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

A two-kilometre ravine in Shimonoseki where late-Cretaceous quartz porphyry forms columnar joints, designated Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument in 1926.

Taisho-do, a National Natural Monument located at the northeastern edge of Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park in Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is an extraordinary three-tiered limestone cave designated in 1923. Once known as Ushikakushi-no-Hora (Cow-Hiding Cave) where villagers hid their cattle during times of war, the vast inner chambers were discovered in 1921 by the Oshima father-and-son team. Its rare vertical structure connecting upper, middle, and lower levels, along with countless young, still-growing stalactites, makes it scientifically invaluable. Visitors enjoy a magical subterranean journey with a Magsiver audio guide and the marble-pillared wisteria walkway known as the Romance Road.

Tawarajima is a small basalt islet off Nagato's Mukatsuku Peninsula, designated in 1927 for columnar joints that stand, lean, and curve like stacked rice bales.

The Choshu Domain Shimonoseki Maeda Battery Ruins in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is a nationally designated historic site where the Shimonoseki Campaigns of 1863–1864 unfolded. This coastal artillery battery witnessed fierce battles between the Choshu Domain and a four-nation allied fleet, leading to Japan's dramatic shift from isolationism to modernization. Visitors can explore the remains while enjoying panoramic views of the Kanmon Straits.

This Yayoi cemetery on a Yamaguchi sand dune has yielded over 300 well-preserved skeletons whose features differ from the Jomon, reshaping Japan's origin story.

Located in the historic castle town of Chofu in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the Nagato Mint Ruins are the only archaeologically confirmed site where Japan's first widely circulated copper coin, the Wadokaichin (708 CE), was produced. Designated a National Historic Site, the ruins lie within the serene grounds of Kakuon-ji Temple, celebrated for its stunning autumn foliage.

The Hagi Ōkan is a 53-kilometer National Historic Site highway in Yamaguchi Prefecture, connecting the castle town of Hagi on the Sea of Japan coast to the port of Mitajiri on the Seto Inland Sea. Built in 1604 as the Mōri clan's official alternate attendance route, this ancient road preserves original Edo-period stone pavements, post towns, and milestone markers, and was once traveled by revolutionary samurai who helped create modern Japan.

Explore the Kai Kokubunji Ruins, a nationally designated historic site in Fuefuki, Yamanashi. Founded in 741 by Emperor Shōmu, this ancient temple site preserves foundation stones of a grand five-story pagoda and other structures from Nara-period Japan.

A Sengoku mountain castle on a hill above the Kamanashi River near Nirasaki. Its earthworks reveal the castle engineering of the Takeda clan and its beacon network.

Yamanakako, Kawaguchiko, Saiko, Shojiko, and Motosuko arc along Mount Fuji's northern foot. Shaped by ancient eruptions, the lakes inspired Hokusai's Reverse Fuji.

Mt. Fuji's primeval forest, designated 1926 and expanded 2010 to add the Aokigahara woodland on 864 AD Jōgan lava, covers 30 km² of the volcano's NW flank.

Fuji Wind Cave, a Natural Monument since 1929, is a lava tube from Mount Fuji's eruption of 864. Undeveloped and ice-filled, it holds more ice than any nearby cave.

Stone embankments that tamed the violent Midai River on its alluvial fan. Tied by tradition to Takeda Shingen, the site became a National Historic Site in 2003.

A National Natural Monument since 1937, this site spans six wooded districts of Minobu, including Kuon-ji Temple, where the dollarbird once bred each summer.

The Yagisawa Ohatsuki Ginkgo in Minobu, Yamanashi, bears pollen sacs on its leaves. The only male of Japan's seven designated examples, in 2011 a branch grew seeds.

Yato Castle Ruins crown a wooded 862-meter hill in Yamanashi as earthen ramparts and ditches, a medieval mountain castle tied to the founder of the Kai Genji.

At Jissoji temple in Yamanashi, the Yamataka Jindai Zakura is an Edohigan cherry said to be up to 2,000 years old, a national natural monument named in 1922.

A national Natural Monument: about 30,000 tiger-tail spruce, 20 to 26 metres tall, form a primary forest on a single Mount Fuji lava flow near Lake Yamanaka.

Discover Yamanokami no Fuji, a National Natural Monument at Yamagami Shrine in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi. Designated in 1928, these two wild Japanese wisterias are rare examples of Wisteria floribunda that grew to vast size in nature rather than under cultivation. This guide covers the history of the designation, the trees' unique features, the best time to visit, access from Tokyo, and nearby Mt. Fuji attractions.

Yōgaisan in Kōfu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, is the remarkably preserved site of a mountain castle built in 1520 by Takeda Nobutora as the emergency stronghold for the Takeda clan's manor at Tsutsujigasaki. Designated a National Historic Site in 1991, the 780-meter mountain still retains its main bailey, ramparts, masugata gates, ditches, and stone walls. Traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Takeda Shingen, the site offers visitors an authentic walk through a Sengoku-period fortress amid quiet forested slopes.

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.