Tokaido Fifty-Three Stations Heritage

Sixty-seven post towns flourished along the Nakasendo during the Edo period, connecting Edo and Kyoto. Historic settlements like Tsumago and Magome preserve traditional architecture and stone-paved streets. Once bustling with daimyo processions and pilgrims, the route is experiencing revival as a pilgrimage and heritage tourism destination.

A collection of woodblock prints by Edo-period ukiyo-e artists depicting pilgrimage to the Saigoku 33 temples. Works such as Hokusai and Hiroshige's 'Saigoku 33 Temples Landscape Compendium' introduced pilgrimage sites nationwide and encouraged visitation. These prints exemplify how cultural media merged religious faith with tourism.

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.

One of Japan's oldest pilgrimage circuits, visiting 33 Kannon sacred sites mainly across the Kinki region. Said to have been established in 718, it is known alongside the Shikoku Pilgrimage as one of Japan's two great pilgrimage routes. It was designated a Japan Heritage in 2019.

Japan's oldest pilgrimage route visiting 33 Kannon temples across Kansai. Designated as Japan Heritage in 2019, it has gained popularity among young people alongside the goshuin stamp boom.

A successful anime pilgrimage case as the setting of 'Girls und Panzer.' Character panels line shopping streets, making it a model case of anime tourism revitalizing regional economies.