Sustainability Conservation Activities for the World Heritage "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
Participating in the Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin (Trail Maintenance) Walk to Preserve the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range"
Since 2019, the Ryoyo Ryosan Group has participated in the "Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin Walk," part of Wakayama Prefecture's "Pilgrimage Route Environmental Conservation Activities for 100,000 Participants," Conducted under the guidance of Wakayama Prefecture (Wakayama World Heritage Center and Tanabe City Board of Education), this is Japan's only program allowing citizens to directly participate in UNESCO World Heritage preservation.
Preserving these ancient paths of faith for future generations embodies our commitment to sustainable social contribution.
Through four activities to date, approximately 120 employees have participated in conservation efforts. While each activity restores a limited area, the Ryoyo Ryosan Group remains committed to ongoing preservation of these UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage routes. Through this work, we embody our management vision of "The Group aims to be a Company that serves customers' needs and is essential to society." and practice our action guidelines of "Contribution, Collaboration and Praise" to build a sustainable society connecting culture and nature to the future.
The 4th Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin Walk (November 2025)
On November 20-21, 2025, 31 members of the Ryoyo Ryosan Group participated in the "Kumano Kodo Mich-Bushin Walk." After training at the Wakayama World Heritage Center, participants conducted trail restoration using 1.5 tons of restoration soil near the Sangenjaya site on the Nakahechi route. Following the work, they walked approximately 2.6 km to Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine and the Kyushachi Oyunohara.
Our members who participated in the 4th Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin Walk
The 3rd Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin Walk (November 2024)
In 2024, "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range" celebrated the 20th anniversary of its World Heritage registration. A total of 40 people from the Ryoyo Ryosan Group participated in the "Kumano Kodo Road Repair Walk." For two days from Thursday, November 7 to Friday, November 8, after training at the World Heritage Center, they repaired 1.5 tons of soil in the vicinity of the Nakahechi Sangenjaya site on the Kumano Kodo.In the morning of the 7th, they walked about 1.3 km from Nakahechi Gyuba-doji to Chikatsuyu-oji while listening to a storyteller, and in the afternoon, they walked about 2.6 km from the road construction site to Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine and the holy place Oyunohara.
Our members who participated in the 3rd Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin Walk
The 2nd Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin Walk (November 2023)
A total of 31 people participated in the “Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin Walk” on November 9 and 10, 2023. Due to rain in the forecast for the second day, after training at the World Heritage Center on the first day, the group did road reconstruction using 1 ton of soil for repair in the area around the Sangenjaya ruins on the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Road. After that, the participants walked about 2 km from the road improvement site to the Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine and Oyunohara.
Our members who participated in the 2nd Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin Walk
The 1st Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin Walk (November 2019)
On November 8-9, 2019, 17 participants joined the Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin Walk. On the first day, after training at the World Heritage Center, they performed road repair using 2 tons of soil for repair near Fushiogami-oji on the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Road. On the following day, the participants walked 7 km from Hatsushinmon-oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine, Oyunohara, on the Kumano Kodo that they had promoted themselves, led by a storyteller.
Our members who participated in the 1st Kumano Kodo Michi-Bushin Walk