Saigoku 33 Temple Woodblock Print Culture

Traditional scroll paintings and woodblock prints depicting the Saigoku 33 Temples pilgrimage in the Kansai region. Developed from the Edo period onward as artistic visualizations of each temple's principal deity and pilgrimage scenes. Functioning as both pilgrim guidebooks and ukiyo-e artworks, they remain valued reference materials for contemporary pilgrims.

The fifty-three post stations of the Tokaido connecting Edo and Kyoto, immortalized in Hiroshige's famous woodblock print series. Today, preserved towns in Shizuoka Prefecture serve as heritage resources. Contemporary pilgrimage retracing Hiroshige's artwork has become a cultural tourism theme, reviving historical and artistic value.

The Kiso Valley section of the Nakasendo was a major Edo-period route with 11 station towns. Tsumago and Magome are exceptionally well-preserved, maintaining authentic Edo-era townscapes. The living culture of pilgrims and travelers continues, attracting over 1 million annual visitors.

The most important of the five major highways connecting Edo and Kyoto along the Pacific coast. Made world-famous by Hiroshige's 'Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido,' its 53 post towns still preserve historical traces. It also served as the blueprint for the modern Tokaido Shinkansen route.

Pilgrimage to Ise Grand Shrine became a massive popular phenomenon in the Edo period with the saying 'once in a lifetime, visit Ise.' Including the Okagehyokocho street food culture and famous Akafuku mochi, it remains a spiritual travel touchstone for Japanese people today.

A sacred site of mountain worship comprising Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan, and Mount Yudono. With over 1,400 years of history as a training ground for Shugendo asceticism, the mountain monks in white robes and their austere practices preserve Japan's mountain ascetic traditions.