Kumano Kodo Trail
My wife Carol appealed to my love of Japanese food and convinced me I would love this 5 day trek in the Kii mountains of Japan. She promised me I would not have to carry much on my back and the food would be amazing. I was not disappointed.
Carol, whose hobby is surfing the web for new adventures, stumbled on the Kumono Kudo hike while on one of her surfing binges. We both fell in love with the idea of hiking this ancient set of trails in the beautiful Kii mountain range of Japan’s Wakayama prefecture about 100 km south of Osaka . It’s one of only two pilgrimages in the world registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site ( Spain’s Way is the other ).
This route dates back more than a thousand years, when the imperials and aristocrats took week long journeys / pilgrimages to the areas three major Buddhist/Shinto shrines, Kumono Hongu Taisha, Kumono Hayatama and Kumano Nachi Taishia. See this Kumano history summary
Now that we are empty nesters, we have developed a love of trekking and have gravitated toward “luxury” trekking or what i like to call tea house trekking. A tent, sleeping bags cooking gear and weeks worth of mediocre dried food are history for me! At my age I just want a day pack and still do the multi day hikes that take you to the places you have always dreamed of visiting. Well, this hike seemed to fit the bill. The next question we pondered was when is the best time to go? Our work schedule is fairly open these days so we tend to look for the best times based on the weather and the crowds. This area is far enough south that it does not get much snow but can be quite hot and humid in the summer. We chose the end of November because the daytime temps average in the 60’s F and average rainfall is low that time of year. In my humble opinion the best weather for hiking. The other deciding factor for us was when the leaves turn and show off their exquisite fall colors. We had been to Kyoto once before and were surprised how late the leaves changed compared to our home in Colorado. After some research, we found the end of Nov was a good time to enjoy the trees in full fall foliage. We also invited our son Joey along since he was willing to share his mileage plus account with us to help with air fare – payback time!
There is a helpful Kumano Kodo map for the trail which includes not only elevations but shows where water, food and toilets are along the way. I believe you can also pick up a hard copy at the start of the trail in Takijiri. There are seven different trails available for trekking but the most popular and best maintained is the Nakahechi trail. This is the one we chose. There are trail markers every 0.5 km so it is very difficult to loss your way. We chose to hike the full length which starts near the coastal town of Tanabe in Takijiri and ends in Nachi Taisha, near the coastal town of Kii Katsuura.
Walking the Nakahechi from Takijiri to Hongu. Two or Three nights and 3 days
Total hiking time around 20 hours over three days with plenty of time for photos
Total climbing ( verticle ) is 2240m ( 7350 ft )
Getting Acclimated
We flew into Osaka mid Nov 2019 where we spent our first 2 days. Osaka is a large port city and commercial center on the Japanese island of Honshu. It’s known for its modern architecture, nightlife and hearty street food. On the second day in Osaka we traveled to a nearby famous area called Nara. The city has significant temples and artwork dating to the 8th century, when it was Japan’s capital. Deer roam the streets in Nara. They’re considered sacred because of their significance in the ancient Shinto religion. Don’t miss Nara, it’s a great day trip with all of it’s historical shrines and temples, not to mention beautifully landscaped parks and gardens. Below is a food vendor in Osaka making their famous takoyaki, fried octopus. You must try this popular Osaka dish.
Day 1 Takijiri to Takahara
We arrived at the Kii-Tanabe train station from Osaka around noon and caught a 40 min bus to the trail head at Takijiri. There we began our 4 km hike to Takahra. The total climb is 430 m ( 1400 ft ). The views along the hike are impressive with many shrines (Oji ) along the way. The photo below is of the sign at the start of the trail.
Here we arrive at the picturesque village of Takahra.
We stayed at a wonderful lodge called the Kiri-no-Sato Takahara Lodge, also known as the “organic hotel”. They have an authentic Japanese hot spring bath (Onsen ) that is a wonderfully relaxing way to end your day of hiking. They also supply Kimonos so you can immerse yourself in traditional japanese culture. Our dinner was excellent and the owner is very charismatic and loves to chat with all of his guests, especially at dinner. We loved the place.
Day 2 Takahara to Nakagawa – Oji
The distance today is 14 km and about 6-8 hours of hiking. Total ascent is about 850 m (2800 ft ). Our destination on the second day of hiking is actually 1 km past Tsugizakura-oji which is the recommended stop on the second day. However, Carol had found a highly recommended lodge where a retired Japanese chef had moved back to his home town and started a small lodge, Minshuku Tsugizakura.
Today is a solid day of hiking that takes you through some beautiful mountain scenery and of course, many Oji with many great photo opportunities.
Dinner with the talented chef Mr Yuba
I lost track of the number of courses chef Yuba served and how amazing-ling colorful and tasty each was. One of the most amazing and delicious dinning experiences I’ve ever had.
Day 3 Nakagawa – Oji to Hongu
The hike to Hongu is a long one, about 20 km and about 8- 10 hours. Total climb of 950 m ( 3100 ft ).
We said our good byes the next morning and were off to Hongu Taisha , the main Buddhist/Shinto shrine on the trail.
This is obviously a big hiking day so we got an early start around 7 AM. The weather so far had cooperated and today was no exception. The mornings started out around 50 deg F but warmed up quickly to 60 to 65 deg F.
There was a small village about 7 km from Hongu where we found vending machines in case you need some refreshments. You will see fields of crops growing as you reach the outskirts of Hongu.
We have reached Hongu and tried to imagine how the pilgrims must have felt after such a long journey.
Entrance to the Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine
The towering Torii gate (Shinto shrine gate ) above the river near the heritage center.
We had lodgning reservations that night at J Hoppers hostel which was a 15 min bus ride away in Yunomine, a quaint little collection of inns tucked into a small valley deep in the heart of the sacred mountains of Kumano. There is a small river that runs through the town with hot springs scattered along it’s banks. Yunomine Onsen is an integral part of the over 1000 year old Kumano pilgrimage tradition. Pilgrims performed hot water purification rituals in these piping hot mineral waters after their long journey in preparation to worship at Kumano Hongu Taisha.
Last 2 days Hiking from Hongu to Nachi Taisha
At this point on the trail you can either catch a bus back to one of the small towns on the coast or head back to Osaka or Kyoto or continue the trek to Nachi Taisha. Our plans were to continue on to the end of the Nakahechi in Nachi Taisha.
Day 4 Hongu to Koguchi
The hike to Koguchi is 13 km and about 5 hours and 670 m (2200 ft ) so we have lots of time today for photos and don’t need an early start. We got to know GY on the trail yesterday and we are hiking with her today. She’s from Singapore and quite the world traveler. Since both Carol and I have been to Singapore ( myself many times for work ) , we had much in common. I’m always impressed at how many women we meet traveling from all corners of the planet, on their own, full of enthusiasm and adventure. This is compared to men we meet who seem to mostly travel with a spouse or friend. Are women more adventurous and independent than guys, at least when it comes to traveling? Anyway, there is quite a bit of climbing in the beginning and all downhill at the end. The views at the top were magnificent.
On our arrival, we stopped at the local store and purchased snacks for the journey tomorrow. I got a kick out of the owners abacus she is using to figure out our bill. We stayed in a tiny town with one guest house, one tiny store and a school with guest lodging. We were lucky enough to have a reservation at the guest house in Koguchi. The owners, Mr. & Mrs. Nakazawa, were wonderfully accommodating and he worked as a mountain / trekking guide in the area. As usual, they served us a delicious dinner that evening, a full breakfast in the morning, and gave us a bag lunch for the trail.
Day 5 Koguchi to Nachi Taisha
This last day was probably the longest hiking day and we knew it would be tough so we got an early start. The distance was only 13 km but was 1260m ( 4133ft ) of climbing. Our host told us it would take around 8 hours. If I remember correctly, there was no place to get water so we had that extra weight to take with us right from the start.
We meet our friend GY at the trail head at 7:00am. It was Uphill right out of the gate so we all got our exercise first thing. If you like stair master workouts, this hike was designed for you. The trail was empty and it felt like hiking in a rain forest, very lush and green.
Arrival in Nashi Taisha
The smiling Buddha in Nachi Taisha welcomed us to our final hiking destination.
From Nachi Taisha you can take a bus out to Shingu, on the coast, where you can catch trains back to Osaka and onward. We stayed overnight and in the morning headed up to Kyoto for a week of sightseeing and had a wonderful time. If you make it to Japan, I would not miss Kyoto. So many well cared for shrines and temples all with immaculate gardens. I’ll leave a few photos for your perusal.
Our Mission
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