Living in a Japanese Heritage Site Living in a Japanese Heritage Site

Club Tourism introduces the charms of areas that have been certified as "Japan Heritage"! Each month, we will introduce the unique stories of towns that evoke Japanese culture and traditions in our "Living in Japan Heritage Sites" special feature. We will introduce details of the certified areas and nearby tourist spots.

What is "Japan Heritage"?

Stories that tell the story of Japanese culture and traditions, certified by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. As of fiscal year 2021, 104 stories have been certified. The program supports efforts to comprehensively utilize a variety of attractive tangible and intangible cultural assets, with the aim of promoting their appeal both domestically and internationally and revitalizing local areas.

This month's pick

Naval Bases Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo, and Maizuru - Cities where you can experience the dynamism of Japan's modernization -

[Hiroshima Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture]

One of the slogans that the new Meiji government put forward to build a modern nation was "Enrich the country and strengthen the military," and the navy played a part in that military strength. In order to compete on an equal footing with the Western powers, the Meiji government deployed warships and established a naval base in Yokosuka in 1884. In 1889, it opened naval bases in Kure and Sasebo, and in 1891, it opened naval bases in Maizuru, and established a maritime defense system that divided and controlled the surrounding sea areas of the island nation of Japan. Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo, and Maizuru worked together as the core of modern Japan's maritime defense. They introduced cutting-edge Western technology, passed that technology on, created new technology, and improved their technological capabilities, which promoted the modernization of Japan. Among the many naval port-related heritage sites, there are many facilities that are still in operation today, which gives an idea of the high level of technology at the time.

Search By Area

Hokkaido Area

[Hokkaido] May in Esashi is not found in Edo─A town where herring thrives─

[Hokkaido] The Kamikawa Ainu living with Kamuy - The world of gods passed down in the bosom of Mount Daisetsu

Tohoku Area

[Yamagata Prefecture] A "journey of rebirth" where nature and faith come to life ~ Dewa Sanzan, starting with 2,446 stone steps surrounded by cedar trees over 300 years old ~

[Miyagi Prefecture] The "Date" culture fostered by Masamune

[Fukushima Prefecture] Pilgrimage to the Thirty-Three Kannon Temples of Aizu - Seeing the culture of Aizu in the past through a pilgrimage

[Fukushima Prefecture] Head to Tsuruoka, a town that has silk associated with samurai and where you can encounter the original landscape of Japan's modernization

[Yamagata Prefecture] Safflower culture supported by Yamadera

Kanto Area

[Gunma Prefecture] Wife Ruler - Gunma Silk Story -

[Chiba Prefecture] Edo Travel in the Four Hokuso Cities: The Hokuso Streets that Give You a Feel of Edo - Sakura, Narita, Sawara, and Choshi: Four Representative Streets in the Edo Suburbs that Supported the Million-Year City of Edo

[Kanagawa Prefecture] A place of faith and recreation for the common people of Edo - "Mt. Daisen Pilgrimage" carrying a giant wooden sword

[Kanagawa Prefecture] Come to Kamakura - A city of mosaics depicting history and culture

[Saitama Prefecture] Gyoda, the town of tabi storehouses that continues to support Japanese clothing culture

[Tochigi Prefecture] A journey to discover the secrets of the underground labyrinth ~ Utsunomiya, a city where Oya stone culture thrives ~

[Tochigi Prefecture] The Future Envisioned by Meiji Aristocrats: The Romantic Tale of Nasunohara Development

Chubu Area

[Yamanashi Prefecture] A landscape woven with vineyards -Kyoto region of Yamanashi Prefecture-

[Toyama Prefecture] Inami Wood Sculpture Museum Born from a Master Carpenter's Chisel

[Toyama Prefecture] Takaoka, a town where the local culture associated with the Kaga Maeda clan flourishes - People, skills, and spirit

[Ishikawa Prefecture] Noto, the peninsula where lights dance - the enthusiastic Kiriko Festival

[Fukui Prefecture] Wakasa Cultural Heritage Sites Connecting the Sea and the Capital - Miketsukuni Wakasa and the Mackerel Highway

[Gifu Prefecture] Gifu, a Sengoku castle town where "Lord Nobunaga's hospitality" lives on

[Mie Prefecture] The Praying Princess Saio, Saigū

[Niigata Prefecture] "What is this?" Flame-style pottery from the Shinano River basin and the culture of snow country

[Ishikawa Prefecture] "A Story of Walking with Gems" Komatsu - A culture of stone polished over time

[Nagano Prefecture] The Kisoji route is entirely in the mountains - protecting the mountains and living in the mountains -

[Gifu Prefecture] Takayama City: The skills and heart of Hida craftsmen - 1300 years of tradition passed down through wood to the present day

Kinki Area

[Shiga Prefecture] Lake Biwa and its waterfront landscapes - Water heritage of prayer and daily life

[Kyoto Prefecture] A stroll through the history of 800 years of Japanese tea

[Hyogo Prefecture] Dekanshobushi - Singing folk songs to cherish memories of home

[Nara Prefecture] The time of the founding of Japan - The women who flew over Asuka

[Hyogo Prefecture] "Awaji, the Island of the Birth of the Country," which appears at the beginning of the Kojiki: The Activities of the Fishermen Who Supported the Ancient Nation

[Nara Prefecture] The lives and hearts of the people who grew up in the forest and who nurtured it -Yoshino, the birthplace of beautiful forests

[Wakayama Prefecture] Living with Whales

[Kyoto Prefecture] Tango Chirimen Corridor: woven with silk that has been woven for 300 years

[Hyogo Prefecture] The Silver Carriage Road that runs through Bantan, the Ore Road - 73km of road tracks that trace the memories of Japan, a resource-rich country

[Wakayama Prefecture] Wakanoura, a treasure trove of stunning views

[Wakayama Prefecture] Kishu Yuasa, the birthplace of soy sauce brewing - "The first drop"

[Wakayama Prefecture] "Relief for a Hundred Generations" - Disaster prevention heritage of Hirokawa where memories of the tsunami and reconstruction live on -

[Osaka Prefecture and Nara Prefecture] The "oldest national highway" that conveys 1,400 years of history - Takeuchi Kaido and Yokooji (main road) -

Shikoku Area

[Kochi Prefecture] From the forest railway to Japan's best Yuzu road ─The scenery and food culture of the tropical Tosa-Chugei region, colored with the scent of yuzu─

China Area

[Tottori Prefecture] A place for purifying the six senses and healing the six senses - See the most dangerous national treasure in Japan and enjoy one of the world's best radon springs

[Shimane Prefecture] Tsuwano Then and Now - Walking through the 100 Scenes

[Hiroshima Prefecture] A miniature city from the Middle Ages spun by the Onomichi Channel

[Tottori Prefecture] Japan's largest Mt. Daisen and Horse Market, fostered by Jizo worship

[Shimane Prefecture] Izumo Province Tatara Fudoki - A story born from a thousand years of iron making

[Shimane Prefecture] Izumo, the sacred place where the sun sets - See the sunset in the land created by the gods

[Okayama Prefecture] The story of Kurashiki begins with a single cotton flower - a textile town where Japanese and Western influences come together

【Okayama Prefecture】The town where "The Legend of Momotaro" was born Okayama ~The story of demon slaying invited by the legacy of ancient Kibi~

[Hiroshima Prefecture] Japan's leading early modern port town enveloped in the evening calm of the Seto Inland Sea - Tomonoura, where everyday life blends into the sepia-toned port town

Kyushu area

[Fukuoka Prefecture] The "Western Capital" of Ancient Japan - A hub of exchange with East Asia

[Nagasaki Prefecture] Border Islands Iki, Tsushima, and Goto: Bridges from Ancient Times

[Kumamoto Prefecture] The culture of conservatism and progress born from 700 years of Sagara: Hitoyoshi Kuma, Japan's richest hidden village

[Kumamoto Prefecture] Rice cultivation, the memory of the earth spanning 2,000 years - "The Story of Rice Then and Now" in the Kikuchi River Basin

[Oita Prefecture] Yabakei sightseeing ~ Walking along the path of a landscape scroll painted on the earth ~

[Oita Prefecture] Kunisaki, the village where demons became Buddhas

[Miyazaki Prefecture] Monuments of ancient people: Paintings on the plateau: The ancient tomb landscape of southern Miyazaki

Multiple Regions

[Nagano Prefecture/ Yamanashi Prefecture] The starry Jomon world of the Central Highlands - A journey to encounter obsidian mines dating back thousands of years and the Jomon people -

[Tochigi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Okayama Prefecture, Oita Prefecture] Early Modern Japan's Educational Heritage: The Source of Learning Spirit and Etiquette

[Hiroshima Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture] Naval Bases Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo, and Maizuru - Cities where you can experience the dynamism of Japan's modernization -

[Ehime Prefecture/ Hiroshima Prefecture] Home of "Japan's Largest Pirates": Geiyo Islands - Memories of the Murakami Pirates revived

Hokkaido ・ Aomori Prefectures, Akita Prefectures, Yamagata, Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Kyoto Prefectures, Osaka, Hyogo, Tottori, Shimane, Okayama Prefectures, Hiroshima Prefectures] A different space spun by the dreams of men who crossed rough seas - Kitamae-ship port of call and shipowner villages

[Shiga Prefecture/Mie Prefecture] Iga/Koga, the home of ninjas─In search of real ninjas─

[Okayama Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Aichi Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture, Hyogo Prefecture] You will fall in love with the Six Ancient Kilns─Ceramics born and raised in Japan─

[Fukuoka Prefecture/Yamaguchi Prefecture] Kanmon "Nostalgic" Strait - A stop in time, a memory of modernization

[Shizuoka Prefecture/Kanagawa Prefecture] The stone-paved roads of eternity where the footprints of travelers remain─Tracing the long journey to Edo Hakone

[Saga Prefecture and Nagasaki Prefecture] Hizen, the home of Japanese porcelain - A stroll through the profusion of pottery

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