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

At the heart of Niihama City in Ehime Prefecture, the precincts of Ichinomiya Shrine shelter a National Natural Monument grove of around 90 ancient camphor trees. The grove is anchored by the legendary Ichiban Kusu, estimated at 800–1,000 years old, with fifteen giants whose root circumferences exceed 10 meters. As the spiritual home of the Niihama Taiko Festival, it offers a remarkable encounter with sacred trees, history, and living tradition.

Noshima Castle Ruins, set on two uninhabited islands in the Miyakubo Strait off Imabari City in Ehime, is the only sea castle of the medieval Murakami pirates designated as a National Historic Site of Japan. Guarded by tidal currents reaching 10 knots and preserving its main bailey, second and third baileys, outworks, and more than 400 pier postholes, this rare medieval fortress can now be visited via a landing cruise from the Murakami Kaizoku Museum on Oshima.

Tucked away on a hilltop in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, Hasaike Kofun is an elongated oval burial mound built between the mid-6th and early 7th centuries. Designated a National Historic Site, it is exceptionally rare in Japan because two of its horizontal stone chambers were found completely undisturbed by ancient grave robbers. Discovered by chance in 1992 and investigated through five excavation campaigns, the tumulus has yielded extraordinary insights into late Kofun-period funerary rites, including physical evidence of the ancient practice of 'mogari.' Today, visitors to Hasaike Kofun Park can view Stone Chamber No. 1 up close and learn about ancient Japanese views of death and burial through the on-site guidance facility.

Discover the Ibuki Trees of Hachimanjinja Shrine in Uwajima, Ehime — two majestic 800-year-old Chinese junipers said to have been planted by a retainer of Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Designated a National Natural Monument in 1943, they stand guard before the shrine that gave the surrounding town its name.

Discover Hoshigamori, the sacred worship point for Mt. Ishizuchi at Yokomineji Temple in Saijo, Ehime. This National Scenic Beauty features an Edo-era iron torii and panoramic views of Shikoku's highest peak.

Discover Matsuyama Castle, an Edo-period hilltop fortress in Ehime crowning Mt. Katsuyama. Explore its original wooden keep, 21 Important Cultural Properties, rare climbing stone walls, and panoramic views over the Seto Inland Sea.

Discover the Akou Trees of Misaki, a National Natural Monument in Ikata Town, Ehime. Designated in 1921 as one of Shikoku's earliest natural monuments, this grove marks one of the northern limits of the subtropical Akou (Ficus superba). The largest specimen is estimated at 600 years old, with a 14-meter trunk circumference and aerial roots clinging to seaside stone walls — earning it the nickname Octopus Tree.

Located in Fujiyama Health and Culture Park in Imabari City, Ehime, Myokenzan Kofun is a 55.2-meter keyhole-shaped tumulus built in the early 4th century and designated a National Historic Site in 2010. Visitors can view its preserved stone burial chamber through glass and enjoy panoramic views of the Seto Inland Sea — a rare encounter with Japan's earliest Kofun-period culture.

Hidden in the mountains of Kumakogen Town, Ehime Prefecture, the Yakama Pothole Group is the only pothole site in Japan designated as a Special Natural Monument. Within a stretch of riverbed just 25 m wide and 65 m long, 35 potholes — the largest reaching 12 m across — have been carved into hard chert bedrock over countless millennia. Discover the geology, the legends of a rain-bringing dragon, and how to plan your visit.

Discover Yuzuki Castle Ruins (Dogo Park) in Matsuyama, Ehime — a National Historic Site and one of Japan's Top 100 Castles. Explore 250 years of Kono clan history, reconstructed samurai residences, rare earthwork exhibits, and panoramic views, all just steps from Dogo Onsen.

Located on the southern shore of Lake Kasumigaura in Miho Village, Ibaraki Prefecture, the Okadaira Shell Mound is one of Japan's largest shell midden sites, formed over approximately 3,500 years from the Early to Late Jomon period. Known as the birthplace of Japanese archaeology — where the first excavation by Japanese researchers took place in 1879 — it was designated a National Historic Site in 1998. Visitors can explore reconstructed pit dwellings, view cross-sections of ancient shell layers, and experience Jomon-style pottery making.

Carved into tuff cliffs in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, this 500-plus cave tomb complex was used from the 7th to 9th century. Designated a National Historic Site in 2024.

Seki Castle Ruins in Ibaraki: where Kitabatake Chikafusa completed the Jinnō Shōtōki during a two-year siege that ended in 1343. Ramparts and a rare tunnel survive.

Mito's Tokiwa Park, known today as Kairakuen, pairs a shaded bamboo grove with about 3,000 plum trees and the Kobuntei pavilion designed by Tokugawa Nariaki in 1840.

Hitachi's eighth-century county temple ruins in Ibaraki: two pagodas once flanked the Main Hall on a single east-west line, with a nearby kiln that fired its tiles.

Tokugawa Mitsukuni's thatched retreat outside Hitachiōta, where he spent his last nine years editing the Dai Nihonshi. Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty.

Jomon shell mound on Lake Kasumigaura where Kondo Yoshiro proved in 1962 that prehistoric Japanese boiled seawater into salt, rewriting Jomon economic history.

Held by the Makabe clan from 1172 to 1628, this 12.5-hectare National Historic Site in Ibaraki preserves four concentric moats and angled medieval earthen ramparts.

Located in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, the Yoshida Kofun is the only known octagonal tomb in Japan containing line-engraved wall paintings. Built in the mid-7th century during the Terminal Kofun period, its horizontal stone chamber features engravings of weapons such as a quiver, knife, and spear on the back wall. Designated a National Historic Site in 1922, it is an invaluable site in the study of decorated tombs.

Discover Iwayadani, a National Place of Scenic Beauty in Takahashi City, Okayama. Explore towering 100-meter limestone cliffs, 30 hectares of primeval forest, rare flora at the northern edge of their range, and the legendary Iwayado Cave with its world-famous helictite formations.

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.