The Way of Sant James

• The Turismo director welcomed a delegation from the World Heritage Committee for Japan’s Shikoku Trail with an official reception held today
• The two pilgrimage routes have been twinned for two years, following the signing of an agreement to promote cultural exchange between Galicia and Japan
• The number of Japanese pilgrims has been increasing steadily in recent years, reaching a historic high of almost 1,500 in 2016

Santiago de Compostela, 20 July 2017

Turismo Director Nava Castro welcomed a delegation from the World Heritage Committee for Japan’s Shikoku Trail today. The group is visiting the community as part of the collaboration between the Japanese pilgrimage route and the Way of St. James, which has been in place for two years.

Nava Castro was accompanied by Director-General for Foreign Affairs and EU Relations Jesús Gamallo at the official reception held at Hostal dos Reis Católicos in the Galician capital. The event celebrated the increasingly closer ties linking the two areas following the 2015 signing of an agreement to twin the two routes. ‘Contact between Japan and Galicia continues to intensify, and since that time, there have been a number of initiatives which have brought us together with the aim of strengthening the ties that unite our peoples,’ the director stated.

Within the framework of this agreement, Galicia is supporting the Shikoku Trail in its efforts to obtain Unesco World Heritage status. Given the Xunta’s considerable experience in this area, the four prefectures that make up Shikoku – Tokushima, Kochi, Ehime and Kagawa – requested the advice of the Galician government. During this period, Galicia has also rolled out a range of activities promoting the Way of St. James in Japan.

In her speech, Nava Castro underscored the fact that more and more Japanese pilgrims are completing the pilgrimage route to Compostela. Specifically, she noted that a decade ago the number of pilgrims following the route was slightly more than 300, and that in 2016 it reached a historic high of almost 1,500. In fact, this growing interest now puts Japan among the top 20 nationalities on the Way of St. James for the first time. ‘We are pleased that this is the case and would even like to see this number continue to grow,’ stated the Turismo director, who expressed a desire for continued positive ‘results mutually benefitting our societies’.

Exhibition opening

As part of the visit, tomorrow Nava Castro will open the exhibition El Camino de Shikoku (The Shikoku Trail) at the Museum of Pilgrimage and St. James. The show will run throughout the summer, presenting a comprehensive look at the history and spirituality of this Japanese route associated with 88 temples. The Japanese delegation will also travel a section of the Way of St. James and visit a pilgrim hostel.