{"id":79488,"date":"2021-03-04T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=79488"},"modified":"2021-06-30T18:48:09","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T09:48:09","slug":"mount-yoshino-to-koyasan-kii-peninsula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/mount-yoshino-to-koyasan-kii-peninsula\/","title":{"rendered":"From Mount Yoshino to Koyasan, a 4-Day Itinerary on the Kii Peninsula"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Kii Peninsula<\/strong> (\u7d00\u4f0a\u534a\u5cf6) is a vast region that extends across the prefectures of Nara (\u5948\u826f), Wakayama (\u548c\u6b4c\u5c71) and Mie (\u4e09\u91cd), occupying most of southern Kansai<\/a>. Its riches are manifold: pilgrimage routes<\/strong> across grandiose landscapes, a distinctive spiritual culture that combines Buddhism, Shintoism, and sacred nature<\/strong>, ancestral crafts, and deliciously healthy gastronomy, among many more wonders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Map<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes referred to as the \u201cbirthplace of Japan<\/a>,\u201d this region is one of the nation\u2019s oldest cultural and religious centers<\/strong>, which gave rise to Japan\u2019s first capitals: Asuka (\u660e\u65e5\u9999\u6751), now a charming countryside village<\/a>, and the city of Nara (\u5948\u826f\u5e02), famous for its numerous temples, shrines, and sacred shika deer. The Kii Mountain Range is crisscrossed by the historical Kumano Kodo<\/a> <\/strong>(\u718a\u91ce\u53e4\u9053) pilgrimage trails<\/strong>, a World Heritage Site whose Kohechi (\u5c0f\u8fba\u8def) and Omine Okugakemichi (\u5927\u5cef\u5965\u99c8\u9053) routes link the three Grand Shrines of Kumano Sanzan (\u718a\u91ce\u4e09\u5c71) respectively to the sacred sites of Koyasan <\/strong>(\u9ad8\u91ce\u5c71) and Mount Yoshino <\/strong>(\u5409\u91ce\u5c71, Yoshinoyama).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Japanese
Rural landscape along Yamanobe-no-michi pilgrimage route between Sakurai and Tenri in Nara prefecture \u23aa Photograph: Joachim Ducos<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It would take months, if not a lifetime, to explore all the riches of the Kii Peninsula. But if you have 4 days, here is an itinerary through Nara and Wakayama prefectures, from Mount Yoshino to Koyasan<\/strong>, along historical pilgrimage routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n