To explore the sacred walking trails of Japan is to rediscover timeless spiritual journeys through some of the country’s most awe-inspiring landscapes.
In the heart of Japan, where the sacred and serene converge, a renaissance of pilgrimage has taken root. Ancient trails that once echoed with the footsteps of devoted pilgrims have become the winding roads of tranquility for modern seekers. This is the narrative of Japan’s pilgrim walking routes, where the past whispers tales of spiritual odysseys, and the present unfolds a luxurious tapestry of exploration. We take a closer look at the top five pilgrimage routes of Japan, where each step is a harmonious cadence of history, nature, and the epitome of Japanese hospitality.
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Kumano Kodō: The Grand Pilgrimage of the Kii Peninsula
The Kumano Kodō, nestled in the verdant embrace of the Kii Peninsula, Japan’s largest, traces its roots to more than a millennium ago. Emperors, samurai, and commoners alike, guided by Shugendō monks, sought the three sacred Kumano Sanzan shrines – Kumano Hongū Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha – believing that these paths connected the mortal world to the divine. In 2004, some of the paths of the Kumano Kodō and the shrines of the Kumano Sanzan, along with Koyasan and Yoshino and Ōmine, were registered as World Heritage sites.
Embarking from Tanabe City, trekkers today can choose from multiple routes, each leading to the revered Grand Shrines of Kumano. Along the way, traditional ryokan and onsens offer respite, where pilgrims can soak in rejuvenating thermal waters after a day of exploration. There’s also the chance to spend the night in ancient temple lodges, join the monks in their prayers, explore stunning cedar forests and fresh mountain springs, and even visit the 500-year-old Nonagase Cemetery.
Also look out for the acclaimed Nakahechi Art Museum, the Hosshinmon Gate, the ‘gate of awakening of the aspiration to enlightenment’, which leads to one of the Kumano Trail’s most sacred precincts, famed for the turning of its autumn leaves, and the 133-metre high Nachi Falls, one of the country’s highest.
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Shikoku Pilgrimage: Honouring the Deities on the Island of Four Countries
Steeped in legend and spiritual reverence, the Shikoku Pilgrimage, or Shikoku Henro, pays homage to Kukai, the revered Buddhist monk known as Kobo Daishi. Pilgrims walking the trail would traverse 88 temples, believing each to be a step closer to enlightenment.
The 1,200km journey encircles Shikoku Island, with walkers meandering through its quaint villages and misty mountains, hiking parts of the route and taking transport on others. Pilgrims on this route were traditionally known as ohenro-san, and undertook the route to atone for sins, to pray for health, and to pursue enlightenment.
Today, there is less atonement and more enjoyment as luxurious ryokans along the way offer a retreat into refined Japanese hospitality, while intimate onsens – including Wanoyado Hotel Iyaonsen and AoAwo Naruto Resort, both of which overlook the iconic Iya Valley. Kiyomi Sanso Hanajukai, in Saihō Chō by the Seto Inland Sea, also provides solace for weary travellers.
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The Shikoku Pilgrimage, one of the more challenging of the pilgrim routes, intertwines spiritual awakening with the opulence of serene landscapes and exquisite accommodations, which has to be good for the soul.
Nakasendo Trail: Edo-Era Roads Through Time and Tradition
During Japan’s Edo period, the Nakasendo Trail served as a vital highway connecting Kyoto and Tokyo, then known as Edo. Traders, nobility, civil servants, samurai, and commoners traversed this route, seeking solace in the picturesque landscapes set between these two vital cities. There were 69 stations (staging-posts) between Edo and Kyoto, crossing through Musashi, Kōzuke, Shinano, Mino and Ōmi provinces, over a distance of around 534km. As it was such a well-developed road and offered a route that didn’t require fording rivers, many famous people, including the haiku master Matsuo Bashō, travelled the road.
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Today, the Nakasendo Trail, also called the Kisokaidō, offers a nostalgic journey through post towns and ancient tea houses. Walkers encounter ryokan that seamlessly blend historic charm with modern luxury. As cherry blossoms bloom or autumn leaves fall, the Nakasendo Trail is a symphony of timeless beauty and refined retreats, one that passes through mountain ranges and dense forests.
Many travellers prefer to walk parts of the whole route, including the stunning Kiso Valley between Magome and Tsumago, with its serene Odaki-Medaki waterfalls and Edo-era castle Ichikokutochishirakiatame Bansho-ato. This route begins in Nakatsugawa and can be completed in a day.
Authentic Japanese hospitality in post towns like Narai and electricity-free Tsumago, which has been painstakingly preserved in its Edo-era beauty by its residents since the 1960s, prevail throughout the route.
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Ouchi-juku: Snow-Covered Nostalgia in Fukushima
Like Tsumago, Ouchi-juku, a post town on the Aizu-Nishi Kaido trade route established in the 17th century, once welcomed weary travellers, merchants and samurai. The thatched-roof houses and snow-covered landscapes paint a picture of Edo-era Japan that remains as endearing today as it did for pilgrims and travellers. And like Tsumago, it has been beautifully preserved.
Ouchi-juku’s authentic architecture and thatched houses are a treat for walkers seeking a glimpse into the past. Luxurious ryokan, where history meets opulence, invite travellers to savour local delicacies and unwind in traditional onsens, especially during the winter months, when the town offers a nostalgic journey through Japan’s cultural heritage.
Look out for the Ichi-no-Torii (first gate) of Takakura Shrine, the village’s Shinto shrine, which offers great views across the town, and sate your appetite with a bowl of negi soba (leek buckwheat noodles), a local delicacy eaten using sticks of leek as chopsticks.
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The Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage: A Sacred Journey Through Western Japan
Rooted in Buddhist devotion, the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage connects 33 temples in Western Japan’s Kansai region, dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. Pilgrims have sought blessings and enlightenment on this sacred circuit for centuries. PIlgrams would wear white clothing and conical straw hats for the journey, and record their progress in a prayer book known as a Nōkyō-chō, which was stamped by temple authorities at each stop.
Today, walkers traverse the picturesque landscapes of Kyoto, Osaka, and Hyogo, encountering ryokan that offer a blend of modern luxury and traditional aesthetics. The Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage is a spiritual and sensory expedition, where each temple visit is complemented by local cuisine and serene accommodation. Soak those aching legs at onsens that have stood for centuries, and dine on authentic kaiseki menus at the likes of Kotobuki Ryokan in Gobō and the Sugoroku Ryokan in Yura, where miso and soy sauce were invented.
