Japan's rich past is of course a national treasure, but the sheer volume of items to be cared for and preserved for future generations can be overwhelming.
Japanese archaeology faces such a challenge as it tries, in an age of limited budgets, to protect and restore ancient sites, catalog and study dug-up artifacts, and simply manage to store the mounds of unearthed pottery shards.
The Cultural Properties Protection Act was strengthened in 1975, but by 1997 the number of excavated items had so multiplied that the Agency for Cultural Affairs said unearthed items not meriting preservation could be reburied or discarded after being carefully recorded.