Kansai Nara Treasure Travel Just Off the Beaten Path, But a World Away

A 4-day highlight tour of Kansai, hitting the main spots for sightseeing! In Kyoto, we will visit Arashiyama, the Golden Pavilion, and Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, which are all very popular with people from around the world. In Nara, enjoy interacting with the friendly deer in Nara Park. Take photos of Osaka Castle, and head to the blooming plum tree grove in Osaka Castle Park. The pink and white plum flowers are beautiful under the bright, blue sky. Of course, there are experience programs that will leave you with many memories! From matcha tea to strawberry picking, we hope you enjoy an ambitious four days!

Tenkawa Village, located in the heart of Kii Peninsula, is secluded among the mountains. Japanese people has respected mountains and deep nature and protected them since the ancient times. In 2004, UNESCO World Heritage sites: Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range was registered, a part of the main component elements belongs to Tenkawa Village, such as Omine-okugake Road pilgrimage route and the Yoshino Omine sacred site. Mt. Omine is the sacred mountain as the site of Japan’s first mountain worship by En-no Gyoja, the founder of Shugendo 1300 years ago.

Have a look for the information about what Shugendo is like in Tenkawa Village and our Shugendo Training Tours. Our tours give you the chance to place yourself into a genuine Shugendo world in the sacred mountain!

Since ancient times, the mountainous Kii Peninsula, which spans the prefectures of Mie, Nara, and Wakayama, has been considered a special region because of the belief that Shinto and Buddhist deities dwell in its heavily forested and rugged natural landscape.

The Kii Mountains have had a significant influence on the development and exchange of unique Japanese religious ideas and culture throughout history because of its amazing natural abundance. Key locations of cultural development in the peninsula include “Kumano,” which is considered a pure land of reborn belief; “Ise,” an important location for the Shinto faith; Mt. Koya, a sacred place of Buddhism; and both “Yoshino” and “Omine” as holy locations in the Shugendo faith, which combines Shinto and Buddhist beliefs into its practices.
“Thus, it became a unique region with a mystical atmosphere, a place where one can perceive the universe, nature, and oneself, dispelling the limitations of time and space. The influence of nature in the Kii Peninsula has truly created a profound and sacred area that is open to the prayers of all.