Takijiri to Takahara – Day 1 (4 kms)
At the end of our first quite short day, we enjoyed a wood fire in the main dining room of our accommodation after a not so hot onsen immersion. This is a February hike so warmth at night is essential. We were self-guided, having done all our own planning and booking and, by the end, we were experts in the local bus timetables as they seem to form part of the trek. The towns are also accessible by road so the experience only occasionally felt remote.
Our first day began with a bus trip from the town of Tanabe on the coast to Takijiri the start of the Nachahechu Route of the Kumano Kodo. The route begins at Takijiri-oji. Oji are subsidiary shrines of the Kumano Grand Shrines that line the Kumano Kodo to protect and guide pilgrims. These shrines house the “child deities” of Kumano and serve as a place of both worship and rest.
It was a strenuous uphill climb through forest, tree roots for steps and leaves and pine needles making a soft carpet underfoot. Signposts abound – it would be hard to lose the way – and pilgrims have been following the well worn path for a thousand years.
The Kumano Kodo is supposed to be about the walking, the spiritual connection with the way and the path. It also offers other experiences. Our hosts for our first night, Jain and his family, provided one of these experiences. Our evening meal was amazing. There were the usual array of Japanese dishes and morsels but with a plate of Spanish tapas intermingled. The family had lived in Barcelona for two years. Spanish music had been filtering from the sound system. Then our host, an active participant in the serving and describing of the meal, appeared with a guitar and played a beautiful flamenco number then his daughter, Ryo, shyly stepped forward and danced the flamenco in jeans and jumper. Our wine was topped up and a league of gentlemen diners – his friends – produce huge bottles of sake. The party was on. Later, the daughter played the guitar and sang – I now have her link to YouTube and Instagram. Our hosts two musical mates also demonstrated their guitar skills – more classical and some blues. All the time, another guest dispensed snacks from a huge bag. Two other Japanese couples, guests of the establishment, were the only other audience.
Day 2 – Takahara to Chikatsuyu Village (11 kms)
After a farewell photo we set off from Takahara and climbed steadily up into the forest. Even though the sun was shining it was often gloomy in the forest and views towards the mountains were obscured by trees. However it was silent and peaceful. We looked forward to the numbered sign posts which appeared every 500 metres and the small shrines. The highest point of this part of the trail was the remains of the Uwada-jaya Teahouse at 690 metres. After that the trail descended steeply and came out on a road – civilisation was never far away. We were able to buy a snack and a drink at this point before re-entering an even darker, gloomier part of the forest. After over five hours of walking we reached Chikatsuyu Village, our resting place for the night.
Our accommodation was such a contrast to the first night. It was in the newest house we’ve ever been in in Japan. Our hosts were a couple a decade younger than us. The husband spoke a few words of English but mainly relied on speaking into his phone translator for conversation. His wife relied on smiling. Our bedroom was small with two single beds (not futons on the floor for a change) and the toilets were state of the art with all the buttons a person could require. Our host ran us a deep temperature controlled bath as they didn’t have an onsen. A large and delicious fish hot pot meal, with all the extra dishes, was served in their kitchen-dining room and, in the morning we were back in the kitchen eating a huge Japanese breakfast. Noisy reality TV made up for the lack of easy conversation between us and our hosts although we did manage to communicate a little using the translator app.
Chikatsuyu Village to Kawayu Onsen (alternative transport)
Rain had been predicted.We also felt that the distance to our next accommodation, more than 20 kms away, was unachievable as we have been only walking about 2 kms hour. Our host kindly offered to drive us to Hongu, the town with the largest shrine. True pilgrims that we are, we accepted his offer. Later, we did discover that most walkers use the bus for part of this section anyway. From Hongu we had options. The option we chose was taking the path up and over a steep hill to Yunomine Onsen, a distance of two kms then catching a bus to our accommodation at Kawayu Onsen. The tour leader, Chris, spent a great deal of time studying the bus timetable before we decided on this option and it all went smoothly.
Thankfully the rain stopped while we were visiting Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine. The shrine was moved from its original location after huge floods in 1889. The Oyunohara O-torii Gate, which, we visited later, remains at the original site of the Grand Shrine.
Our chosen short but very steep and exacting walk was how I imagined more of the Kumano Kodo to be. Moss covered stone steps disappearing upwards into the mist, gnarled tree roots forming steps, towering cedar trees and ferns lining the path. Everything was shiny from the rain and the trunks of the huge cedars, 300 to 400 years old, were like polished mahogany. Even though it was only 2 kms, it was so steep and slippery it took us 2 hours to reach Yunomine Onsen. Thankfully we had our walking poles.
Our accommodation was at Kawayu Onsen, a town on a river with hot springs feeding into the river. It had an outdoor onsen on the river where you could bathe wearing a swimsuit. We had a small room with a tatami and futon and our host served an excellent dinner and breakfast. A young couple were also staying there. Wayne was Scottish and Jasmina was German. It was pleasant to chat with other English speakers over dinner.
Gate
Yunomine Onsen to Hongu (15 kms)
We caught the bus from Kawayu Onsen to Yunomine Onsen and started on a loop that took us back to the Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine (the end point for us). Sunshine was predicted but a very cold wind kept us well rugged up all day, reminding us that it is winter. The walking was easier, clearer more open pathways and not as steep so we moved along at a faster pace. The cold also made us reluctant to stop. As on the other days, we were mostly in the forest, either cedar or pine, but a few times we had clear views of the mountains. At our halfway point we rested at the Hosshinmon-oji, one of the most important sites on the Kumano Kodo. “Hosshin” means “spiritual awakening” and “mon” means “gate”. Passage through this gate was a transformational rite marking initiatory death and rebirth in the Pure Land paradise.
We ate out packed lunch – three different kinds of rice balls – in a shelter near a bus stop and resisted the temptation to board the bus which pulled up while we were eating. We settled for a hot coffee from a drink machine a bit further down the road. After this the path went mainly downhill and was in a more repaired condition than other sections. At last, the small torii gate leading to the back of the Grand Shrine and the end of our journey.
The Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine was the end of our Kumano Kodo. A winter walk meant we mostly had the path to ourselves. It was a journey of discovery as we were unsure about the route and how we’d cope with the distances. All good though and a great way to experience Japanese scenery, culture and religion.
Beverley Lello 