Wakayama Prefecture occupies most of the Kii Peninsula south of Osaka, home to Koyasan, a UNESCO World Heritage monastery town founded by the monk Kukai in 816 CE, and the Kumano Kodo, a network of ancient pilgrimage trails linking three grand shrines deep in the mountains. Beyond its sacred sites, Wakayama offers the white-sand resort town of Shirahama, the panda-breeding Adventure World park, and Honshu's southernmost point at Cape Shionomisaki, making it a destination that blends centuries of pilgrimage culture with coastal hot springs and outdoor scenery.