For thousands of years, a venerated Shinto Buddhism shrine in the Kii mountain range of Japan has been a place to visit for millions of pilgrims. All levels of society, including retired emperors and aristocrats, have made the walking journey to this shrine. The walk itself was an integral part of the pilgrimage process as they undertook rigorous religious rites of worship and purification. These pilgrims used a network of routes, now called the Kumano Kodo, which stretched across the mountainous Kii Peninsula in Western Honshu. In 2004, the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes were registered as UNESCO World Heritage, and a twinning program [...]