Jomon Era sites set to be added to World Heritage list

saw it on TV last night - pretty underwhelming to be honest.

"It's a result that we had been waiting for a long time," said Masahiko Hananoki, 53, the director of a museum on the Oyu Kanjo Resseki site.

Another gulp of manufactured cool-aid for the world. We gotta prove TODAY we are an old civilization.

Some pics would be nice...

S

My local conbini be added to a world heritage site next.

We got it,Japan has more than everyone.

Even more than Ancient Greece,Rome,China and Egypt combined together.

Unesco do them a favour and make the whole country and every thing in it world heritage and we’re over with this.

My local conbini be added to a world heritage site next.

I would not be surprised!

We got it,Japan has more than everyone.

Even more than Ancient Greece,Rome,China and Egypt combined together.

Unesco do them a favour and make the whole country and every thing in it world heritage and we’re over with this

Great idea!

when all of Japan is a museum.....

It’s like the cute dog stories on prime time news for 80+ year olds that live nearby.

when all of Japan is a museum.....

Many of these homage sites derived from and served as a paean to the older and then far more impressive Sino and Indic cultures.

I don't know about these sites, but there is a very nice museum in Nagano, called Togari-ishi, based on a Jomon site. Because I had to go to that area many times for business, I took many foreigners there and they loved it, I definately recommend it if you ever travel around Tateshina area. A bit remote though

a very nice museum in Nagano, called Togari-ishi,

Thanks, I'll have to go.

To save anyone else looking it up, "Jomon" means about 13,000 BC to around 300 BC. I've been in Japan 30 years and didn't know until two minutes ago.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2131.html

BigYen - nothing against Japan's culture or history - what triggers people is the rate at which some Japanese artifacts/places get added to the list at the apparent expense of ignoring other places worldwide with obvious higher significance and impact. One can't help thinking it's not the significance but the money talking here...

Oh - and BTW - Japan has extremely little respect for its own culture and places - just take a walk through ANY Japanese city - robbed of all their old charm, destroyed, populated by FUGLY standard modern buildings and houses, no real interest at preserving anything, obviously fuelled by semi-mafiotic urban development companies. Then take a stroll through one of Europe's medieval city centers (there are thousands) - and compare. So I get it making a historical side part of the World Heritage will protect it from the yakuza boys tring to build yet another apartment block there, but Japan should first have its own laws and mechanisms for protecting these places, and not always try to use the international organizations.

It's a shame that for all the genuinely nice historical, world heritage worthy, sites there are in Japan, the majority of 'normal' Japan is so grey and ugly.

I don't just mean the sprawling concrete jungles of the big cities. I live out in a fairly rural prefecture and most of the buildings are grey and uninspiring, and most roads still have cables and wires over head.

I suppose all the grey and ugly make the nice historical places look more beautiful!

Hang on, Yayoi has something to say about that.

ebisen:

nothing against Japan's culture or history - what triggers people is the rate at which some Japanese artifacts/places get added to the list...

Here is a list of countries with number of World Heritage sites.

Italy 50

Germany43

Spain 41

France 39

China 37

India 30

Mexico 27

United Kingdom 26

Iran 24

Japan 23

Russia 18

Greece 16

Portugal 16

Turkey 16

Poland 15

Brazil 14

Czech Republic 14

S Korea 13

Sweden 13

Belgium 12

United States 11

etc.

It's not enough. I want every single square meter of Japan on that list! And I want it stat!

Thanks for that socrateos. The UK has some quite minor ones too.

However much Japan is paying for registration, the money is clearly not going on the UNESCO website, which I am trying to use at the moment but is chronically slow.

socrateos - have you ever visited any of those countries? Basically they put in tremendous efforts and boatloads of money into preseving their own culture and history. There are laws prescribing exactly how old housing must be restored and preserved, and how old cities and communities must be kept viable.

I wonder why has Italy ONLY 50 world heritage sites? There are hundreds of places that would make the criteria..

Yes, having some monument preserved as world heritage in Japan will do good for that monument, but they'll just demolish everything around it every 30 years or so, losing the original context and culture in the process. So what use?

I am all in favour of preserving once culture and heritage but a bunch of reconstructed wooden shacks ( with doubtful resemblance to any originals) is not my idea of doing that correctly. It reminds me of the hundreds of fake concrete castles. If I am mistaken the whole of Japan has only 7 original castles standing ( partially).

if Japan cares of heritage why was the beautiful Okura hotel replaced with an “ office” hotel tower ? The original imperial Lloyd designed hotel replaced and what is left now going to be torn down by Mitsui Fudosan as part of an area redevelopment?

i am much more pleased when Japan manages to get natural reserves internationally recognised. Forests, mountains, etc..

BigYenToday 09:20 am JST

JT,

You really should issue a Trigger Warning when you decide to publish articles about Japan and World Hertitage. You seem to have far too many readers who:

a) have no sympathy for or understanding of either Japanese culture or history, and

b) take it personally if anyone else does.

Archaeology in Japan suffered a major blow with the Shinichi "God Hand" Fujimura scandal in 2000, when the self-taught enthusiast with a long history of amazing finds on Paleolithic sites in the Tohoku area was revealed to have planted the artefacts himself and hoodwinked the supposed professionals for years.

http://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/2014/10/faking-the-past-when-archaeologists-manufacture-illicit-antiquities.html

Then there's the problem of the Kansai kofuns, the ancient burial mounds in the Osaka area. These are controlled by the Imperial Household Agency, who refuse to let outsiders excavate them for fear of what they'll find regarding Japan's ancient history. Archeology is politicized in Japan.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japan-mozu-furuichi-kofun-group-unesco-world-heritage-secrets-osaka-sakai-fukidera-habikino-emperors-a7917781.html

There's also the motives of the folks promoting of these sites. Many are driven by their love of archeology and Japan's history, but they all seem to mention how World Heritage Site recognition will boost tourism to their region. It's difficult not to be cynical.

It was me who said I didn't about Jomon and my comment was I didn't know when it was in Western years (13000 to 300BC), not "what it was". I bet 90% of JT readers wouldn't know either, so it would be helpful for articles to point it out. Most articles about the Pyramids tell you when they were built in Western years, not pharoah reigns.

I agree with Alfie that the overriding desire here is for places to get publicity that will draw hoards of tourists. Japanese people love lists, "100 famous mountains", "another 100 famous mountains", "100 flower meadow mountains", power spots, Michelin stars, three best waterfalls, etc. etc. and World Heritage just seems to be another one of them. People should value and protect heritage for its own sake, not to draw tourists and sell 400 yen soft ice creams. Heritage should also be done on a machi-tsukuri urban planning level, not an isolated, headline-grabbing blockbuster site one.

@BigYen

Yes, I'm aware other countries have had problems with forgeries and mafia involvement in antiquity theft and fraud, undoubtedly far more than in Japan. However, as Kohakuebisu points out, the primary motive often seems to be not the preservation of heritage but profiteering: "Here's our wonderful reconstruction of what it probably looked like 3,000 years ago. Don't forget to visit the gift shoppe for your Jomon manju, souvenir T shirts and cuddly Jomon-kun character goods. The cafe is open until 9pm, serving authentic Jomon Period cuisine, yakisoba and ramen."

Meanwhile, historical buildings are demolished to build luxury apartments. A frequent complaint from Japanese people is how little the country seems to care about preserving its archeological and architectural heritage, compared to some European countries.

Some people on here will complain about anything though, so I wouldn't let it bother you.