Click image to zoom

UNESCO Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Revitalizes Rural Wakayama

HONGU, JAPAN - JUNE 18: An international trekker rings the prayer bell before a main cypress-bark roofed sanctuary pavilion (shaden) inside the sacred grounds of Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine in Hongu, Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, on June 18, 2026. This unique UNESCO World Heritage-listed spiritual center serves as the core destination for the Kumano Kodo trail networks, attracting a steady influx of high-spending global adventure travelers whose direct expenditures provide vital commercial revenue for family-owned ryokans and foster long-term sustainable economic development across the rural valleys of the Kii Peninsula. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#13858734
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 Hongu Japan Kodo Kumano Pavilion Shaden Shinto Shrine Sustainable Taisha Tanabe Tourism Tourist Traveler UNESCO Wakayama architecture bark bell community development expenditure foreign heritage hiking hospitality international local pilgrimage pray regional revenue ritual sanctuary spending trail trekking wood worship International trekker Prayer bell Cypress-bark roofed sanctuary pavilion Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine Wakayama Prefecture UNESCO World Heritage Kumano Kodo trail Adventure travelers Ryokans Kii Peninsula Economic development Rural valleys Artur Widak NurPhoto