Tenkawa Village

Tenkawa is known for the pristine waters originating on Mt. Omine. It is also the birthplace of Shugendo, a Buddhist sect unique to Japan that incorporates mountain worship and ascetic practices.

Yoshino Town

The Zao-do Temple of Kinpusen-ji Temple is the symbol of Mt. Yoshino and its renown cherry blossoms. Yoshino is the entrance to the Omineokugake-michi Trail that serves as one of the pilgrimage routes to Kumano.

Koya Town

Founded in the Heian Era as a place of worship by the monk Kobodaishi or Kukai, Mt. Koya is known as the holy land of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism.

Nachikatsuura Town

The faithful on pilgrimage to Kumano Nachi-taisha Shrine encounter Japan’s highest waterfall at 133 m.

Kumano City

The Kumano-kaido Ancient Road runs through the city of Kumano in Mie Prefecture. It was traveled by Jofuku who, as legend tells, sought an elixir of immortality by order of the emperor of China.

Kanan Town

The Chikatsu Asuka Museum puts on display unearthed artifacts and models of ancient tumuli under a theme of “probing the formation process of a state and international exchange in ancient Japan”.

Habikino City

The tomb of the Emperor Ojin is one of the largest in the world. Numerous cultural properties are housed in the Konda Hachiman-gu Shrine, itself the oldest shrine of its kind, erected in front of the tomb.