Japan

Seasonal calendar — from climate data and curated definitions.

National holidays — closures and days off.

UNESCO World Heritage sites in this country.

• Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration

  2013Cultural

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  Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of 3,776.24 m. It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island, and the seventh-highest peak of an island on Earth. Mount Fuji last erupted from 1707 to 1708.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)

  1994Cultural

  ©

  Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple located in eastern Kyoto, Japan. It belongs to the Kita-Hosso sect of Japanese Buddhism and its honzon is a hibutsu statue of Jūichimen Kannon. The temple's full name is Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera. The temple is the 16th stop on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage route. Along with Kōryū-ji and Kurama-dera, it is one of the few temples in Kyoto that predates the foundation of the capital to Heian-kyō. It is also one of Japan's leading temples dedicated to the worship of Kannon, along with Ishiyama-dera and Hase-dera. It is a famous tourist destination in Kyoto City, attracting many pilgrims throughout the year. Since 1995, it holds the Kanji of the Year ceremony on 12 December every year. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Himeji-jo

  1993Cultural

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  Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in Himeji, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 structures with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. The castle is frequently known as Hakuro-jō or Shirasagi-jō because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)

  1996Cultural

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  The Hiroshima Peace Memorial , originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and now commonly called the Genbaku Dome, Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome , is part of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Itsukushima Shinto Shrine

  1996Cultural

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  Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima, best known for its "floating" torii. It is in the city of Hatsukaichi, in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan, accessible from the mainland by ferry at Miyajimaguchi Station. The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Japanese government has designated several buildings and possessions as National Treasures.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Yakushima

  1993Natural

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  Yakushima (屋久島) is one of the Ōsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 504.88 km2 (194.94 sq mi) in area, has a population of 11,858. It is accessible by hydrofoil ferry, car ferry, or by air to Yakushima Airport.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Shirakami-Sanchi

  1993Natural

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  The Shirakami Mountains (White God Mountains) (Japanese: 白神山地, Hepburn: Shirakami-Sanchi) are a UNESCO World Heritage Site wilderness area in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū, Japan. This mountainous area includes the last virgin forest of Japanese beech which once covered most of northern Japan. The area straddles both Akita and Aomori Prefectures, with three-fourths of it in Aomori Prefecture. Of the entire 130,000-hectare (500 sq mi) area, a tract covering 16,971-hectare (65.53 sq mi) was included in the list of World Heritage Sites in 1993. Fauna found in the area includes Japanese black bear, the Japanese serow, Japanese macaque and 87 species of birds. The Shirakami-Sanchi was one of the first sites entered on the World Heritage List in Japan, along with Yakushima, Himeji Castle, and Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area in 1993. Permission is needed from Forest Management to

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining

  2015Cultural

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  Hashima Island , commonly called Gunkanjima , is an abandoned island about 15 kilometres from the centre of Nagasaki, Japan. It is one of 505 uninhabited islands in Nagasaki Prefecture. The island's most notable features are its abandoned concrete buildings, undisturbed except by nature, and the surrounding seawall. While the island is a symbol of the rapid industrialisation of Japan, it is also a reminder of Japanese war crimes as a site of forced labour prior to and during World War II.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara

  1998Cultural

  ©

  Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admired Tang dynasty. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergone several reconstructions, including one initiated by Minamoto Yoritomo in 1181 which included the standardization of existing buildings and the strengthening of visible pillars. Since then, one of the most significant reconstruction took place in 1709. However, it was on the verge of collapse in the late 19th century due to the weight of its huge roof. The collapse was prevented through a first restoration (1904–1913), and its current appearance was completed using steel framing between 1974 and 1980. Its Great Buddha Hall houses

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement

  2016Cultural

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  The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier is a World Heritage Site consisting of a selection of 17 building projects in seven countries by the Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier. These sites demonstrate how modern movement architecture was applied to respond to the needs of society and show the global reach of an architectural style and an architect. Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (1887–1965), known as Le Corbusier, was an architectural designer, urban planner and writer who was one of the pioneers of what is now referred to as modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and acquired French nationality in 1930. He designed buildings all over the world, and he was an important representative of the 20th-century modernist movement, which introduced new architectural techniques to meet the needs of the changing society. He revolutionised urban planning and was a founding member of the Congrès

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)