October 6 is "The Day for Registered Cultural Properties." It was established in 2005 to celebrate over 5,000 registrations of Tangible Cultural Properties (structures) and the introduction of the Cultural Property Registration System in the fields of fine arts and crafts and folk cultural properties.
Also, October 20 is the "Simultaneous Opening to the Public Project." It was established by Zenkin (All Japan Liaison Council for the Utilization of the Heritage of Modernization), a nationwide organization of local governments in locations where the Heritage of Modernization exists, based upon the date when the Ministry of Engineering (a Meiji period governmental agency for railway, shipbuilding, mining, ironmaking, telecommunications, and other projects) was founded.
The Heritage of Modernization represents buildings in the fields of industrialization, transportation, and civil engineering, that were constructed between the end of Edo period and the Second World War, and that contributed to the modernization of Japan. These buildings are the ones people see casually, such as public facilities, the stations and bridges they use every day, and local factories that provided the foundation for the development of local industry. In addition, in recent years the Heritage of Modernization has been rapidly attracting more social attention as a new tourism resource and as a hub for creating an attractive local community and promoting traditional industries.
Every year, the period from October 1 to November 30, that includes the Day for Registered Cultural Properties and the Day for Heritage of Modernization, is celebrated with a project to open the Heritage of Modernization to the public across Japan. The Heritage of Modernization including designated or registered buildings are made available for public view, and symposiums and exhibitions are held to disseminate the values and attractions of the Heritage of Modernization.
The simultaneous Opening to the Public Projects in the Past
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Former Tomioka Silk Mill
(Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture) -
Komazawa Water Tower
(Setagaya Ward, Tokyo) -
Music concert at the former official
residence of Kure Naval Base
Commander in Chief
(Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture)
