Nice to see you here Julio! I read every post, definitely an interesting trip. Do you have any proposals for Top Missing Asia and the Pacific? I believe you travelled (besides Korea) thoroughly through parts of Southeast Asia and New Zealand? I think a lot of people who frequent this website would be interested in your reviews (which generally) follow a similar format in your blog. For example, Unjusa Temple only has 1 review here, so your input could add some valuable insights. Either way, welcome!

Here are some revived proposals from our last missing list:

Name: Ross Island
Country: claimed by New Zealand
TWHS: no
Description: Ross Island was the base for many of the early expeditions to Antarctica. It is the southernmost island reachable by sea. Huts built by Scott's and Shackleton's expeditions are still standing on the island, preserved as historical sites. The Ross Sea is abundant with whales and seals. Killer Whales, Humpback Whales, Minke Whales, Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and Ross Seals can be expected during our Ross Sea voyages.
Criteria: Mixed

Name: Wooden Monasteries of Konbaung Period: Ohn Don, Sala, Pakhangyi, Pakhannge, Legaing, Sagu, Shwe-Kyaung (Mandalay)
Country: Myanmar
TWHS: yes
Description: Large timber monasteries, mostly built during the 18th and 19th centuries AD, on a similar linear plan. The whole monastery is profusely decorated by extensive woodcarving, depicting all aspects of the daily life in Myanmar. several of these monasteries contain rich collections of manuscripts, paintings, sculptures and metalware.
Criteria: cultural

Name: Towers of silence of Yazd and Kerma
Country: Iran
TWHS: no
Description: A tower of silence is a circular, raised structure built by Zoroastrians for excarnation – that is, for dead bodies to be exposed to carrion birds, usually vultures. Yazd and Kerma, which constitute historic centres of Zoroastrianism contain well preserved examples from the 19th century.
Criteria: cultural

Name: North Sentinel Island
Country: India
TWHS: no
Description: North Sentinel Island is home to the Sentinelese, an indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation who have rejected, often violently, any contact with the outside world. They are possibly the last tribal people outside the Amazonian rainforest to remain virtually untouched by modern civilisation. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act of 1956 prohibits travel to the island and any approach closer than five nautical miles (9.26 km).
Criteria: cultural

I second all 4 of these.

I really wonder is this an appropriate proposal for WHS or would be better for ICH? It is true that onsen is one of the interesting and unique culture of Japan, but I cannot fine any real historic onsen in Japan, most of onsen facilities are constantly upgrade to the modern one, even in Dogo Onsen. The word "Historic Onsen" in Japan means that such hot spring site has record of use since ancient time, not means the facilities or landscape of onsen towns are old.

Another interesting proposal and go along well with Japanese government plan. It is well known among Japanese that many local government eyes to propose the historic sites along the famous Nakasendo Road, an old mountain highway that link Tokyo and Kyoto. The original idea focused on Tsumago and Magome Towns in Kiso Valley and many well preserved post stations. But right now many more sites are interested to participate which beyond Nakasendo Road.

Well, easy... Let's extend it to Nakasendo Road Serial Nomination.


Onsens are as tangible as it gets. Question is about cutting and slicing and finding the best examples for a traditional Onsen.

Japan is the country with the oldest companies. Several of which are hotels/Onsens.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_companies

Coincidental, my UK proposal "Pubs of the UK" also features in the oldest company list.

Looks fascinating. I second the onsens.

I feel 20th century is underrepresented in the existing sites and our top missing for Asia. I say 20th century, because I feel we should grant a little time for the dust to settle before declaring the next biggest bestest skyscraper of a oil rich autocrat to be a WHS.

Areas of interest:
* Modern architecture
* Cold war
* Economic growth in Asia
* Engineering feats.

Korea

Cold War
Armistice Complex at Panmunjon (DMZ)
Repeat, but I really feel it's precisely this type of site that belongs on a top missing. Especially seeing it's not going to happen any time soon.
Type: C (or M if it were to include the mine fields and the adapted fauna).
OUV: Encapsulates the cold war like no other site could.

Japan

Architecture
https://www.rethinktokyo.com/famous-japanese-architects-styles

Proposals (with my not too recent request in mind):

Tadao Ando
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadao_Ando - Blending modernism with Zen.

Kenzō_Tange
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenz%C5%8D_Tange - Blending modernism with Japanese Traditional architecture
Oeuvre includes Hiroshima Museum.

Engineering

Tōkaidō Shinkansen
OUV: First bullet train network in the world (1964).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dkaid%C5%8D_Shinkansen

Seikan Tunnel
OUV: The Seikan Tunnel is the world's longest tunnel with an undersea segment (the Channel Tunnel, while shorter, has a longer undersea segment).[2] It is also the second deepest tunnel and the second longest main-line railway tunnel after the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland opened in 2016 (Seikan was built in 1988).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seikan_Tunnel

Kansai International Airport
OUV: Building in challenging envrionment (typhoon, earthquakes). Set standards for artificial islands.
"The project became the most expensive civil works project in modern history after twenty years of planning, three years of construction and US$15bn of investment. Much of what was learned went into the successful artificial islands in silt deposits for New Kitakyushu Airport, Kobe Airport, and Chūbu Centrair International Airport. The lessons of Kansai Airport were also applied in the construction of Hong Kong International Airport."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansai_International_Airport#Construction

There seems to be enough of the original road left and a handful of towns that retain a certain amount of authenticity. I would support this nomination.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakasend%C5%8D

Is the name "Nakasendō, the Central Mountain Route" acceptable? In regards to the Onsen, I think Durian is right, this tradition should be inscribed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List, it's not really conducive to the world heritage list. However, I see that it has some support. Any other thoughts on this proposal? Is there one or two particular Onsen that really stand out or would this be a large serial nomination?

I agree. Though with such a 20th century focus, it's inevitable, that with any discussion about potential sites from an engineering perspective in Asia, one must consider Japanese Colonial sites. This however, is a slippery slope indeed because we risk proposing numerous Japanese Colonial properties that could only be accepted by certain countries as "dark history" sites (if at all).

I would therefore propose looking more deeply into the Japanese Colonia Sites in Taiwan, as Taiwan DOES wish to seek world heritage status for such sites.

I think many of these sites could be paired or even included as one serial property to represent this period of History.
Wushantou Reservoir & Chianan Irrigation Waterway
Old Mountain Line Railway
Alishan Forest Railway
Shuei-Jin-Jiou Mining Sites
Lo-Sheng Sanatorium

I was rather aiming for Post WW2 sites (see my proposals). But indeed, in China Manchu + Port Arthur /Dalian would be a nice site giving the key role the area played in industrialization of Asia. And the colonial ambitions of the neighbors.

I think Cold War sites have to be added, so yes.


As far I remember, there are no tunnels on the list on their own right. I concur.


I understand winterkjm's argument about the political connotation of such a proposal, nonetheless, I think we need to look for the best example representing this historical development. I think China might offer more, but wonder which parts exactly would be included in the nomination.

I considered Issyk-Kul when I thought about my own collection of Asia. I think the cultural aspects of Issyk-Kul are quite thin. All I know is some petroglyphs and carved figures (the same type that in Burana) in the area of Cholpon-Ata. In my opinion this is not a very potential cultural site.

I'm not that much an expert on natural values. Maybe in Issyk-Kul case it is a better option than the cultural side. It is the second largest mountain lake in the world behind Lake Titicaca, so probably that is a good comparison. Titicaca is getting some attention on this forum and both lakes have tourist appeal.

Herat is missing here.

This is another interesting and surprising one as I thought many of us already fed up with European colonial settlement. Currently we have British colonial towns by Mumbai and Georgetown, Spanish at Vigan , Portuguese in Macau, Lesser French influence within Luang Prabang, Dutch with small area of Melaka and Multi-colonial settlement in Xiamen's Gulangyu and Lushan NP in China.

Surprisingly in the current list we still don't have Qingdao which is in my opinion the best example of German settlement and we don't have real French styled colonial town, and I agreed with nfmungard that Hanoi is probably the best one.

There are more nice colonial towns that has potential to be added in WHS, for example, British Yangon and Singapore, Dutch in Jakarta and Semarang, or international in Tianjin.

However, it is more fascinating to see many colonial architectures in Japan and Thailand, the two countries never been colonized by European but built colonial styled buildings by their own concept of modernization, which in my opinion a great potential on WHS.

Another more unique is the colonial buildings in Korea and Taiwan built by Japan, Japan adopted colonial architecture to symbolized colonization and modernization in their colonized countries.