Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, and Natural Monuments of Japan

About 1.1 km of the middle Nakamura River in Matsusaka, where the rare nekogigi catfish lives at high density among rocks, was made a Natural Monument in 2011.

This Yokkaichi site protects the inunashi, the most primitive wild pear in Japan, found by local teachers in 1902 and named by Makino Tomitaro. Designated 1922.

Discover Ichinosawa Cave in Yamagata, a National Historic Site where Japan's earliest pottery was unearthed. Trace the dawn of Jomon culture through this ancient mountain shelter.

A fifth-century keyhole tomb about 96 metres long in the Yonezawa basin, Nanyo, Yamagata, a Historic Site since 1980, notable near the northern limit of tomb culture.

Discover Ōdate Cave in Yamagata, a National Historic Site where some of Japan's oldest pottery was unearthed. Step into a 13,000-year-old Jomon dwelling carved by nature itself.

Tucked into the forested hills of Asahi Town, Yamagata Prefecture, Ōnuma no Ukishima is a National Place of Scenic Beauty where more than thirty islands drift freely across a small mountain pond, even on windless days. Said to have been discovered in 681 CE by the legendary mountain ascetic En no Ozunu, this sacred pond within the precincts of Ukishima Inari Shrine has fascinated travelers for over thirteen centuries, and each July a traditional festival ceremoniously creates a new island upon its waters.

The Oguni Castle Ruins in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, crown the 348.5-meter summit of Mt. Tateyama. With a 235.5-meter rise—the largest of any medieval mountain castle in the prefecture—and rare full-perimeter ramparts, it is a National Historic Site of exceptional value.

Mt. Gassan, 1,984m, is Yamagata's sacred peak of Dewa Sanzan. A 1972 Natural Monument, its summer snowfields and high-moor wetlands shelter 130-plus alpine species.

The Kinowa-no-saku Site in Sakata, Yamagata, preserves a square Heian-period provincial compound 720 meters per side, with reconstructed gates and earthen walls.

The former precinct of Jionji in Sagae, Yamagata, a Historic Site since 2014, with halls, sub-temple plots, medieval fortifications and an ascetic training ground.

On hills above the Yonezawa Basin in Yamagata, the Shimokomatsu Tumulus Group gathers 202 Kofun-period burial mounds, of which 179 form a National Historic Site.

Hōraien, the garden at Sōkōji temple in Sakata, was designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 1996, prized for framing a hilltop hall as borrowed scenery.

The Dō-no-mae Site near Sakata preserves a buried Heian-period compound: huge earthfast-post halls and a rare timber raft foundation linked to ancient Dewa Province.

Akiyoshidai in Mine, Yamaguchi, is a karst plateau of Paleozoic limestone, a Special Natural Monument since 1964, with dolines, karren and overturned strata.

Akiyoshido Cave in Mine, Yamaguchi, a Special Natural Monument since 1952, has a 1 km show route past the vast Senjojiki chamber and Hyakumaizara rimstone pools.

An early Yayoi village on the Hibiki Sea in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, a Historic Site since 1969, saved after destruction and a lawsuit and now a site park.

The thatched house in Hagi, Yamaguchi, where Japan's first prime minister Ito Hirobumi lived from 1854 to 1868, a Historic Site since 1932, viewable from outside.

Kagekiyo Cave in Mine, Yamaguchi, a Natural Monument since 1922, is a through-cave carrying a stream, named for a Heike warrior said to have hidden there.

On a quiet low-mountain slope in Toyoura, Shimonoseki City, lies the southernmost natural habitat of Iris rossii (Ehime Ayame) in the world. Designated a National Natural Monument of Japan in 1930, this 748.8-square-meter site is the Japanese population geographically closest to northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula, offering living evidence that the Japanese archipelago was once connected by land to the Asian continent during a colder geological era. In early April, more than 1,000 delicate blue-purple flowers bloom in unison. Combine your visit with nearby Kawatana no Kusu no Mori and Fukutoku Inari Shrine for a memorable detour to one of western Honshu's most quietly remarkable cultural-property sites.

Spanning Toyota Town in Shimonoseki City and Nagato City in Yamaguchi Prefecture, the Kiyagawa and Otozuregawa Genji Firefly Habitats are one of Japan's most important breeding grounds for the country's largest firefly, designated a National Natural Monument in 1958. Visitors can enjoy the magical sight aboard Japan's first firefly-viewing boat (the Hotarubune) or while soaking in the 600-year-old hot springs of Nagato Yumoto Onsen. Peak viewing falls around June 10 at the Kiyagawa and June 20 at the Otozuregawa.

The complete kokuhō catalogue — browse by prefecture, period, and category.

Nationwide jūyō bunkazai — architecture, sculpture, painting, crafts, and documents.

UNESCO-inscribed cultural and natural sites across the archipelago.