Monuments of Japan

Monuments (記念物, kinenbutsu) is a collective term used by the Japanese government's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties to denote Cultural Properties of Japan[note 1] as historic locations such as shell mounds, ancient tombs, sites of palaces, sites of forts or castles, monumental dwelling houses and other sites of high historical or scientific value; gardens, bridges, gorges, mountains, and other places of great scenic beauty; and natural features such as animals, plants, and geological or mineral formations of high scientific value.

[1] The government designates (as opposed to registers) "significant" items of this kind as Cultural Properties (文化財 bunkazai) and classifies them in one of three categories: Items of particularly high significance may receive a higher classification as: As of February 2019, there were 3,154 nationally designated Monuments: 1,823 Historic Sites (including 62 Special Historic Sites), 415 Places of Scenic Beauty (including 36 Special Places of Scenic Beauty), and 1,030 Natural Monuments (including 75 Special Natural Monuments).

[4][5] Alterations to the existing state of a site or activities affecting its preservation require permission from the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs.

[6] A separate system of "registration" (as opposed to "designation" hereabove) has been established for modern edifices threatened by urban sprawl or other factors.

[2] Members of this class of Cultural Property receive more limited assistance and protection based mostly on governmental notification and guidance.

Okayama Prefecture 's Kōraku-en is a designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty
The toki is a Special Natural Monument designated under Criterion 1.2 : "Animals which are not peculiar to Japan, but need to be preserved as well-known characteristic Japanese animals, and their habitat"