There’s a stretch of coastline along the Kii Peninsula where Japanese cedar forests meet the Pacific, where pilgrims have walked the same stone paths for more than a thousand years. This is the Kumano region — a UNESCO-listed corner of Japan that most international visitors fly over en route to Kyoto, never realizing what they’re missing.

Spread across southern Mie and Wakayama prefectures, the area is best known for the Kumano Kodo, a network of ancient pilgrimage routes walked since the Heian period. But the trails are only part of the appeal: Sea cliffs, hidden waterfalls, terraced rice paddies and ports landing Japan’s freshest tuna all reward slow travelers.

Fairfield by Marriott Michi-no-Eki Hotels offers an ideal way in, providing a growing network of comfortable, design-forward properties across deep Japan — each paired with a local michi-no-eki (roadside station). Two properties bookend an ideal three- or four-day itinerary along the Kumano coast.

Mie: Where the Pilgrimage Begins

Start at Fairfield by Marriott Mie Kumano Kodo Mihama, set along Japan’s longest pebble beach. The adjoining Michi-no-Eki Park Shichiri Mihama is the ideal first stop. Michi-no-eki are government-designated roadside hubs that combine farmers market, visitor center and rest area.

Found across rural Japan, they’re the best place to pick up local produce, crafts and insider tips on the surrounding area. 

For a manageable taste of the Kumano Kodo, the Matsumoto-toge Pass is hard to beat: a stone-paved path through bamboo and cedar to a lookout above the sea. The nearby Fuden-toge Pass offers a similarly digestible alternative through misty mountain hamlets.

Two more detours deserve a stop: Onigajo (“Demon’s Castle”), a series of jagged sea cliffs sculpted into mythological shapes by wind and wave, and the Maruyama Senmaida rice terraces — roughly 1,300 paddies cascading down a hillside, especially striking at sunset. For dinner, small restaurants around Mihama serve fresh local seafood, including mehari and sanma sushi.

Wakayama: At the Edge of the Map

The coastal drive south takes about 90 minutes. Don’t skip Nachi Waterfall, Japan’s tallest single-drop waterfall, famous for the vermilion pagoda perched alongside it.

 

Eventually, arrive at Fairfield by Marriott Wakayama Kushimoto, at the southernmost tip of Honshu, where hotel staff can point you toward local dinner spots.

After a restorative night’s sleep, wake early for an unforgettable sunrise from the ocean-view rooms. Directly across the water stands Hashigui-iwa — a dramatic procession of roughly 40 jagged rock pillars stretching out to sea like a half-finished bridge. Don’t forget to stop by Michi-no-Eki Kushimoto Hashiguiiwa on your way out.

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Updated On June 15, 2026