Volunteering to help maintain the Kumano Kodo, a World Heritage site in Wakayama Prefecture
On November 2, 2013, a group of 63 volunteers from Kao’s Wakayama Complex volunteered in an activity to help maintain the Kumano Kodo, an ancient pilgrimage route spanning Wakayama, Nara, and Mie prefectures and which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Kumano Kodo is a pilgrimage route with a total length of over 300 km linking together the sacred sites in the Kii Mountains, and is unusual among World Heritage site in that the path itself is the main attraction. The Kii Mountains through which the Kumano Kodo runs receive high annual rainfall, and are frequently struck by typhoons and other natural disasters; as a result, there are many places where the path is in a poor state of repair. To remedy this situation, the Wakayama prefectural government launched the “Michi Bushin (Path Collective Effort) Walk” initiative, appealing to business enterprises and other organizations to participate in activities aimed at restoring and maintain the Kumano Kodo. Employees from Kao’s Wakayama Complex took part for the second year in a row.