Q.How many World Heritage sites does Nara have, and where are they?

Three sites today, listed by year of inscription

As of 2026, Nara Prefecture has three World Heritage sites, all of them cultural (per the prefecture's official pages). In chronological order: the Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area (1993), the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (1998), and the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (2004). Each reflects a different layer of Nara's history. The table below shows the inscription year and main location of each.

Where are the first two? Ikaruga and Nara City

The first site, the Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area, was inscribed in 1993 and, together with Himeji Castle, became one of Japan's first World Cultural Heritage sites. Its components are the wooden buildings of Hōryū-ji and Hokki-ji, located in Ikaruga. The second, the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, was inscribed on December 2, 1998, and has eight components: Tōdai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga-Taisha, Kasugayama Primeval Forest, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji and the Heijō Palace Site — all in Nara City.

The third site spans three prefectures; Nara's part is Yoshino-Ōmine and more

The third site, the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, was inscribed on July 7, 2004, and spans three prefectures: Nara, Wakayama and Mie. Within Nara, it includes Yoshino-Ōmine, the Ōmine Okugake-michi trail, and the Kohechi route. What sets it apart is that it recognizes mountain sacred sites together with the pilgrimage routes connecting them, covering a wide swath of southern Nara's mountains.

A likely fourth: Asuka-Fujiwara, expected to be confirmed in July 2026

On June 6, 2026, ICOMOS, UNESCO's advisory body, recommended the Capitals of Asuka-Fujiwara for inscription. A formal decision is expected at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea, in July 2026. The property has 19 components across one village and two cities — Asuka, Kashihara and Sakurai — grouped into palace/government-office sites, Buddhist temple sites, and tombs. If inscribed, it would be Japan's 22nd cultural site and its 27th World Heritage property overall, counting natural sites.

Datasets behind this article

• National Land Numerical Information: World Cultural Heritage Data国土交通省
• Component Parts of the World Heritage “Asuka-Fujiwara”世界遺産「飛鳥・藤原」登録推進協議会
• Nara City Designated Cultural Properties and World Heritage Zone Data奈良市
• Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)文化庁