Beautiful shrines surrounded by nature, the first precious blooms of pink cherry blossom leaves and delicious multi-course Japanese kaiseki style meals. These are all things that people make the long journey to Japan for but, given its popularity, end up having to battle hordes and hordes of people to experience themselves. But what not many know is that a short train ride away from popular Kyoto lies the Kii Peninsula and the Kumano Kodo trail, which have all of these things and more, without the thousands of other people along for the ride. So unsurprisingly this pilgrimage trail became one of our favorite experiences during our 6 weeks in Japan.
When doing my own research for our Japan trip I was in no way looking for a multi-day hike to fill some of our time. On the contrary I was basically following the standard advice for a first trip to this country where everyone says to stay in the major cities and pretty much just eat as much as humanly possible while filling time between meals with Insta-worthy photographs with cherry blossom trees. None of my food-fueled or “Best Cherry Blossom Photo Spots in Kyoto” Google searches returned the Kumano Kodo as a result but luckily I did somehow stumble on someone’s itinerary that mentioned it.
Curious, I popped it into my search browser and found that the Kumano Kodo is a pilgrimage trail similar to the Camino de Santiago in Spain where “pilgrims” hike through Japanese forests and hundreds of small shrines in pursuit of both enlightenment and to see the 3 Grand Shrines along the route - Hongu, Hatayama and Nachi. This trail has been walked for thousands of years by emperors, monks and peasants alike all with the same goal in mind. Small guest houses popped up along the route to feed and house travelers and while the lodging has improved to more modern trappings, the time-honored hospitality remains. There are dozens of different routes ranging from day trips to week-long plus walks depending on what you’re looking for and the scenery on the peninsula is absolutely stunning. Given our lengthy time in Japan I decided fitting in a few days of hiking between food wasn’t the worst idea and added it to the itinerary.
I felt a bit lost when it came to planning this portion of the trip, so I was very happy to find the Kumano Travel website that literally plans everything for you from route guidance to lodging and luggage shuttles. We opted for the popular Nakahechi route that spans the width of the peninsula from west to east and can encapsulate all 3 Grand Shrines. Since we weren’t sure of the difficulty and were fairly poorly prepared for a trekking trip, we chose a 4 day, 3 night, 70 kilometer (44 mile), option that allowed us to trek to two of the three Grand Shrines and take a bus to the last one.
Day One
After spending 5 sunny and hectic days in Kyoto, we did the responsible thing on our last night there and decided to carbo-load on some pizza and head to bed early to feel refreshed and energized for the hike next day. But even with a good night's sleep it was of course my luck that I awoke on the first day of hiking the Kumano Kodo with a horrible cold and checking the weather saw it had turned to rain on the forecast for the next few days. Despite this we got ourselves up, packed our 4 backpacks of all our possessions and headed to grab the Shinkansen train to Osaka where we would transfer to the local line that would take us to Kii Tanabe - our starting point for the Kumano Kodo. I’ll admit as we pushed through crowds at the train station, I was less than excited to get ourselves onto a trail for a few days. I felt like crap and was overstimulated and exhausted by our time in crowded Kyoto and really all I wanted to do was hibernate for a few days. But as soon as we transferred to the local train and the crowds melted away leaving only a slow lumbering train down a beautiful coastline, I started to feel the stress of being a full time tourist melt away.
By the time we made it to Kii Tanabe, only a handful of other passengers departed with us to make their way to the tourist office where we grabbed a map and dropped our larger backpacks which would be taken to our first nights accommodations.
We loaded onto a bus that would drop us off at the trailhead and I popped in my airpods and put on Spotify which after a couple of songs shuffled to an acoustic version of Send Me On My Way by the Rusted Root, which felt more than appropriate for what we were about to embark on. I spent the 45-minute bus ride equally focused on trying not to sneeze in an enclosed space and marveling at the gorgeous scenery around me. The road ran alongside a river and wound through lush mountains. The rain made the clouds and mist hang heavy, making the scenery really pop in contrast.
Arriving at the starting point we stopped into a shop to grab some warmer socks for me (the temperature was much cooler than we expected) and what became Tim’s favorite possession: a Kumano Kodo stamp book. These little booklets have spaces for you to place a stamp at significant monuments along the trail like smaller shrines, statues and of course the coveted Grand Shrines. It became Tim’s mission to ensure we never missed a stamp point along the route. We then slurped down some instant ramen noodles and were on our way!
The first day was the shortest distance (only 5 kms) but legitimately straight uphill the entire way. Thankfully Tim agreed to carry our daypack - filled with umbrellas, extra jackets, snacks, the camera and drone - due to my illness (it was a bad cold I swear!) so I was 20 lbs lighter than him trudging up the steps. You start in a little town but it quickly veers up into a beautiful forest with hugely tall trees that were so close together that they (mostly) acted as rain cover for the drizly weather. We walked past a cave with a sign that shared the legend that a woman had given birth in this cave during her pilgrimage and then left her baby there with coyotes for protection while continuing on the path with her husband (they sound like they deserve the Parents of the Year Award!). Whether they returned for the kid is unknown, or at least untold, but the legend now states that if you pass through the small hole in the cave to the other side you will have an easy pregnancy and delivery. I tried to make it through but honestly couldn’t half because of the mud and half because of claustrophobia, so I’m glad I wasn’t pregnant for this and somehow cursed my unborn child. Next we hit a precipice that led to a stunning viewpoint, but sadly we had to use our imagination at this point because the cloud cover was so dense from the rain. But we were just honestly happy to be back in nature with fresh clean air, our lungs pumping and literally not another soul in sight.
This day only took us about 3.5 hours and towards the end we found the forest trail dump us into an adorable hilltop town, Takahara. As we descended a bit we were delighted to be greeted with streets lined with cherry blossoms and peach blossoms (which are darker pink) that were just poking their heads out of their blooms. There really is something special about the budding of these gorgeous pink trees. The main portion of this days trek ends at what I would consider a mid-sized shrine with a traditional red tori gate and lovely building. We did as we were self taught from our map / guidebook and performed a little ceremony here. First we rang the bell attached to the shrine to scare away any evil spirits. Then we clapped twice, bowed twice and clapped once more. Satisfied - we took our reward of the coveted red stamp, which resembles the shrine that we just visited, and headed up to our accommodations for the night.
If hiking isn’t your jam and I haven’t yet convinced you that the Kumano Kodo is worth it, well then let me introduce you to the ryokan accommodations that you get to stay in along the way. The Kumano Kodo isn’t just a pilgrimage trail, it’s also a culinary experience with some of the best hospitality that you’ll find around the world. Our first nights accommodation, Kiri-no-Sato Takahara Lodge “Organic Hotel”, is owned by a middle-aged Japanese man who speaks perfect English tinged with a Spanish accent.
This is because he spent his formative years in Spain pursuing his love of Flamenco guitar and was there introduced to the Camino de Santiago, their version of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail that I was talking about earlier. Walking into his lobby you’ll find souvenirs from both of the treks as he has completed both and encourages all of his guests to do the same. We settled into our Western Style room with two comfortable twin beds and pulled back our curtains to reveal the most stunning view of the valley below. Then, peeling off our wet clothes, we headed into our gender separated onsens, Japanese style bath houses that contain hot tubs filled with sulfuric spring water. I cannot think of a better way to soothe aching muscles than a soak in one of these tubs.
After we were clean and fresh, we donned our matching Yukatas, traditional Japanese style robes that you wear around ryokans and onsens, and headed out to the dining room for our included meal. As mentioned before, this is no haphazardly thrown together buffet that you might expect at an American hotel. Kaeski style dining is akin to an expensive, delicious and lengthy tasting menu including a collection of different variations of foods and cooking styles. We were lucky enough to try these meals multiple times throughout our time in Japan and never once finished all the food put in front of us (not for lack of trying). So as we settled into our seats in essentially our pajamas we were served fresh sashimi with hand grated wasabi, bubbling hot pot with wagyu-style beef and small dish after small dish of fresh vegetables. All of this of course before the tapas style plate filled with broccoli rabe in bechamel, pasta bolognese and ribs in delicious sauce, to name a few. After we were stuffed to our hearts content, our host and the owner of the hotel graced us all with a few songs on the flamenco guitar and we headed to bed happy and ready for another day.
Day Two
This day promised more walking than the first so we headed out first thing in the morning, after a delicious and equally decadent breakfast. As we walked out the door we dropped our larger luggage to be taken by a shuttle to our next destination, and picked up our packed lunches for later in the day. Our route today took us from Takahara to Tsugizakura-oji shrine which was about 13 kms in walking with around 850 m of elevation gain. Loaded up on Dayquil (for me) and coffee (for both of us), we strode up the first leg of the trip out of the town and into the forest, happy that the rain was holding off for a little while at least. Our first stamp was at a small shrine with small child-like statues resembling children called Ojizo-sama, which are seen as the guardian of children, particularly children who died before their parents. They are typically donned with red bibs which started when grieving parents would put them on to protect their children in the afterlife. We passed by other similar smaller shrines as we trekked up and down through a beautiful forest.
Finally we were ready for lunch and unpacked our little plastic tupperware filled with rice, nori, a small river fish, an egg, some cooked mushrooms and a cooked hot dog. Not your typical American meal by any stretch of the imagination, but we enjoyed it on a bench on the side of the road while the clouds opened up a nice and unwelcome drizzle overhead. Afterwards, we threw out the trash (and to be honest most of the river fish) and walked on through the town Chikatsuyu along the river, maybe where our fish friend was from. Again we descended into town along a road lined with the most beautiful cherry blossom trees, they are abundant in this area. In this town also lies the main shrine of the day, Tsugizakura-oji, so we headed there to check it out and of course get our stamp.
Having completed everything along the route for the day, we made our way to our second night's accommodations, Minshuku 3rd Place Kumano Kodo. While the first was a proper hotel, this was what could only be described as a couple Airbnbs run by one older Japanese man with shockingly perfect English, the origin of which we later learned. We were pleasantly surprised when he led us to a full-blown Japanese style house with 4 rooms, a proper kitchen and a huge bathroom with a nice soaking tub.
We had made good time on the route and were there around 3 pm, so we had the afternoon to relax and read at the open window before we headed down to the shared restaurant run by our host for another extravagant dinner. As we were served dish after dish of delicious food, we learned more about our host who actually was a tennis pro in his former life and trained in Miami where he made an (unsuccessful) Olympics run and then became a trainer for other athletes. After a full life he decided to settle down on the Komono Kodo trail, which he had walked and even run himself numerous times, to open up an Inn where he was the cook, cleaner, business manager, entertainer and owner all in one. Not much of a retirement to me but he loves it! We slept soundly this night on our separate traditional tatami mats with small rolled out mattresses on the floor.
Day Three
Day three had the longest route in store for us so we got up very early and had a lovely breakfast from our host. Grabbing our packed lunches, we said our goodbyes and headed out. The full day's walk was around 25 kms with 1,000 m of elevation gain and many sites to see along the way. The walk culminated at the first of the three Grand Shrines, the Hongu Taisha, making it all worth it. While recounting this day with any more detail would be monotonous, there were a few highlights to share. After some very, very steep uphill we settled ourselves for lunch by hiking down some rocks to sit right adjacent to a beautiful stream. It was amazing how we rarely saw any other human beings on the trail and we were just completely surrounded by the most stunning views enjoyed in solitude. Our lunch today were Ongiri - rice balls that were stuffed with pickled vegetables in this case.
This was my favorite lunch spot, either because I really needed the break today after some steep incline or the peaceful and serene spot at the river. Afterwards we kept trekking up and down and up and down passing by tons of shrines and statues where we stopped for our stamps. Towards the end of the hiking day, we crossed paths with two other people who ended up being a father and son duo from Oregon! We got to chatting and ended up walking a few miles together, getting to know one another and chatting about our travels. The son was in the US military and was stationed in South Korea for the last few months but was at the end of his deployment, so his Dad came to meet him in Japan for a few days. We ended up parting ways after awhile when Tim and I finally saw drinking water that we desperately needed so we said our goodbyes and walked the last 3 miles or so alone. But they were a worthy last 3 miles, after a LONG hiking day we finally reached the Grand Shrine, Hongu Taisha! It is the head shrine of over 3000 Kumano shrines across Japan and dates back to as early as the 9th Century. Exploring this shrine was beautiful but my favorite part was a huge tori gate nearby flanked by hundreds of cherry blossom trees. It’s actually the largest torii gate in the world at 131 feet tall and 138 feet wide and was stunning to behold after a long day of walking. We had done it!
You can catch a bus to your last night of accommodations in ,Yunomine Onsen, but before getting on the bus we went into the information center to get our most important stamp - the certification stamp that we had “completed” the Kumano Kodo (they check this by making sure you have all the stamps along the way!). Feeling very proud, and very exhausted, we caught the bus into town. Stepping off the bus we were hit with the pungent smell of rotten eggs, the tell tale sign of hot springs scattered around.
Sure enough, everyone was walking around the town in yukatas hopping from spring to spring. We had to walk a bit to get to our accommodation and as serendipity would have our new friends from Oregon drove by right as were walking along the road and offered us a welcome ride to our accommodations, Minshuku Yunosato. We were lucky that our guest house, while modest, had its own private hot spring pumped from the river that the house sat on. The views were stunning as we lowered our tired bodies into the hot water and enjoyed the last night of our Kumano Kodo journey.
Although we were done with our walking portion of the Kumano, we wanted to see the 3rd of the Grand Shrines, the Nachi Taisha which sits next to a beautiful waterfall. Feeling rejuvenated and finally free of my cold, we boarded a bus that took us straight to the shrine in the dense forests (the bus system in the Kumano area is awesome and you can take a bus around the entire thing if you prefer this over walking). This shrine is by far the most famous and gets crowded, so getting there early (around 7 AM) was crucial. We ended up having the shrine basically to ourselves to enjoy.
Sitting under the shade of the cherry trees adjacent to the shrine with the strong force of the Nachi waterfall behind us, Tim and I reflected on the 3 days we had spent walking the Kumano Kodo trail. We were essentially alone exploring the beauty of the countryside in a country where there are hundreds of thousands of tourists crowding every city, we met and made connections with locals who share a passion for adventure and got to enjoy nature every day while spending the evenings feasting on the most decadent and delicious coursed meals and soaking in natural hot springs. We agreed it was our favorite experience in Japan up to that point (and now having finished our trip can still attest that it was). In other words, as cheesy as it is, the road less traveled really is the worthwhile one to take.
