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UNESCO Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Revitalizes Rural Wakayama

HONGU, JAPAN - JUNE 18: Visitors prepare to walk through the massive main wooden torii gate marking the entrance to the sacred Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine in Hongu, Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, on June 18, 2026. This critical sanctuary serves as the ultimate destination for all ancient Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails, drawing thousands of high-spending global adventure tourists whose expenditures directly stimulate the rural economies of the Kii Peninsula by funding traditional family-owned ryokans and preserving isolated community infrastructures. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#13858727
Date Taken	18 April 2026
Location	N/A
Photographer	Artur Widak/NurPhoto
Category	Human Interest
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Artur Widak/NurPhoto

Two People Three Quarter Length Adventure Backpacker Cedar Commerce Dog Economy Fiscal Forest Gate Grand Growth Guardian Hongu Income Japan Kii Kodo Kumano Lantern Multi-day Nakahechi Peninsula Route Shrine Sustainable Taisha Tanabe Torii Tourism Tourist Traveler Tree UNESCO Wakayama banner booking community couple development entrance expenditure foreign heritage hiking infrastructure international komainu local pilgrimage regional reservation revenue sanctuary spending steps stones trail trekking Wooden Torii Gate Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine Wakayama Prefecture Kumano Kodo Global Adventure Tourists Kii Peninsula Ryokans Community Infrastructures Artur Widak NurPhoto