Kii Peninsula

The remote and mountainous Kii Peninsula (紀伊半島, Kii-hantō) is a far cry from central Kansai's bustling urban sprawl. There are two top attractions here that make the area a worthy stop in your itinerary: the mountaintop temple complex of Kōya-san, one of Japan's most important Buddhist centres, and, further south, the ancient pilgrimage trails, sacred shrines and rustic onsen of the Kumano Kodō. With more time, you can explore the rocky southern coast, which makes up the Nanki Kumano Geopark and has some interesting geological formations.