UNESCO World Heritage candidate caught in a bind over tourism drive
UNESCO designates World Heritage sites in order to preserve cultural or natural assets deemed significant to humanity. The idea is to maintain these assets for future generations, but UNESCO itself doesn't pay for maintenance. It is up to the countries where the sites are ...
South Korean sister city of Munakata, Fukuoka, to skip event in Japan amid fraying ties
A South Korean city will not take part in an annual event at a World Heritage site in the Fukuoka Prefecture city of Munakata this year due to deteriorating relations between the neighboring countries, the Munakata government said Wednesday. Gimhae, South Korea, which has sister-city ...
Temples join the hospitality industry to help survive the decreasing number of Buddhist parishioners in Japan.
Wonders of washi: Discovering the tradition of handcrafted paper
In November 2014, traditional washi papermaking techniques were included on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Over the next few weeks, we shall visit three of the nation's most prominent washi-making sites, largely unchanged for centuries, to discover the charm and potential inherent in handmade ...
Japan's UNESCO sites struggle to cultivate cultural cachet while keeping urban bustle at bay
An observation deck on the 21st floor of Osaka's Sakai City Hall provides visitors with a bird's-eye view of the surrounding area. In the midst of the urban jungle a few kilometers away, a large patch of greenery in the distance looks out of ...
'Environmental tragedy' as Canary Islands fire burns out of control, forcing thousands to flee
A fire raged out of control on the Spanish holiday island of Gran Canaria on Monday, forcing evacuations as flames rose so high even water-dropping planes could not operate in what was dubbed an "environmental tragedy. The blaze, the third in 10 days in the ...
Learning for empathy: A world effort to build peace through education
Education can help to prepare learners to be active and responsible contributors to sustainable development and world peace.
Japan picks ancient Jomon Period sites as candidates for UNESCO World Heritage recognition in 2021
A government panel identified on Tuesday a set of Jomon Period archaeological sites in northern Japan as a potential candidate for UNESCO World Cultural Heritage designation in 2021. Tokyo will submit its formal recommendation by next Feb. 1 to the organization representing the ancient sites, ...
Japanese city struggles as its World Heritage sheen fades
Drastic drops in the number of visitors to the Tomioka Silk Mill, a designated World Heritage Site in Gunma Prefecture, leaves citizens looking to find new ways to boost tourism.
Ancient Osaka Prefecture tomb clusters added to UNESCO World Heritage list
UNESCO decided Saturday to add to the World Heritage list two tumulus clusters in western Japan, which represent an ancient burial system and the hierarchy of society at the time. The sites, comprised of 49 tombs in Osaka Prefecture and collectively called Mozu-Furuichi tumulus clusters, ...
Ancient Iraqi city of Babylon designated UNESCO World Heritage site
The ancient city of Babylon, first referenced in a clay tablet from the 23rd century B.C., was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site on Friday, after a vote that followed decades of lobbying by Iraq. The vote, at a UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in ...
UNESCO lists Kobushi mountains spanning Tokyo and three other prefectures as biosphere reserve
UNESCO on Wednesday added the Kobushi mountain region, which straddles part of Tokyo and three other prefectures, to its list of biosphere reserves, Japanese officials said. As of July last year, 686 areas in 122 countries have been designated as biosphere reserves — areas for ...
