The Japan’s oldest pilgrimage route ‘Saigoku Sanjyusansho (33 designated temples in west Japan)’ signed a friendship agreement with the World Heritage ‘Routes of Santiago de Compostela' in Spain in order to raise global awareness as tourist destinations and cooperate each other for local revitalization.
‘Saigoku Sanjyusansho’ with the unique history of more than 1,300 years has a about 1,000 km-long route across Wakayama, Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Nara, Shiga and Gifu. One-third of the 33 designated temples is located in Kyoto. The route was registered as Japan Heritage in 2019.
Routes of Santiago de Compostela, one of three major Christianity pilgrimage routes, was registered in UNESCO World Heritage in 1993. In 2019, about 347,000 visitors from the world walked the route.
