Two local pilgrims at the Kumano Kodo trail.

The Kumano Kodō (熊野古道) is a series of ancient pilgrimage routes that crisscross the Kii Hantō, the largest peninsula of Japan. The Kodo ("old ways") are a key part of the region's World Heritage designation and have been in use for more than 1000 years.
Even before organised religion existed in Japan, locals worshipped nature in the Kii Peninsula's mystical landscape. Towering trees, the nation's tallest waterfall, and the mountains in between were themselves considered kami (gods), and a walk among them a sacred act. Emperors and samurai from Kyoto kept detailed diaries of their pilgrimages here.