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

On a windswept ridge at about 1,300 meters in Niihama, Ehime Prefecture, an extraordinary colony of Tsugazakura (Phyllodoce nipponica) marks the southern limit of this Japanese endemic alpine shrub. Designated a National Natural Monument in February 2019, the colony is a relict population dating back roughly 800,000 years to the Ice Age and holds outstanding phytogeographic, ecological, and genetic value. Hikers reach the site through the dramatic industrial heritage landscape of the historic Besshi Copper Mine, with the bell-shaped pink blossoms at their peak from mid-May to early June.

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.

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.

A saddle at 820 metres in the precinct of Yokomineji in Saijo, Ehime, a Place of Scenic Beauty since 2017, where an iron torii frames the sacred Mount Ishizuchi.

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.

The castle of the Kono governors of Iyo in Dogo Park, Matsuyama, a Historic Site since 2002, with double moats and banks and excavated samurai residences.

A Jomon shell mound by Lake Kasumigaura, Ibaraki, a Historic Site since 1998, where Japanese scholars first excavated in 1879, with eight mounds ringing a plateau.

A Historic Site in Kashima, Ibaraki, joining three shrine precincts named in the Hitachi Fudoki with the excavated district office 1.5 km south. Designated 1986.

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.

The Hirohata Shell Mound is a Late to Final Jomon site on Lake Kasumigaura whose thin pots underpin the theory of Jomon salt-making. A Historic Site since 1982.

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.