I offer my congratulations on the launch of the Group of 100 Devotees of Koyasan and Kumano. It is also a great pleasure to have been chosen as one of those 100 supporters.
I am originally from Shimagahara Village (now a part of Iga City), located in the north-west of Mie Prefecture on the same peninsula as Wakayama Prefecture: the Kii Peninsula. To the west of my village was Kyoto Prefecture, to the north was Shiga Prefecture, and to the south was Nara Prefecture. I lived there through middle school and then moved to Kyoto, Nara and Osaka in turn as my father, who worked for the old Japanese National Railways, was relocated during the course of his career.
Upon graduating from university, I decided that I would work for a railway company, and I chose Nankai Electric Railway because of all the charming scenery, like that of Koyasan, that bordered its rail lines. In 2009, when Koyasan was awarded three stars by the Michelin Green Guide for Japan, I thought to myself, “That’s exactly right!”
There are a lot of big things coming to the Kansai region, including the World Expo and an integrated resort development. As a transportation business operator, Nankai Electric Railway is working to ensure that these events and developments are successful in attracting large numbers of visitors, including to Koyasan and Kumano.