Nakahechi – The Imperial Route to Kumano
Our Kumano Kodo itinerary takes in all three Grand Shrines of the sacred Kumano region. Return rail travel is included from Kyoto or Osaka to the Kumano Kodo trailhead. Accommodation is half-board in traditional lodgings, with inn-to-inn baggage transfers included. There are some unavoidable short transfers between the actual trail and your accommodations. The daily walks are graded from easy to strenuous, with options to ease your walking distance by hopping on and off the local bus network, a regular habit for pilgrims.
Takijiri marks the entrance to the Kumano lands. Here, you have time to visit the Kumano Kodo visitor centre, get some last minute information and drop off your luggage for the pre-arranged baggage transfer service. If you have a Compostela or completed Camino de Santiago credencial, please bring them as you will qualify for dual pilgrim status, thanks to the twinning of these remarkable UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimages. From here you have an easy 2 hour walk to your first overnight location in Takahara or Kurisugawa.
The first two walks pass through the communities of Takahara and Chikatsuyu. The third walk is more challenging with ups and downs on the way to the Hongu Kumano Shrine. However, you can shorten this day to suit yourself using the local bus service. This is common practice on the Kumano Kodo and lodgings have the local bus timings. After visiting the shrine in Hongu there’s a short transfer to your lodgings at Yunomine Onsen for two nights. Here your second full day can be spent soaking in the world-famous hot springs and completing one of the local circular walks which make up part of the trail. You might be lucky and coincide with an ancient pilgrim boat sailing on the Kumano river, or take part in a traditional washi-paper making workshop, or take a forest walk with an monk.
As accommodation at the next town of Koguchi is limited, you might spend night five in your Onsen town. In which case, the sixth day begins with a short taxi ride (included) to Koguchi where you start the challenging hike over the steep mountain pass named “Ogumotori-goe”. Your efforts will be rewarded with views to the Pacific Ocean before a long descent to the second Grand Shrine at Nachi. From Nachi, it is a short transfer to the nearby coastal town of Kii Katsuura for two nights. This sets you up nicely for your visit to Shingu next day, site of the third Grand Shrine of Kumano. After a second night in Kii Katsuura, your onward rail tickets to Osaka or Kyoto are included.
To become eligible for the Dual Pilgrim status on the Kumano Kodo side, you will need to complete one of the following on foot and collect the stamps along the way:
The final stamp is located at Kumano Hongu Taisha, and the dual pilgrim completion stamp can then be received from the Kumano Hongu Heritage Center.
We offer several self-guided walking options that will ensure you meet the requirements and are able to collect the stamps, as well as the Dual Pilgrim certificate if applicable!
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Yunomine Onsen
A nationally famous hot spring village with one of Japan’s oldest hot springs – classified as World Heritage by UNESCO), was founded over 250 years ago by a Shinto priest to serve those travelling to the Kumano region. The 1,800-year-old Tsuboyu is considered by many to be Japan’s oldest hot spring. There are many opportunities to enjoy hot thermal springs. A wide array of in-house hot spring baths, including private 1-2 person baths, outdoor baths, and a hot spring-powered steam room.
Torii Gate at Oyunohara
The Grand Shrine at Hongu was originally located at Oyunohara at the confluence of the Kumano and Otonashi Rivers. All of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes lead to this sacred site.
At the entrance to Oyunohara stands “Otorii” – the largest Torii shrine gate in the world at 33.9m tall and 42m wide). It’s a formalized gateway to this sacred area. Otorri was built in 2000 and weighs 172 tons. It is the focus for the Kumano Hongu Taisha Spring Festival, the Yata-no-Hi Matsuri Fire Festival, and during the New Year holiday.
Kii-Katsuura
This coastal town located on the southern tip of the Kii peninsula has some of Japan’s freshest seafood (the nearby bay prides itself on having the most delicious tuna in Japan). It’s easy to find fresh tuna sashimi for dinner. Soak up the sun from the in-house, open-air, ocean-view hot spring. Great views of the ocean & mountains. Attend the early morning tuna auction at the port.
Spring and Fall
May and October / November are the best times to visit the Kumano Kodo when the climate is most suitable for walking. Summer is possible too but the weather tends to be fairly sticky and humid.
The second half of May, just after the sakura cherry blossom festival, is when the forests and countryside are at their best. Fresh new life bursts forth as new leaves emerge in a vivid array of brilliant, lush greens.
Autumn or Fall is made glorious with rich reds, golds and mauves of the Japanese maple trees. Mid October into November is the recommended travel period.
Koyasan
This is a globally famous Buddhist retreat village established in 819 by the famous monk Kukai (also known as Kobo Daishi), who brought Buddhism from China. It remains a spiritual retreat and one of the holiest places in Japan.
Despite being a little bit off the beaten path (and missed by most visitors to Japan), Koya-san is fairly easy to access from Osaka and Kyoto and is an essential destination for travellers interested in Buddhism, history, traditional culture and nature, and in line with tradition you can stay in an active monastery when on the group tour. In certain temples, you will find the monks are very friendly and invite guests to participate in daily activities such as meditation, the Goma fire ceremony and lantern-lit tours of Okunoin cemetery.
Enjoy the delicious traditional cuisine of the Japanese countryside, both from the sea and from the mountains.
The rich Kuroshio ocean current sweeps across the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula bringing with it a plethora of fresh seafood.
The surrounding lush mountainside has a long culinary history of cooking with wild plants and livestock. Delicious local food, including Wagyu beef raised in the Kumano region and farm-fresh vegetables.
One of the great joys of travelling is to dine on local foods. But this can be an intimidating experience to decipher the menu.
We are working on a menu translation project to allow our clients to experience the joys of eating fresh, delicious, rural Japanese cuisine in a relaxed, authentic environment.
A selection of delightful and welcoming traditional accommodation features bedrooms with tatami flooring and comfortable futons. Evening meals feature an extensive array of traditional Japanese dishes. It’s not possible to cater to all dietary needs, for example, ingredients such as fish sauce are present in many dishes presented as vegetarian. This is an opportunity to get acquainted with Japanese country cuisine.
A chance for a pause with a second night in an Onsen (hot spring) town. On your second day you have the following choices: –
If the challenging walk from Koguchi to Nachi is not for you, fear not! You can transfer from Koguchi to Kii Katsuura then take the short walking trail of 2.5 km to Nachi. Spend the rest of the day exploring the trails, temples and the waterfall. The Nachi waterfall is 133m high and 13 meters wide, as the tallest in Japan. It has been protected since ancient times and is used for ascetic training by mountain monks who practice Shugendo, a mixed religion of foreign and indigenous beliefs. You can walk down to near the base of the waterfall, past the three-storied pagoda after visiting the shrine grounds. Also located here is the wonderful wooden Seiganto-ji, Tendai Buddhist temple founded in the early 5th century. The paved Daimonzaka staircase runs 1 km from the base of the valley to the Nachi Shrine, Seiganto-ji and Nachi waterfall. It is lined with centuries-old Japanese cedars, camphor trees and bamboo groves. The actual staircase is 600 meters long with 267 stairs. At the end of the slope is the impressive Meitosugi – “husband and wife” ancient cedar trees. Near the top, you can catch a glimpse of the awe-inspiring Nachi falls.
After breakfast why not attend the tuna auction in the early morning before onward travel by train to Osaka or Kyoto. Your return rail tickets are included.
On the Kumano Kodo you stay at comfortable Japanese Ryokan inns that have been serving aristocrats and pilgrims for hundreds of years, and sometimes in smaller traditional Minshuku guesthouses.
Lodging is based on twin occupancy (shared rooms with separate futons), with breakfast and dinner.
You can order picnic lunches or shop locally – we provide advice on this.
A Note about Sleeping on Futons
Accommodations are chosen for their service and authenticity in providing a true Japanese experience.
This means the beds usually available are Japanese-style futons on tatami mats. But don’t worry, they are both comfortable and cosy.
Sleeping on a bed is sometimes possible subject to availability and a bed-supplement charge.
If you would like to have your overnight baggage transferred within the Kumano Kodo area, there is a baggage shuttle service incurring an additional charge. Please ask us for a quote.
As for baggage forwarding, we can help with transferring luggage from hotel to hotel between the big cities and over large distances, so you can just carry the essentials necessary for the hiking part of the trip.
