Sustainable Cultural Heritage Preservation: Trail Maintenance Walks in UNESCO World Heritage “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range”

Many of the assets designated and protected as cultural heritage in Japan have been maintained and managed by village communities since ancient times. But depopulation, declining birthrates, and aging populations have caused rural communities themselves to decline, and with this the systems for communal management and maintenance of cultural properties have ceased to function effectively. This chapter examines the case of Kumano Kodō, a network of sacred sites and pilgrimage routes that in 2004 was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site under the name “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.“ Wakayama Prefecture, where much of Kumano Kodō lies, has developed a series of “trail maintenance walks” and other programs via which visitors actively participate in the maintenance and repair of Kumano Kodō. These programs form part of a broader “ecosystem,” involving local authorities and residents, tourism providers, corporate sponsors, and tourists, that comprises a virtuous cycle between the enjoyment of Kumano Kodō as a tourist destination and the preservation of Kumano Kodō as a priceless jewel of Japan’s cultural heritage. As such they suggest a potential way forward toward resolving the conundrum of how to balance tourism with cultural heritage protection.