UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan
Japan has 27 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Most are not one place but several: Ancient Kyoto alone is 17 temples, shrines and a castle across three cities. Here every place we cover is listed under the inscription it belongs to.
Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu
Cultural site, inscribed 2000 · 8 places · UNESCO listing
Shuri Castle
Ryukyu Kingdom's Royal Palace
The reconstructed royal palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, a mix of Chinese and Japanese architecture ...
Katsuren Castle Ruins
Tiered limestone walls rise like a stone ship above the Katsuren Peninsula. The World Heritage ru...
Nakagusuku Castle Ruins
Six stone-walled enclosures trace a ridge above central Okinawa at Nakagusuku. This World Heritag...
Nakijin Castle Ruins
Long, curving stone walls cross the wooded hills of northern Okinawa at the former seat of the Ho...
Sefa-utaki
Sefa-utaki: Ryukyu's Holiest Forest, a Slippery Stone Path and a Rock Passage You Now See Only From the Front
The holiest site of the Ryukyu Kingdom: a forest on a limestone headland in Nanjo, where a slippe...
Shikinaen
Shikinaen: The Ryukyu Kings' Garden Villa Where Chinese Envoys Were Entertained, Quiet and Shut on Wednesdays
A royal villa and strolling garden on a hill in Naha, laid out in 1799 and used to host envoys of...
Tamaudun
Tamaudun: The Stone Royal Tomb of the Second Sho Dynasty, a Few Minutes From Shuri Castle and Far Quieter
The tomb of the Second Sho Dynasty kings, built around 1501 by King Sho Shin: a walled courtyard ...
Zakimi Castle Ruins
Above Yomitan, Zakimi’s graceful stone walls and arched gateways reveal the skill of Ryukyuan cas...