Forest in Yoshino-Kumano National Park

Yoshino-Kumano National Park is a national park comprising several non-contiguous areas of Mie, Nara, and Wakayama Prefectures, Japan. Established in 1936, the park includes Mount Yoshino, celebrated for its cherry blossoms, as well as elements of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. One of its highlights is ancient forests.

The interplay of nature and spirituality is a recurring theme throughout the park. Nature worshippers of all kinds continue to walk the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes that run through forests and along shores to these shrines. The natural forests of the Odaigahara Plateau, primarily composed of beech, are home to Japanese deer, wrens, Japanese robins, and Odaigahara salamanders. The forest floor is carpeted with a variety of beautiful mosses.

Location: Kansai, Japan