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Japan is littered with burial mounds. In my Kyoto neighborhood, a local park that is perhaps 2-3 acres and deeply wooded, was once home to the remains of local aristocrats. Dogs and children to this day enjoy running up and down the weedy hills that dot the the park. (The remains and items buried with the departed are long gone, having been looted hundreds of years ago.)

Farther south, in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, are perhaps the most famous burial mounds in the country. Seen from above, the best known of the Mozu burial mounds is shaped like a keyhole. This is but one of many in the area. It holds the remains of an emperor, and is thus managed by the Imperial Household Agency.

The Japanese Council for Cultural Affairs recently recommended the Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun ancient tumulus clusters for UNESCO World Heritage listing in 2019. If as expected the Cabinet approves this decision, the Japanese government will submit official documents of recommendation to UNESCO by Feb. 1 next year. UNESCO will then make its decision at some point next summer.
Osaka officials and local residents are in a full World Heritage Site Frenzy, hoping this will become Osaka's first site.

However, short of viewing the mound from above - via a drone" - there is little to see if one makes the trip.

As the mound is an imperial site, entrance is strictly limited. Japanese archaeologists, for example, are forbidden from digging and researching the mound. Many have fi...