An
optical recording medium includes a substrate and a plurality of recording
layers laminated via at least intermediate
layers, at least one of the recording
layers other than a
recording layer farthest from a light incidence plane among the plurality of recording layers containing at least one
metal M selected from a group consisting of Ni, Cu, Si, Ti, Ge, Zr, Nb, Mo, In, Sn, W, Pb, Bi, Zn and La and an element X which can combine with the
metal M upon being irradiated with a
laser beam for recording data, thereby forming a
crystal of a compound of the element X with the
metal M. According to the thus constituted
optical recording medium, it is possible to
record data in and reproduce from a farthest
recording layer from a light incidence plane in a desired manner and it is possible to
record data in and reproduce from
recording layer(s) other than the farthest recording layer from the light incidence plane in a desired manner.