Kumano-Mie

Kumano is a small port town on the Mie Prefecture coastline in central Japan, sitting along the rugged Kumano coast where forested mountains drop into the Pacific. The region is historically connected to the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails, a network of ancient walking routes through the mountains to sacred shrines, and one of only two pilgrimage routes in the world with UNESCO World Heritage status alongside Spain's Camino de Santiago. The Onigajo rocks, a dramatic stretch of sea-carved rock formations along the coast, are the closest natural attraction to the port. Shishi-iwa (Lion Rock), a rock formation that resembles a crouching lion facing the ocean, is a local landmark. The Maruyama Senmaida terraced rice paddies, about 30 minutes inland, have over 1,000 small rice plots carved into a hillside. The area is rural, the pace is slow, and English signage is limited.