Magose-toge Pass

The most photogenic section of the Kumano Kodo Iseji Route, this 2-kilometer stone-paved path climbs through dense hinoki cypress forest to a 325-meter summit. Seventeenth-century cobblestones, laid for pilgrims walking to Kumano in Mie's rainy climate, remain remarkably intact and moss-covered. Jizo statues mark the trail at intervals, and the pass connects two small towns at the southern edge of the Kii Peninsula.