Earlier this month, it was reported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan that the magnificent and beautiful Mount Fuji will most likely be recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  The agency received a notice that Mt. Fuji was recommended by the advisory panel, known as the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) for World Heritage status, a body affiliated with UNESCO.  However, the panel also said that it had rejected a request to add a group of cultural assets in the ancient city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, to the World Heritage List, citing scarce resources directly linked to the medieval Shogunate’s rule as reported by Japan Times in early May 2013.

The formal approval is expected in June at a meeting in Cambodia.  Mt. Fuji would be Japan’s 13th cultural World Heritage site. The 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) volcanic peak is ringed by lakes, national parks, temples and shrines. It rises from the Pacific coast and is seen as a sacred part of Japan’s cultural landscape.  In its request for registration, the Cultural Affairs Agency said Mount Fuji covers roughly 70,000 hectares in Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, including five major lakes and the Shiraito Falls.  It is widely believed that Mount Fuji is a national symbol of Japan and blends religious and artistic traditions.

Registration on the World Heritage list greatly boosts tourism.