The Most Popular World Heritage Sites in Japan


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According to a survey by Japanese travel agency JTB, people in Japan seem to have strong interests in visiting world heritage sites. Here are the top three popular sites that people someday hope to experience. 1) Yakushima, 2) Ogasawara Islands, and 3) Shiretoko.

Today, I would like to introduce them one by one 😀

 

[No.1] Yakushima, Kagoshima Prefecture – 47.5%

 

 

Yakushima is an pentagon shaped island located at 60km south of Kyushu, one of the Japan’s main islands. Yakushima is a very rainy place, and it is said that it rains “35 days a month”. However, thanks to the rain, Yakushima is filled with a wide variety of plant species. The island is famous for special Japanese cedars called Yakusugi (see photo at top) which are more than 1,000 years old.

The Ghibli movie, “Princess Mononoke” is inspired by the nature of Yakushima. Trekking around the Yakushima forests is an attractive activity for island visitors.

 

 

 

[No.2] Ogasawara Islands, Tokyo Prefecture – 36.4%

 

 

The Ogasawara Islands are dots in the Pacific Ocean belonging to Tokyo prefecture. These islands have just been recognized as a World Heritage site this year.  These islands feature a wide range of characteristic plants and animals, and also beautiful scuba diving spots. It’s kind of amazing that such islands filled with nature belong to the Japan’s biggest prefecture, Tokyo.

 

 

 

[No.3] Shiretoko , Hokkaido Prefecture -24.0%

 

 

Shiretoko (including the Shiretoko Peninsula and its coastal zones) is located at the east end of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. It’s a very cold location, and drift ice can be seen on the ocean in winter. Here you can enjoy visiting the majestic Shiretoko cape, lakes called Shiretoko-Goko, a variety of dense forests, water falls and hot springs. Sounds very exciting, doesn’t it? 😉

 

 

Source: Business Media

 

This is JAPAN Style!