Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Shirakami Mountains
(World Heritage Registration: 1993)
The Shirakami Mountains cover an area of approximately 1,300 sq. km located
on the border between Aomori and Akita Prefectures in northeastern Japan.
The area is unique in Japan as it is home to a vast untouched Seibold’s beech
forest covering more than 170 sq. km and is completely devoid of manmade
structures. The area satisfies UNESCO World Heritage criteria #9.
Yakushima Island
(World Heritage Registration: 1993)
Yakushima is a round mountainous island that rises out of the ocean south
of Kagoshima, the southern tip of Kyushu. A variety of subtropical to arctic
vegetation range from the seashores to the mountaintops, and the heavy an-
nual rainfall contribute to the island’s more than 1,900 distinctive species and
subspecies of vegetation. This ancient coniferous forests, which is also home