Part of the Sea of Japan coast stretching from Kyoto to Tottori prefectures has been admitted into the Global UNESCO Network of Geoparks, a local group lobbying for the designation said Monday.
The designation came after the network, backed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, conducted a screening in Greece on the area to determine if the coast could allow visitors to see significant landscapes and terrestrial formations, according to the group.
The coastal area, the fourth area of the country to win membership following Mount Usu in Hokkaido, the Itoigawa tectonic line in Niigata Prefecture, and the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki Prefecture, is known for its huge sand dunes and deeply jagged coastline.