Most people who come to Japan tend to visit places like Kyoto, Nara, and Tokyo. These are primary destinations. However, for those who want to experience a bit of the mysteries of ancient Japan there are three more must-see regions. They are a bit off the beaten path but well worth your time, and all are near Nara, Kyoto and Osaka. So, you can see the normal tourist spots and then venture into some territory that is rarely seen by travellers to Japan.

These three must see areas are:

1. Koyasan

Koyasan may be more well-known to non-Japanese but is still largely unknown to many travellers to Japan.

Koyasan is a city of temples perched high upon a mountain plateau in the prefecture of Wakayama. It was founded by Kukai, also known as Kobo Daishi, who founded the Japanese Shingon sect of Esoteric Buddhism, or Mikkyo, after returning from China and extensive training.

Many of Japan’s most famous historical figures have gravestones in what is the largest graveyard in Japan with literally thousands of gravestones and mausoleums spread out over an immense area in the middle of a primeval forest.

Buried deep within this forest in Koyasan, or Mount Koya, is the sacred temple called the Okunoin. It is here that the Kukai is enshrined.

Here, you can get a full view of Japanese history as you stroll through the forest over an ancient stone path lined with the gravestones of people of all classes including the highest ranking feudal lords in Japanese history.

You will find this walk both haunting, beautiful, and enlightening.

Enjoy strolling the city with dozens of temples and soak in the atmosphere of Shingon Buddhism.

2. Yoshino

Yoshino has long been known as a sacred part of Japan and is famous as one of the main areas where practitioners of Shugendo do their mountain Buddhist training. Yoshino and Omine are spread across steep mountain range with some mountains being as high as 1000 meters. Yoshino is situation to the north of Mount Aonegamine in the Omine Mountain Range. The southern part is called Omine. By the mid 10th century this region was already considered one of the most sacred areas of Japan and its reputation spread as far as China.

In Shugendo, Yoshino is considered to be an object of sacred mountain worship and has gained much attention in relationship to Ennogyoja, considered the father of Shugendo,

Shugendo, puts great importance on various ascetic practices including walking through the mountains such as in Omine while doing a very extreme practice call ‘Okugake’ or ‘Mineiri’.

Sacred sites in the Yoshino/Omine region include: Yoshino Mikumari-jinja, Kimpusen-ji, Yoshinoyama, Kimpu-jinja,, Yoshimizu-jinja, and Ominesan-ji.

Yoshinoyama, is famous for its Shiroyama cherry trees which cover over 54 hectares. This area is planted with about 30,000 cherry trees, or sakura no ki, and is a popular spot during the ‘hanami’ season in the spring where people gather under the cherry trees to enjoy picnics, sake, and song.

If you visit Kyoto and Nara, rent a car if you can and head over to Koyasan and Yoshino working your way to Kumano.

3. Kumano

Kumano is one of those hidden secrets of Japan that few non-Japanese ever hear about and even Japanese are not that aware of the region. If you ask someone in Tokyo about Kumano you often get a blank stare or a question like, ‘Is that in Korea?’

In 2004 Kumano was designated as a World Heritage site and features the world’s only on water pilgrimage route. Other terms applied to this area are ‘Kii no Kuni’ and the ‘Kii Hanto’.

Located on the southern part of the Kii Peninsula, Kumano originally spanned the prefectures of Wakayama, Nara, and Mie. However, in the Meiji Era, in order to bring down the power of the area a few notches, it was split up into 3 prefectures and many Buddhist related heritage sites and temples were destroyed to make a dent in the spiritual influence of the area and restore the power of the Emperor of Japan.

In ancient times Kumano, people made pilgrimages from all over Japan to visit the ‘Kumano Sanzan’ which include the three grand shrines of Kumano, “Kumano Hongu Taisha”, “Kumano Hayatama Taisha” and “Kumano Nachi Taisha.” Also included in the Kumano Sanzan pilgrimage are two Buddhist temples called “Seiganto-ji” and “Fudarakusan-ji.”

This pilgrimage route was the main destination for Kumano Pilgrims who believed in “the Shinto-Buddhism Unity Theory.” This theory teaches that the ‘kami’ or gods in Shinto animism are manifestations of Buddha and other Buddhist entities including “Amida-nyorai”, “Yakushi-nyorai” and “Senju-kannon.”

Apart from the rich spiritual history and culture, Kumano is a wonderful place to camp, kayak, canoe, and hike. The mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and ocean are unusually pristine for Japan where most rivers have been dammed up and oceans are polluted.