Themed Tours Series Part 4: UNESCO World Heritage Sites

I once had a discussion in class about the UNESCO World Heritage sites, and I asked them to list the number of sites that they have already visited inside and outside of Japan. I told them I have only seen two: Vigan City in the Philippines (which I visited a few years ago), and Shirakawa-go in Gifu prefecture. Turns out, my students knew me better and they quickly corrected my numbers, reminding me of the other places that I have already visited in  Japan, such as Kyoto, Hiroshima and Mount Fuji.

As of this writing, Japan is home to 18 cultural and 4 natural properties inscribed on the World Heritage list, with 8 sites that are on the tentative list:

Cultural:

• Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
• Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration
• Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu 
• Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region
• Himeji-jo
• Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) 
• Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) 
• Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara 
• Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama 
• Itsukushima Shinto Shrine 
• Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape 
• Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region 
• Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range 
• Shrines and Temples of Nikko 
• Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining
• The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement 
• Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites

Natural:

• Ogasawara Islands
• Shirakami-Sanchi
• Shiretoko
• Yakushima 

While I'm definitely glad that I've already been to more than two of the cultural sites, I realized that I'm not even halfway through the list. Also, while I've already been to Nagasaki twice, I still have not fully explored that prefecture enough to see its much treasured locations.

So, I guess this could be my theme or goal for future travels. I definitely need to find time (and money) to get to those destinations, but for now, allow me to share with you the World Heritage sites that I have already been blessed to visit.