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UNESCO Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Revitalizes Rural Wakayama

HONGU, JAPAN - JUNE 18: A trekker walks along the gravel approach path lined with white ceremonial offering banners (nobori) leading toward the main stone staircase of Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine in Hongu, Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, on June 18, 2026. This unique UNESCO World Heritage-listed spiritual center acts as the core terminus for the Kumano Kodo trails, drawing an influx of high-spending global adventure tourists whose travel expenditures provide vital commercial revenue directly to family-owned ryokans and rural infrastructure networks throughout the Kii Peninsula. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#13858729
Date Taken	18 April 2026
Location	N/A
Photographer	Artur Widak/NurPhoto
Category	Human Interest
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Artur Widak/NurPhoto

One Person Full Length Full Body Adventure Backpacker Cedar Commerce Economy Fiscal Flag Forest Gravel Growth Hongu Income Inscription Japan Kii Kodo Kumano Multi-day Nakahechi Nobori Path Peninsula Route Sando Shrine Staircase Sustainable Tanabe Tourism Tourist Traveler UNESCO Wakayama Walker Walkway banner community development expenditure foreign heritage hiking infrastructure international local pilgrimage regional reservation revenue sanctuary spending steps text trail trees trekking white trekker gravel approach path white ceremonial offering banners main stone staircase Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine Wakayama Prefecture UNESCO World Heritage spiritual center Kumano Kodo trails global adventure tourists travel expenditures family-owned ryokans rural infrastructure Kii Peninsula Artur Widak NurPhoto