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

Discover Urayama Kofun, a nationally designated historic site in Kurume, Fukuoka. This 5th-century scallop-shaped burial mound features a unique house-shaped sarcophagus with rare chokkomon line engravings and vermilion pigment — open for public viewing.

Rising from the Genkai Sea 60 km off Kyushu, Okinoshima is entirely covered by a primeval forest preserved for some 1,500 years by religious taboo. Designated a National Natural Monument in 1926 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017, it is a rare sanctuary where nature and ancient ritual remain inseparable.

In Asakura, Fukuoka, a single 1,500-year-old camphor tree forms an entire 'forest'. Kakurega-no-Mori has an 18-meter trunk and carries an Asakura barrier-station legend.

Kageoma Kōgoishi in Iizuka, Fukuoka: a 7th-century fortress where 1,800 granite stones trace a 2 km arc around a horseshoe hill, with rare exposed water gates.

Hidden in the wooded slopes of Mt. Kiyomizu in Mizuma City, Fukuoka, the Honbo Garden of Kiyomizu-dera is a Muromachi-period pond garden traditionally attributed to the painter-monk Sesshū. Designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 1929, it captivates visitors with its heart-shaped pond, twin waterfalls, and the borrowed scenery of Mt. Atago.

Discover Kukumiya no Kinmeichiku in Asakura City, Fukuoka — one of Japan's oldest designated National Natural Monuments featuring rare golden-striped bamboo, a stunning natural mutation of Madake bamboo registered in 1927.

A round fourth-century mound in Omuta, Fukuoka, at the southern edge of Kyushu's early kofun. Two stone coffins held mirrors and 47 bronze arrowheads.

Behind Bairin-ji in Kurume lie the Arima lords' tombs. The first two got gilded mausoleum halls, later lords towering stone pagodas, as daimyo customs evolved.

Tucked within the precincts of Susanoo Shrine in Yame City, Fukuoka, Kuroki no Fuji is a Japanese wisteria of more than 600 years, traditionally said to have been planted in 1395 by Prince Yoshinari. Designated a National Natural Monument in 1928, the tree spreads its branches across a trellis of approximately 3,000 square meters, draping cascades of purple flower clusters that exceed one meter in length. The Yame Kuroki Ofuji Festival, held during the bloom season from mid-April to early May, draws over 100,000 visitors each year for daytime viewing, illuminations, and local food and craft markets.

Beneath Fukuoka's Maizuru Park lies the Kōrokan, ancient Japan's only excavated foreign guesthouse, where imported ceramics mark four centuries of exchange.

Eighth-century roof-tile kilns in Dazaifu, Fukuoka, that supplied the regional government office and major temples. Nine were found, now buried under a pond.

A late sixth-century circular tomb in Chikushino, Fukuoka, holding rare murals painted in red, black, and green: figures, a horseman, boats, a house, and circles.

Shimobaba Kofun in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, is a nationally designated historic site featuring a late 6th-century decorated burial mound. This circular tomb, approximately 42 meters in diameter, contains vivid wall paintings of concentric circles, continuous triangles, and boat motifs in red and blue pigments across nearly all interior surfaces. Remarkable haniwa clay figures, including a tattooed male and a sash-wearing female, add to its archaeological significance.

The Tomoeda Tile Kiln Ruins in Kōge Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, are a nationally designated historic site dating to the late 7th century and among the oldest kiln sites in Kyushu. With a remarkably preserved 17-step firing chamber and excavated Silla and Baekje-style tiles, the site reveals ancient cultural ties between Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

On the slopes of Mt. Hikosan in Fukuoka, the seven nationally designated Hikosan Gardens preserve four centuries of mountain-temple garden art. Begin with the famed Former Kameishibō Garden, attributed to the master Sesshū, and follow the pilgrimage path through layered stone arrangements that survived the Meiji-era suppression of mountain Buddhism.

A Yayoi-era moated settlement in Asakura, Fukuoka, ringed by up to seven concentric ditches. Bronze mirrors and a reused spear mould evoke the era of Yamatai.

Stone walls of Kuroda Nagamasa's 1601 castle in central Fukuoka, designated 1957. The Sannomaru also covers the only excavated remains of the ancient Kōrokan.

Buzen Kokubunji in Miyako, Fukuoka, preserves a provincial temple founded by edict in 741, its buried Nara remains lying beneath a zodiac-carved Meiji pagoda.

Spanning roughly 2.4 km along both banks of the Yabe River across Chikugo City and Miyama City in Fukuoka Prefecture, the Funagoya Genji Firefly Habitat is the only firefly site in Kyushu designated a National Natural Monument (1941). Discover the history of Funagoya hot springs, the adjacent Shin-Funagoya Camphor Tree Forest, the best viewing season, and visitor etiquette.

Funabaru Kofun in Koga, Fukuoka, is a keyhole tomb whose seven untouched pits held 500-plus objects, including a horse helmet and jewel-beetle harness gear.

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.