Mount Fuji is the 17th UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan

A piece of exciting news for Japanese and fans of Japan travel. The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO announced on 22nd June 2013 that Mount Fuji, or Fujisan (富士山), the iconic snow covered peak in central Japan, has been inscribed onto the United Nation agency’s prestigious World Heritage Sites list. The 3,776-meter volcano straddling Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures in Japanese largest and most populous Honshu Island, was approved by the 21-member panel of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) during its 37th session in Cambodia recently.

What does this mean? It means Mount Fuji is now the world heritage ti be preserved by the world and to become one of the sites that every traveler visiting Japan must either climb up to its peak or at least take a good look from a distance!

Being the highest mountain and most prominent natural beauty of Japan, Mt. Fuji was designated as the Cultural Heritage Site under the title “Mt. Fuji: Object of Worship, Wellspring of Art”, which emphasizes its significance as a site to be worshipped by a pilgrim rather than just a tourist spot that being looked and forgotten.

It is the 17th World Heritage Site that found in Japan. Other than Fujisan, the Himeji Castle, Kiyomizudera and Kinkakuji in Kyoto, Todaiji of Nara are some other popular tourist destinations that on the list.

Mt. Fuji spans a huge area of roughly 70,000 hectares, including Sengen Shrine at its foot, five major lakes, the Shiraito Falls and the Miho-no-Matsubara pine grove at its surrounding. The easiest access point and having one of the nicest view of the mountain is Kawaguchiko Lake which I’ve been to a few months ago. If you are a more adventurous traveller, now is the best time to climb or rather hike up to the peak of Mt. Fuji. During the Summer months of July and August each year, Mount Fuji is open for public when it is less windy and chilly up at the peak and many sheds are open for people to overnight before reaching up to the peak for the magnificent sun rise at 4:30 in the morning!

No matter how many sites in Japan that being included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, Japan is always my pick as the perfect travel destination in the world and this news has just proved my perception as reasonable.

What do you think on this? Please let me know by commenting below. 🙂 – Travel Feeder

About The Author

Cecil Lee

The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.