Japan Journey in Japan
Kumano Kodo trail a pilgrimage route for more than 1,000 years
Travel almost anywhere in Japan and you’re bound to find yourself at a shrine or two. They’re everywhere, from massive ones like the Meiji shrine in Tokyo to tiny ones in small-town parks. But there’s a part of the country where visiting shrines is as much about the journey as the destination.
The Kumano Kodo is Japan’s answer to Spain’s Camino de Santiago. It’s a network of trails leading to temples and shrines through the forested hills of the Wakayama district, south of Osaka, that has been a pilgrimage route for more than 1,000 years.
Japanese followers of Shintoism make the pilgrimage to seek healing and salvation by getting in touch with their spirituality. It shares with the Camino de Santiago the distinction of being one of the only two such routes in the world to make the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Even if your reason for trekking the Kumano Kodo is more about tourism than spiritualism, its rewards are many.
Some trails run through rural villages and include rest stops where you can grab a drink and chat with other travellers. Others delve deep into the forest, where you’re more likely to hear bird calls than the footsteps of other visitors.
You can pick up the route near several cities and towns in the Wakayama peninsula, including Shirahama, Hongu, Nachi-Katsuura and Wakayama City. Shirahama and Wakayama City are both near airports that can be reached in a little more than an hour’s flight from Tokyo, and several other destinations along the route can be reached by train. One of the more popular treks is the Daimon-Zaka slope, part of the Nakahechi route. It starts high in the hills near Nachi-Katsuura near the southern tip of the Wakayama peninsula.
At two kilometres, it’s one of the shortest walks on the Kumano Kodo, but it’s by no means effortless. The path is basically a stone staircase that ascends about a thousand steps up the mountain, an aerobic challenge for some. But the payoff is worth it.
At the top is a spectacular view of Nachi Falls, the highest waterfall in Japan, which is shrouded in mist and forms a scenic backdrop to the brilliant orange Sanjudo pagoda. Nearby is the equally vibrant Kumano Nachi Taisha grand shrine — one of only three grand shrines on the Kumano Kodo — and the more sedate Seigantoji Buddhist temple. Together, they exemplify the harmonious coexistence of Shintoism and Buddhism found throughout the region.
A longer trail, also part of the Nakahechi route, starts at Hosshinmon-oji, which translates loosely to “the gate of spiritual awakening.” Pass through the gate and you’ll find yourself on a paved road that meanders through the small village of Hosshinmon, where you can see residents tending their gardens or hanging out their laundry.
At about the halfway point of this seven-kilometre route, the trail turns into a forest path through tall cedars. Keep watch on your right and you’ll see a clearing in the trees where felled logs lie neatly, two or three abreast, on the forest floor.
This is a spot where you’re meant to meditate on the beauty of the natural surroundings by sitting or lying down on the log “beds” and looking up at the sky through the trees. Try it — at the very least, your legs will appreciate the rest.
The next major payoff for your efforts comes at a lookout point — a spectacular view of the imposing Oyunohara torii (gate) with the mountains in the background. At 34 metres tall, it’s the largest torii in Japan and it once marked the entrance to the Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine, which was destroyed by flooding in 1889.
The final stop on this walk is the site where the shrine was relocated. At the end of your trek, you might want to do what the Japanese do — throw a coin in the offering box at the front of the shrine, ring the bell by pulling the rope to get the gods’ attention, then say a short prayer. (Don’t waste it by praying for a cold drink to quench your thirst because there are vending machines nearby.)
Aside from the Kumano Kodo, the other thing the Wakayama district is known for is hot springs, or onsens. It’s an ideal combination. After a day of walking, you’ll revel in the chance to soak in a pool of steaming spring water.
There are public onsens in many towns and cities throughout Wakayama, including a pool right in the river in the Kawayu Onsen area. However, the easiest way to experience their delights is by staying at a hotel with its own private onsens.
In the Wakayama district, most hotels with onsens are ryokans, traditional Japanese inns. The first thing you’ll see when you get in your room is that the floors are covered with tatami (woven straw) mats — this is a cue everywhere in Japan to take off your shoes.
The next thing you’ll notice is that there is no bed in the room, just a low table set with a tea service. Don’t fret, you won’t have to sleep on the floor. During the evening, the table will be moved to one side and a futon (or several, if you ask for more) will be placed on the floor.
In your closet, you’ll find a yukata, or a simple patterned cotton robe. Before you head to the onsen, put it on, making sure to wrap the left side over the right (the opposite way is used only for corpses).
There are also rituals about using onsens, which are segregated by sex for a reason. Don’t even think about wearing a bathing suit — you’re expected to leave your yukata in the dressing room and make your way naked into the communal shower room, where you can sit down on a low stool while you thoroughly wash yourself with the provided soap.
Only then can you get inside the onsen itself. Some inns have both an indoor and an outdoor pool, but what they have in common is that they are extremely hot — good for aching muscles, but make sure to get out if you’re feeling the least bit dizzy. Vertigo and enlightenment might have some of the same symptoms, but one is far more fulfilling than the other.