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UNESCO Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Revitalizes Rural Wakayama

HONGU, JAPAN - JUNE 18: Visitors walk along a pathway cutting through vibrant green rice paddies toward the colossal Oyunohara Torii gate—the largest shrine gate in the world—marking the original site of Kumano Hongu Taisha in Hongu, Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, on June 18, 2026. This iconic UNESCO World Heritage-listed landmark serves as a powerful symbol for the region's adventure tourism sector, leveraging its grand scale to attract high-spending global travelers whose localized expenditures inject vital revenue into the rural economies and family-operated accommodations of the Kii Peninsula. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#13858740
Date Taken	18 April 2026
Location	N/A
Photographer	Artur Widak/NurPhoto
Category	Human Interest
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Artur Widak/NurPhoto

Adventure Agriculture Colossal Gate Growth Monument Oyunohara Paddy Shrine Sustainable Torii Tourism UNESCO Wakayama Walking development expenditure field foreign giant green heritage hiking infrastructure international land pathway pilgrimage revenue rice rural sanctuary spending structure trail trekking village Hongu Japan Oyunohara Torii Kumano Hongu Taisha Tanabe Wakayama Prefecture UNESCO World Heritage rice paddies shrine gate adventure tourism Kii Peninsula rural economies family-operated accommodations Artur Widak NurPhoto