1. What are Cultural Landscapes?
Cultural Landscapes are formed by the climate of a given region and people's lives or work there, and are indispensable for understanding the livelihood and work of the Japanese people (Item 5, Paragraph 1, Article 2 of the Act on Protection of Cultural Properties).
The value of cultural landscapes may not be easily recognizable, as they are the familiar landscapes that are deeply rooted in the daily lives of the people. By establishing systems for protecting Cultural Landscapes, their cultural values are properly appreciated, protected and passed on to the next generation.
Particularly important cultural landscapes are selected as Important Cultural Landscapes based on proposals from prefectures or municipalities.
Any alterations to the current state of Important Cultural Landscapes, or other actions that would impact their preservation, require a prior notification to the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs under the Act on Protection of Cultural Properties, with the exceptions of normal production activities and emergency measures during disasters.
The national government subsidizes various projects to protect and utilize cultural landscapes, including research projects, projects for formulating preservation plans, maintenance projects, and dissemination and awareness-raising projects.
Important Cultural Landscapes are in accordance with the new method of protecting cultural properties introduced with a partial amendment of the Act on Protection of Cultural Properties in 2004.
Mine and Mining town of Sado Aikawa
(Sado City, Niigata)
Ōzawa and Kami-Ōzawa Village
surrounded Windbreak Bamboo Fences
(Wajima City, Ishikawa)
Cultural Landscape of Okazaki in Kyoto
(Kyoto City, Kyoto)
2. Pamphlet -Our Treasure Cultural Landscapes to future generations-
This pamphlet provides easy-to-understand description of cultural landscapes protection systems. Click here to view the pamphlet.
3. Videos -Cultural Landscapes -Scenes of Life Rooted in History and Climate-
The three-part video series show what makes cultural landscapes attractive and their protection system together with beautiful pictures from around the country.
playlist: Cultural Landscapes - Scenes of Life Rooted in History and Climate
Adobe Reader is required for viewing PDF files.
If it is not installed on your computer, you can download it here.
