Pilgrimage To Japan

The Land of the Rising Sun is as eclectic as it is fascinating, an exotic blend of ancient and modern. But two destinations in particular offer visitors an authentic taste of this unique nation: Wakayama, its spiritual centre, and Kyoto, its cultural heartland.

Wakayama: Epicentre of Spirituality

From pristine forested mountains to sublime hot springs, sacred shrines to UNESCO heritage trails, Wakayama offers travellers an escape to heal the mind, body and soul.

With its imposing mountains, rugged coastline, picturesque waterfalls, scenic rivers, and huge old-growth trees, the Kii Peninsula has been considered a mystical abode of the gods since ancient times. It is here that Shinto, Japan’s ageold tradition of Nature worship, would flourish, eventually fusing with the Buddhist beliefs introduced from China and the Korean Peninsula.

The Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples that emerged in the dense forests of the Kii Mountains have attracted pilgrims from all levels of society for more than a millennium. The network of pilgrimage routes, the Kumano Kodo, or “old ways”, are the key part of the region’s UNESCO World Heritage designation, along with three revered sites: Koyasan (the centre of Shingon Buddhism), Yoshino and Omine (centres of mountain worship), and Kumano Sanzan (the three grand shrines of Kumano). The complex web of tracks and paths links the sites together as well as to the ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto.

The pilgrimage trails were more than a means to reach the sacred sites: They became a religious experience in themselves, testing the spiritual – and physical – resolve of pilgrims through the difficult, and sometimes dangerous, terrain. Today, there are six designated pilgrimage routes, with varying levels of difficulty: the Nakahechi Route, the Kohechi Route, the Ohechi Route, the Iseji Route, the Kiiji Route, and the Omine Okugake Michi Route.

Nakahechi Route