Traditional wooden town houses in Kyoto have been included in a list of endangered cultural heritage sites released Wednesday by the World Monuments Fund, a New York-based private organization.

The town houses, Kyomachiya, are the second Japanese site to be included in the watch list, following the scenic Tomonoura area of Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture. A recent court case ruled that the area should be preserved at the expense of a public works project.

Kyomachiya feature lattice facades and slatted second-story windows. There are about 50,000 of the houses in Kyoto, but the number has decreased by 2 percent a year due to lifestyle changes and other factors.

Japan Times Story