Kumano Hongū Taisha
Shrine buildings framed by trees, a place to encounter Kumano’s traditions.
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Through forests, water and prayer.
KUMANO / NATURE & ART
Through forests, water and prayer.
Return to life.
Walk the Kumano Kodo with Manabu Mitsuishi.
Encounter the stories of the land, art and the connections of life.
WALK WITH MANABU MITSUISHI
Walk the Kumano Kodo
with Manabu Mitsuishi.
Join Manabu Mitsuishi for a special walk along the Kumano Kodo. He helped research and restore the Iseji route and briefed the UNESCO–ICOMOS survey team during its World Heritage nomination. Walk beside him and hear the histories and traditions held within the landscape.
Alongside the guided walk, Feel& Sense brings riverside meditation, film and sound experiences into the journey. Encounter Kumano through both the stories of the land and your own senses.
The walking section, distance, programme content, dates and language arrangements are discussed around your interests and programme availability.
PLACES / RIVER / NIGHT SKY
Places and moments
to discover in Kumano.
An evening in Ōyunohara
Fireworks and the great torii on a special evening.
Riverside hot springs
Unhurried time beside the river.
THE ART OF CONNECTION
Kumano’s landscapes.
Art that speaks of life.
A cosmos unfolding in film. The resonance of voice and instruments. Art exploring nature and life meets Kumano’s forests, water and places of prayer. The journey offers time to feel that connection.
In a land long associated with renewal, the journey brings landscapes, prayer and art together. Encounter the stories held here, and make room to feel your own relationship with life and the world.
ONENESS / PRĀṆA
The greater cosmos.
The universe within.
Oneness meditation
Oneness is our meditation practice of sensing prāṇa — the energy we associate with the cosmos. In sacred places where heaven and earth meet, attend to breath and bodily sensations, opening to a sense of connection between the greater cosmos and the universe within.
The setting, duration and combination with other experiences are arranged around your interests.
KOYASAN · KUMANO / SHINBUTSU-SHŪGŌ
Where Shinto and Buddhism meet.
Enter Japan’s spiritual heart.
Koyasan and Kumano are connected by the Kohechi route of the Kumano Kodo. Across these sacred landscapes, Shinto traditions rooted in nature worship and Buddhist practice have met and intertwined. This interweaving is known as shinbutsu-shūgō.
For us, this meeting of traditions opens a path into the roots of Japan’s spiritual culture. Walk the old paths, hear the stories of the land, and encounter art exploring life and the cosmos. Together, these experiences give the connection a form you can feel.
A JOURNEY INTO CONNECTION
Encounter the place.
Connect with life.
Let the guide bring the path to life.
Walk with Manabu Mitsuishi and hear the history and traditions of the old paths. Discuss walking distances and places to visit around your interests and fitness.
Meet nature through art.
Enter the world of cosmos and life through film and resonance. Notice how it meets the landscape within you. Screenings and sound experiences are arranged around the conditions of the venue.
Carry a sense of renewal.
Reflect on the places and words that stayed with you. Share them or hold them quietly. Carry a question about what matters in your life into the days ahead.
ART IN KUMANO
Art shaped by encounters
in places of prayer.
Feel& Sense’s art programmes have been presented in the commemorations of Kumano Hongū Taisha’s 130th relocation anniversary and Kumano Hayatama Taisha’s 20th World Heritage anniversary. Encounters between these sacred places, film and voice continue to inform our journeys.
Feel& Sense considers film, resonance, dialogue and landscape as parts of one unfolding experience. Through encounters with art and sacred places, explore cosmic consciousness and SATORI as personal questions and discoveries.
YOUR PACE / YOUR JOURNEY
Experience Kumano
at your own pace.
Planning your Kumano journey
- Places
- Choose places around your purpose and time, rather than assuming every shrine and path belongs in one itinerary.
- Walking & travel
- Review slopes, stone steps, path conditions and travel time, then agree walking distances and transport.
- Art & language
- Confirm the art venue, guides, language support, and preferences for accommodation or hot springs individually.
- Culture & nature
- Respect local worship and photography practices. Visits and activities are adapted to season and weather.