You will enjoy trekking along KUMANOKODO, an historic walking course. The Sacred sites and Pilgrimage routes here were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. The world Heritage site, ‘Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range,’ consists of sacred and pilgrimage routes that are inseparable from the nature of the Kii Mountain Range covering Wakayama, Nara, and Mie prefectures, as well as the cultural landscapes surrounding them. There is no such similar property to be found elsewhere around the world. For over 800 years, the Kumano shrines were a popular pilgrimage site. People believed the wilds of the Kii peninsula to be inhabited by kami, i.e. Shinto deities.

Three of the most powerful deities of the region are enshrined in three famous shrines in the Kumano region; Hongu-taicha, Hayatama-taisha and Nachi-taisha. Japan’s early emperors made regular pilgrimages to these shrines to petition the deities for power, prosperity and health. The approach to this holy area, the ancient Kumano pilgrimage route, has been restored as a walking course. As one walks along the moss-covered stone pavement one is immersed in the relaxing sounds of nature which fill the surrounding forest. One can almost hear the sighs of ancient travelers as they sat resting along this path, renewing their spirits in this dwelling place of the gods