is a Japanese category of historic preservation introduced by a 1975 amendment of the law which mandates the protection of groups of traditional buildings which, together with their environment, form a beautiful scene. They can be

post towns A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in the address increases ...

castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, a ...

s, mining towns, merchant quarters, ports, farming or fishing villages, etc. The Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs recognizes and protects the country's cultural properties under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. Municipalities can designate items of particular importance as and approve measures to protect them. Items of even higher importance are then designated by the central government. The Agency for Cultural Affairs then provides guidance, advice, and funds for repairs and other work. Additional support is given in the form of preferential tax treatment. As of May 31, 2021, 126 districts have been classified as Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

List of Important Preservation Districts

Criteria

Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings are designated according to three criteria: #Groups of traditional buildings that show excellent design as a whole #Groups of traditional buildings and land distribution that preserve the old state of affairs well #Groups of traditional buildings and their surrounding environment that show remarkable regional characteristics

Statistics

Usage

The table's columns (except for ''Remarks'' and ''Images'') are sortable by table headings. The following gives an overview of what is included in the table and how the sorting works. *''Name'': name of the important preservation district as registered in the Database of National Cultural Properties *''Type'': type of the district (samurai / merchant / tea house /... quarter, post town, mountain village, mine town,...) *''Criterion'': number of the criterion under which the district is designated (see list of criteria above) *''Area'': area covered *''Remarks'': general remarks *''Location'': "town-name prefecture-name"; The column entries sort as "prefecture-name town-name". *''Images'': picture of the structure

List

Notes

References

{{Japanese architectural elements Architecture in Japan * Lists of tourist attractions in Japan Lists of buildings and structures in Japan