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UNESCO Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Revitalizes Rural Wakayama

YUNOMINE ONSEN, JAPAN - JUNE 19: Colored ceremonial banners adorn the main pavilion wooden facade of Toko-ji Temple in the ancient hot spring village of Yunomine Onsen, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, on June 19, 2026. Dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of healing and medicine, this sacred temple stands directly beside the historic public bathhouse channels. According to local folklore and spiritual traditions dating back 1,800 years, the natural thermal mineral waters originally flowed straight from a stone statue of the medicine Buddha, turning this remote mountain valley along the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kumano Kodo pilgrimage network into a vital regional stopover for physical recovery and spiritual purification rituals. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#13862758
Date Taken	19 June 2026
Location	N/A
Photographer	Artur Widak/NurPhoto
Category	Human Interest
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Artur Widak/NurPhoto

No People Asia Buddhist Forest Historic Hongu Inscription Japan Kanji Kii Peninsula Kumano Kodo Lantern Monument Mountain Onsen Pavilion Religion Shrine Spiritual Staircase Tanabe Temple Toko-ji Tourism Traditional UNESCO Wakayama Yakushi Nyorai ancient architecture banners culture dynamic healing hiking hot spring pilgrimage purification rustic sacred scenery stone text thermal trail travel trekking village water Yunomine Onsen June 19 2026 Toko-ji Temple Wakayama Prefecture Buddha of healing medicine sacred temple public bathhouse folklore spiritual traditions 1 800 years thermal mineral waters stone statue UNESCO World Heritage physical recovery spiritual purification Artur Widak