Wakayama: The land of the gods May 1 06:12 am JST May 1 | 06:54 am JST WAKAYAMA
Just a couple of hours south of the electric city of Osaka, there’s a place where ancient pathways lead to hidden shrines shrouded in mist; where monks worship waterfalls and mystical forests float.
Located on the remote Kii peninsula on the southern coast of Kansai, Wakayama Prefecture makes up a large part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sacred Sites and pilgrimage routes called the Kumano Kodo. All of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails lead to the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano in the mountains of southeastern Wakayama.