Kumano Hongū Taisha
Shrine buildings framed by trees, a place to encounter Kumano’s traditions.
Home / KUMANO / NATURE & ART
Through forests, water and prayer.
KUMANO / NATURE & ART
Through forests, water and prayer.
Return to life.
Walk the Kumano Kodo with Manabu Mitsuishi.
Encounter the stories of the land, art and the connections of life.
WALK WITH MANABU MITSUISHI
Walk the Kumano Kodo
with Manabu Mitsuishi.
Join Manabu Mitsuishi for a special walk along the Kumano Kodo. He helped research and restore the Iseji route and briefed the UNESCO–ICOMOS survey team during its World Heritage nomination. Walk beside him and hear the histories and traditions held within the landscape.
Alongside the guided walk, Feel& Sense brings riverside meditation, film and sound experiences into the journey. Encounter Kumano through both the stories of the land and your own senses.
The walking section, distance, programme content, dates and language arrangements are discussed around your interests and programme availability.
PLACES / RIVER / NIGHT SKY
Places and moments
to discover in Kumano.
An evening in Ōyunohara
Fireworks and the great torii on a special evening.
Riverside hot springs
Unhurried time beside the river.
THE ART OF CONNECTION
Kumano’s landscapes.
Art that speaks of life.
A cosmos unfolding in film. The resonance of voice and instruments. Art exploring nature and life meets Kumano’s forests, water and places of prayer. The journey offers time to feel that connection.
In a land long associated with renewal, the journey brings landscapes, prayer and art together. Encounter the stories held here, and make room to feel your own relationship with life and the world.
ONENESS / PRĀṆA
The greater cosmos.
The universe within.
Oneness meditation
Oneness is our meditation practice of sensing prāṇa — the energy we associate with the cosmos. In sacred places where heaven and earth meet, attend to breath and bodily sensations, opening to a sense of connection between the greater cosmos and the universe within.
The setting, duration and combination with other experiences are arranged around your interests.
KOYASAN · KUMANO / SHINBUTSU-SHŪGŌ
Where Shinto and Buddhism meet.
Enter Japan’s spiritual heart.
Koyasan and Kumano are connected by the Kohechi route of the Kumano Kodo. Across these sacred landscapes, Shinto traditions rooted in nature worship and Buddhist practice have met and intertwined. This interweaving is known as shinbutsu-shūgō.
For us, this meeting of traditions opens a path into the roots of Japan’s spiritual culture. Walk the old paths, hear the stories of the land, and encounter art exploring life and the cosmos. Together, these experiences give the connection a form you can feel.
A pilgrimage path connected to the world.
The Kumano Kodo leads pilgrims to Kumano’s sacred places. In 2014, Tanabe City and Santiago de Compostela, home to Spain’s Santiago Cathedral, signed a tourism partnership agreement to share and celebrate their pilgrimage cultures.
The Dual Pilgrim programme recognises those who meet the walking requirements on both the Kumano Kodo and Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Pilgrims from around the world come to Kumano, each following a personal path through its forests and stone-paved trails.
A JOURNEY INTO CONNECTION
Encounter the place.
Connect with life.
Let the guide bring the path to life.
Walk with Manabu Mitsuishi and hear the history and traditions of the old paths. Discuss walking distances and places to visit around your interests and fitness.
Meet nature through art.
Enter the world of cosmos and life through film and resonance. Notice how it meets the landscape within you. Screenings and sound experiences are arranged around the conditions of the venue.
Carry a sense of renewal.
Reflect on the places and words that stayed with you. Share them or hold them quietly. Carry a question about what matters in your life into the days ahead.
YOUR PACE / YOUR JOURNEY
Let us help plan your journey.
We know Kumano well.
For a first journey, we recommend beginning with inner attention in Koyasan, then continuing into Kumano’s nature. Travel arrangements and walking sections are considered around your interests and mobility.
Planning your Kumano journey
- Places
- Choose places around your purpose and time, rather than assuming every shrine and path belongs in one itinerary.
- Walking & travel
- Review slopes, stone steps, path conditions and travel time, then agree walking distances and transport.
- Art & language
- Confirm the art venue, guides, language support, and preferences for accommodation or hot springs individually.
- Culture & nature
- Respect local worship and photography practices. Visits and activities are adapted to season and weather.
GETTING HERE / KII PENINSULA, JAPAN
Getting to Kumano.
Kumano stretches across the southern Kii Peninsula in Japan. These estimates are for Kumano Hongū Taisha. Travel to Nachi, Hayatama or your programme venue will differ.
Kumano Hongū Taisha
To Hongu Taisha-mae bus stop
- Kansai Airport Station (KIX)
- About 4½–5½ hoursJR via Hineno and Kii-Tanabe, then local bus to Hongu Taisha-mae.
- Osaka: Shin-Osaka Station
- About 4–5 hoursKuroshio express to Kii-Tanabe, then local bus to Hongu.
- Tokyo Station
- About 8 hoursShinkansen via Shin-Osaka, Kuroshio express to Kii-Tanabe, then local bus.
Planning estimates based on official transport guidance, allowing for public transport and connections. Times vary by service and connection. KIX immigration, baggage collection and travel to the station are additional. Discuss meeting points or travel by car separately.
Official transport guidance checked: 29 October 2026