Yohei Osaki: Enchanted by the Kumano Kodo

2023/11/29

Attracting visitors to the Kumano Kodo was a struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic. This "World Heritage pilgrimage route" saw a 3,500% explosion in foreign tourists over seven years, yet it was also one of the regions hit hardest by entry restrictions.

Based on my marketing experience at theme parks, I was excited to contribute to this region and the lodgings along the Kumano Kodo. Attracting visitors to urban facilities is different from doing so in rural areas. That is precisely why I felt a great sense of purpose, knowing that my next field of challenge lay deep in the mountains of a World Heritage site.

I have visited the Kumano Kodo many times, walking it with colleagues, friends, a partner, and alone, feeling my heart stirred each time. My deep involvement with this region began when I joined a real estate company in Osaka that builds and operates accommodations along the Kumano Kodo.

This path, where 1,500 years of human activity intersect with nature, history, and faith, is at times a place for self-reflection, a trail for a sense of accomplishment, and a path of meditation that evokes a mystical feeling. While people from all over the world are enchanted by this route, most Japanese people, who are closest to it, remain unaware of its charm.

I feel a great sense of fulfillment in developing the accommodation brand "SEN.RETREAT" along the Kumano Kodo.

First, I can strongly feel the economic impact that the lodgings have on the local community. This might be unique to rural areas. For example, if SEN.RETREAT can attract guests outside of the trekking season or during the pandemic, it provides economic benefits to linen suppliers, firewood suppliers, catering companies, cleaning staff, and more. This makes it easy to take pride in influencing the region. Second, the noble cause of spreading local culture aligns with the act of attracting guests to the lodgings. It feels like "The Analects and the Abacus." SEN.RETREAT has been featured on television several times, and each time, the culture and charm of the Kumano Kodo are conveyed along with it.

According to a recent survey, awareness of the Kumano Kodo is as high as 79%, but only 3.8% of people have actually stayed overnight. The Kumano Kodo is a World Heritage site still full of potential. "Creating a strong brand for the Kumano Kodo" is my role as a branding specialist, and I believe it is something only we, who are enchanted by the Kumano Kodo, can achieve. I hope to continue revitalizing the region in the spirit of "learning while teaching, teaching while learning."