The Shirakami Mountains (Shirakami-Sanchi) spread 130,000 hectares on the border between Aomori and Akita prefecture. The central part of the mountains was designated by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage in 1993. The area is characterized by its primitiveness. The vast beech forest in the range is one of the world’s largest and home to precious species of animals and plants, including the Nihon Kamoshika (Japanese serow) and the Nihon Zaru (Japanese monkey), as well as several bird species which are in danger of extinction such as the Inu Washi (golden eagle) and the Kuma Taka (Hodgson’s hawk eagle).