Theme: Landscapes brought by the World Heritage
In case of Kyoto City...
Fine-scenic Rows of houses in Gion Area
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In 1994, 17 cultural properties in Kyoto named "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)" were inscribed in the list of world cultural heritage.
Kyoto has a history of more than 1200 years. Even now, we can see the old beautiful sceneries there. It is also a great city which has more than 1.4 million people. And they often have controversies over scenery. In fact, lately, many beautiful landscapes have been destroyed by new big buildings. All sceneries in Kyoto should be conserved as well as the 17 properties though they aren't inscribed in the treaty.
Therefore there are many regulations against development of the city to preserve the original sceneries. For example, they've restricted notices, height of buildings, or preserved rows of old houses. On the other hand, the people of the restricted area have suffered great inconvenience from the regulations. The restricted area reaches throughout two thirds of Kyoto city. But recently, they tend to utilize the old wooden buildings for their life. They haveÅ@begun not only to preserve the heritage but also to put it to good account.
This tower, by the name of Kyoto Tower stands in front of Kyoto Station.
Resently, a lot of modern buildings have been built in the center of Kyoto city. They destroys the old beautiful sceneries, and so the temples which have preserved the sceneries in Kyoto refuse them. We often see such notices in the temples, "All those who is staying at Hotel Kyoto must not enter this temple. Hotel Kyoto destroyed the scenery".
However, Kyoto Station have been rebuilt to become bigger, and many recreation facilities were built in the station building. It became convenience, but the scenic taste was decayed.
In case of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama...
Inscribed in 1995, the villages have been famous for the houses in Gassho style. The houses bring beautiful sceneries in the villages. They've tended to be visited by many tourists since they were inscribed. So they've prospered in sightseeing, however, living people are now being annoyed by the tourists; they visits the villages, and leave trashes or peep into the houses. The living people oppose the registration of the villages in the World Heritage. Moreover they have a lot of problems; it is difficult to roof them with straw, and they are easy to burn, so the people have to be careful of fire.
Therefore, the World Heritage don't succeed without an understanding of the living people.