Kumano City is a coastal city in southern Mie Prefecture, Japan, facing the Kumano Sea. It is an important part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range'. Here, mountains and sea coexist, offering pristine natural scenery. The Kumano Kodo Iseji route preserves thousand-year-old stone pavements and stone Buddhas, making it a popular pilgrimage hiking trail. Shichiri Mihama stretches for 22 kilometres, making it the longest gravel beach in Japan, adjacent to the unique rock formations of Onigajo. Hana no Iwaya Shrine is the oldest shrine in Japan, nestled within a rocky cavern. The Dorokyo Gorge boasts stunning beauty, and Maruyama Senmaida is selected among Japan's top 100 terraced rice paddies. Among local delicacies, the Kumano sea bream is most renowned for its firm and sweet flesh; other specialities include the low-fat yet succulent Kumano saury, the flavoursome Kumano local chicken, and the nourishing Kumano beef, often paired with local specialty citrus 'Shinki' to create unique dishes.