Renewed recognition
Izu Peninsula UNESCO Global Geopark received renewed recognition for the four-year period from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029. The Izu Peninsula Geopark and Tourism Bureau announced the renewal on 1 April 2026, describing the result as a green card.
In its announcement of renewed UNESCO recognition, the bureau describes the result as a high international evaluation of the geopark’s work to date. It also attributes the outcome to activities undertaken across the region as a whole.
The council decision
The renewal was based on a review by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council at its meeting in Chile on 5 and 6 September 2025. UNESCO’s formal notification was dated 27 March 2026, ahead of the bureau’s April announcement.
The national ecotourism plan
Japan’s Ministry of the Environment announcement records national certification of the Izu Peninsula Ecotourism Promotion Overall Concept on 15 April 2026. The review found that the concept met the applicable criteria.
Itō appears among the applicants, together with Izu, Numazu, Atami, Mishima, Shimoda and Izunokuni. The list also includes Higashiizu, Kawazu, Minamiizu, Matsuzaki, Nishiizu, Kannami, Nagaizumi and Shimizu.
Nature, learning, and conservation
The regional bureau’s ecotourism announcement describes tourism that combines experience and learning with responsibility for conservation. It says the geopark has already promoted tourism based on experiences and learning using geological heritage and a range of other natural tourism resources.
The stated aims of promoting ecotourism include further conservation and use of those regional resources and their transmission to the next generation. The announcement also sets out an aim of establishing a sustainable regional economy centred on tourism, which it identifies as a core industry.
Wasabi as agricultural heritage
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries includes the Shizuoka Wasabi Cultivating Region in its overview of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, known as GIAHS. As of February 2026, Japan had 17 designated sites.
The ministry identifies wasabi, or Japanese horseradish, as a native Japanese plant first cultivated in Shizuoka Prefecture about 400 years ago. It describes the crop as an indispensable condiment in Japanese cuisine, including sushi. The crop is cultivated in a heavily forested area where agriculture is difficult.
Terraced wasabi fields were created on mountain slopes alongside streams. The cultivation technique described by the ministry uses nutrients contained in abundant spring water while using as little fertilizer as possible.
Shade trees and flowing water
According to the ministry’s Japanese account of the wasabi region, yamahannoki trees are planted to protect the wasabi from strong sunlight.
Gently flowing water also provides habitat for rare organisms, including the Hakone salamander.
Conservation through continuing activity
The ministry explains that recognized agricultural heritage regions carry out activities to maintain and conserve their agricultural, forestry and fisheries systems. Those activities are based on conservation plans drawn up by the regions themselves.