The Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine was built to honor the memory of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who established the Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1603. The shrine is located at the foot of Mount Nantai, which was revered as a sacred mountain for many years, long ago. A dense forest of Japanese cedar trees spreads down the mountain slope to the shrine, just behind the Yomei-mon Gate in the photo. In 1993, the shrine was added to the list of World Cultural Heritage Sites, along with Futarasan Shrine and Rinno-ji Temple, which are also located in the area.

The village of Shirakawa-go is located deep in the Hida Highlands, in central Japan. Surrounded by mountains and forests, the village is cut off by heavy snows in the winter. The main industries here are forestry and farming, and the way of life still reflects the difficult natural conditions. The thatched roofs of the old houses have a steep pitch to prevent snow from accumulating. The roofs, built in the gassho style, are now identified with the folk culture that evolved in hamlets here. The village was inscribed in the list of World Cultural Heritage Sites in 1995, along with the village of Gokayama on the northern side of the mountain in Toyama Prefecture.

Itsukushima Shrine is located on the island of Miyajima in Hiroshima Bay. The shrine complex stands in the sea, something rarely seen anywhere in the world. It was named a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1996. Since ancient times, the entire island has been revered as a sacred place. An ancient forest — mainly oaks and firs— covers the slopes of Mount Misen (elevation, 530 m) behind the shrine. The mountain is also considered sacred, and hunting and tree felling have been prohibited there.