Heritage in Japan -

Shirakami-Sanchi

A trip to one of East Asia's largest native beech forests, home to a rich forest ecosystem

Shiretoko

Travel to the world's lowest latitude sea ice, which nature's ecosystems and a treasure trove of diverse organisms

Amami・Okinawa

Travel to a series of islands home to endemic and rare species that have undergone a unique evolution over some two million years

Yakushima

A journey to an island enveloped in rain, bringing out the beauty of a huge cedar forest that condenses Japanese vegetation

Ogasawara Islands

A trip to ocean islands that are making progress in nurturing their own distinctive ecosystem.

World Natural
Heritage
in Japan

Incredible views beyond imagining, an environment with a miraculous balance, plants and animals robustly living in that environment. The nature in each "World Natural Heritage" site is unique to and nurtured in that site and cannot be replaced or changed.

There are various World Natural Heritage sites across the globe, such as Yellowstone National Park, and the Great Barrier Reef, but in Japan, an island country surrounded by the sea, a country where approx. 70% of the land is occupied by forests, there are also five World Natural Heritage sites: Shiretoko, Shirakami Sanchi, the Ogasawara Islands, Yakushima, and the area consisting of Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island.

These Natural Heritage sites are humanity's irreplaceable property and should be protected for the next generation, so rules and manners are in place, but these rules and manners are not to keep people away from Natural Heritage sites. Because these are irreplaceable sites, it is important for people to visit, touch, feel, and communicate something to the next generation.

A trip to Japan's World Natural Heritage sites is to experience nature beyond imagining, to trigger an update of your awareness of nature and your behavior. Choosing a trip to a Natural Heritage site leads to protecting the destination and the planet's future. Why not take the first step towards adventure at a World Natural Heritage site?

Back to NATURE

As we hear the stories shared by people who live in harmony with nature in these World Natural Heritage sites, we can search for hints on how to construct our relationships with nature looking ahead to the next generation.

Discover Japan
Nature Click on what interests you at the four World Natural Heritage sites!

  • ShiretokoWhale watching

  • ShiretokoIce diving

  • Shirakami-SanchiAoike Pond

  • Shirakami-SanchiThe Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus)

  • Ogasawara IslandsGaze out over the Bonin blue from the lookout

  • Ogasawara IslandsSwimming with dolphins

  • Amami・OkinawaOkinawa Rail

  • Amami・OkinawaAmami Tip-nosed Frog

  • YakushimaYakushima-midori shijimi (Neozephyrus japonicas)

  • YakushimaTrekking Shiratani Unsuikyo Forest

Experience World Natural Heritage

You’ll find a special joy in connecting to nature discovered by a guide well-versed in World Natural Heritage sites and locals who carry on traditions.

Find Your Destination

Ogasawara Islands

Ocean islands nurturing their own distinctive ecosystem

Shiretoko

An ecosystem thriving on drift ice and a paradise for diverse wildlife

Shirakami-Sanchi

One of East Asia’slargestvirgin beech forests

Yakushima

A rain-shrouded island that dazzles with the beauty of the giant cedars

Amami・Okinawa

A series of islands where a wide variety of endemic and rare species co-exist

Special Contents We will introduce the story of each world natural heritage from various themes.
Select the theme you are interested in.

Traditional food / local cuisine
In Japan's World Natural Heritage area, the culture of "traditional food and local cuisine" by the people who have lived there is rooted. Knowing the "food culture" created by the activities of people who live in harmony with the precious natural environment will not only make your trip more attractive but will also be an experience of thinking about the future.
In this brochure, we introduce 30 "missions" for visitors to Japan's Natural World Heritage sites. Each mission offers unique lessons about the wonders of nature and the vitality of Japan's flora and fauna, and represents a chance to experience first-hand what the SDGs are truly about.
Read more

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