Iwami Ginzan World Heritage 20th Anniversary / 500th Anniversary of Discovery Commemorative Tourism Project Subsidy (Ohda City)

The Iwami Ginzan World Heritage 20th Anniversary / 500th Anniversary of Discovery Commemorative Tourism Project Subsidy is established by Ohda City (Shimane Prefecture) to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the World Heritage listing of 'Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape' and the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Iwami Ginzan. It supports activities to enhance the experience value of Iwami Ginzan and its cultural landscape area (Omori, Yunotsu, Nima, Sanbe, etc.), promote tourism attraction, and form a foundation for sustainable tourism. Notification No. 129 was issued and takes effect on May 15, 2026 (with application date retroactive to April 7, 2026), and expires on March 31, 2027 — though subsidies decided by that date remain effective thereafter. Eligible projects fall into one of two categories and must satisfy all six requirements: (1) Experience Content Development Type — projects that develop, refine, or pilot experiential and participatory tourism content using resources of the Iwami Ginzan cultural landscape area to promote circular travel, extend stay times, and increase repeat visitors and satisfaction; or (2) Tourism Attraction / PR Promotion Type — projects that effectively communicate the area's appeal to create visit motivation, promote circulation, and increase repeat visitors, while encouraging citizens to recognize, value, and proudly share local heritage. Requirements include alignment with tourism strategy, non-duplication with other subsidies, not being mainly hardware-construction-focused (no major new buildings/renovations), and having eligible expenses exceeding 500,000 yen. Eligible recipients are legal entities or organizations based within Ohda City with capacity to implement projects appropriately. Multiple applications from one recipient are allowed (evaluated for implementation capacity and regional balance). Excluded are organized-crime members under Ohda City Ordinance No. 1 of 2012, taxpayers in arrears, and groups engaged in activities contrary to public order. Eligible expenses are those directly necessary for project implementation, in 11 categories: (1) honoraria and expense reimbursement (external lecturers/experts/guides), (2) travel (PR/attraction activities outside city/prefecture), (3) outsourcing fees (content development, video production, website construction), (4) materials and consumables, (5) equipment purchase (limited-use only, capped at 100,000 yen), (6) usage/rental fees (venues, equipment, vehicles), (7) printing/binding (pamphlets, flyers), (8) communications/shipping, (9) advertising (SNS ads, media placements), (10) insurance, and (11) other expenses recognized by the mayor. Consumption tax is excluded. The subsidy provides 100% for up to 500,000 yen of eligible expenses and 4/5 (80%) for the portion exceeding 500,000 yen, with an upper limit of 2,000,000 yen. The eligible period runs from the grant decision date to February 28, 2027 (or from April 7, 2026 if pre-implementation is approved via Form 2). Pre-consultation with the city is mandatory before formal application. The grant decision (Form 3) is issued upon successful review. The performance report (Form 7) must be submitted within 15 days of project completion or by February 28, 2027, whichever is earlier. After issuance of the subsidy confirmation notice (Form 8), the recipient submits a payment request (Form 10). Payments are principally settlement-based, though advance payments are possible when deemed necessary. Promotional materials must display the project name and the city-designated logo mark.