Two of the epicenters of Japanese spirituality are found in Wakayama Prefecture, where a lush jungle of ancient cedar trees embraces an impressive collection of Buddhist temples on Mount Koyasan and the Kumano Kodo Trail, connected to the “Camino de Santiago”. This ancient pilgrimage route links dozens of ancestral Shinto shrines amid mountains, peasant villages, and tea plantations. Throughout the centuries, emperors, aristocrats, samurai warriors, and women adorned in their finest silk kimonos have traversed these paths. More than just a journey, this is a sublime approach to the deepest essence of Japan’s soul.