World Natural Heritage in Japan

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The first two World Natural Heritage sites in Japan were registered in 1993. They were the remote “Yakushima” island in Kagoshima Prefecture and “Shirakami Sanchi,” a vast, primal beech forest that spans Aomori and Akita Prefectures. The Shiretoko peninsula, which protrudes into the Sea of Okhotsk in the northeastern part of Hokkaido, was registered in 2005, and the Ogasawara Islands, oceanic islands about 1,000 km away from central Tokyo, were registered in 2011. Most recently, the area consisting of Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island were registered in 2021, for a total of five World Natural Heritage sites in Japan. Japan’s natural heritage is a place where all of its rich and unique ecosystems are valued and you can feel the circle of life, including rare plants and animals.

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Textiles of Japan’s southern islands born from the bounty of nature: Amami’s Oshima Tsumugi and Okinawa’s Bashofu

Textiles of Japan’s southern islands born from the bounty of nature: Amami’s Oshima Tsumugi and Okinawa’s Bashofu

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A culinary culture that evolved from life in Shiretoko Peninsula, a Natural World Heritage site extending 3 km offshore

A culinary culture that evolved from life in Shiretoko Peninsula, a Natural World Heritage site extending 3 km offshore

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Walk in a golden beech forest while hiking in Shirakami-Sanchi in autumn

Walk in a golden beech forest while hiking in Shirakami-Sanchi in autumn

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Hahajima Island / Mt. Chibusayama Trekking Tour featuring the many remaining endemic species of the Ogasawara Island

Hahajima Island / Mt. Chibusayama Trekking Tour featuring the many remaining endemic species of the Ogasawara Island

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Climbing the steep cliffs and Mt. Mocchomu-dake, looking down on the nature of Yakushima Island and the ocean

Climbing the steep cliffs and Mt. Mocchomu-dake, looking down on the nature of Yakushima Island and the ocean

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Go trekking in Kinsakubaru Forest on Amami Oshima and encounter rare plants and animals

Go trekking in Kinsakubaru Forest on Amami Oshima and encounter rare plants and animals

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Videos introducing the charms of each nature are updated.

Videos introducing the charms of each nature are updated.

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