CONTENTS
Regional overview map
Map key
The pilgrimage trails overview map
Route summary tables
Introduction
History
Japanese spirituality
The pilgrimage trails
Dual Pilgrim status
Wildlife
Group travel or independent?
Getting there
Getting around
When to go
Accommodation
Food and drink
Money
Post, phones and internet
Language
Cultural etiquette
Hiking in Japan
What to take
Luggage transfers
Waymarking
Maps and GPS
Staying healthy and safe
Using this guide
The three grand shrines and Koyasan
Kumano Hongu Taisha
Kumano Hayatama Taisha
Kumano Nachi Taisha
Koyasan
Hongu and surrounding area
Route 1 Hongu loop walk (including Dainichi-goe and Akagi-goe)
Nakahechi 中辺路
Route 2 Nakahechi route
Stage 1 Takijiri-oji to Nonaka
Stage 2 Nonaka to Kumano Hongu Taisha
Stage 3 Kogumotori-goe route: Ukegawa to Koguchi
Stage 4 Ogumotori-goe route: Koguchi to Kumano Nachi Taisha
Koyasan 高野山 – Choishimichi 町石道
Route 3 Choishimichi route
Kohechi 小辺路
Route 4 Kohechi route
Stage 1 Koyasan to Omata
Stage 2 Omata to Miura-guchi
Stage 3 Miura-guchi to Yanagimoto-bashi suspension bridge
Stage 4 Yanagimoto-bashi suspension bridge to Kumano Hongu Taisha
Iseji highlights 伊勢路
Route 5 Magose-toge Pass
Route 6 Matsumoto-toge Pass
Appendix A Facilities tables
Appendix B Glossary
Appendix C Useful contacts
Appendix D Further reading
A great guidebook for those considering walking this unique trail
This guidebook from UK based publisher Cicerone is all about Japan’s Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage trek. This series of trails was included on the World Heritage List in 2004 and is centred on three Shinto-Buddhist shrines. The various pilgrimage routes through the mountainous Kii peninsula, south of Osaka provide ample opportunity to visit the major and secondary shrines, to take in Japanese culture, and last but not least enjoy the amazing scenery on offer.
This guide book is typical of others by Cicerone – publisher of a huge range of guidebooks from around the world – it has the system down pat.
First up the book is compact in size. The small format is so easy to throw into a pack or a small bag and at 270 grams it isn’t going to weigh you down. Clear route descriptions and mapping (not topographic) are provided as well as comprehensive information on history, culture and accommodation. In addition, the lay out of book has been well thought through making it easy to follow. This book provides all the relevant information for foreign hikers to work out what experience they want given this trail can be walked either as a guided or non guided option.
...This is a great guidebook for those considering walking this unique trail and is essential to getting the best out of this walk.
Australian Hiker
You have everything you need in this guide, and you won’t need a wi-fi connection to enjoy it.
It’s the winter of 2007, and I’m hiking along an isolated track called the Kogumotorigoe in southern Wakayama Prefecture with my newlywed wife Kanako. The faint, poorly-marked trail leads up to a viewpoint flanked by a large weather-beaten jizō statue. Armed with a Japanese magazine about the Kumano Kodō, we scan the kanji text and barebones descriptions to find that we’ve reached the Hyakken-gura tenbōdai. We pause here, admiring the splendid views while poring over the limited knowledge in our less-than-ideal information source.
Had we been armed with Cicerone’s latest guide to the Kumano Kodo , Kanako and I would have been in much better hands and definitely would have taken a bus to Yunomine Onsen instead of opting for the extra 6km uphill walk on a paved roadway at dusk.
The Kumano Kodō has come a long way since our fateful walk a dozen years ago. Since becoming a World Heritage site in 2004, Wakayama Prefecture has invested an immense amount of money into both promoting and maintaining the Nakahechi route, adopting the ‘if you build it he will come ‘ philosophy that would make Kevin Costner proud. Indeed, the Field of Kumano Dreams has not only brought in the tourists, but has put the Kumano Kodō on the world stage by teaming up with the Camino de Santaigo to form a dual pilgrim program and creating an English-language support network connecting visitors to the many inns and facilities along the way. This has resulted in a 40-fold increase in overseas visitors compared to just a decade ago.
But I really don’t need to tell you all that. One quick net search will reveal a wealth of information about the riches of Wakayama Prefecture, and it’s one reason why I haven’t devoted much of my server space to the Kumano Kodō on this website. Indeed, with the diligent work of their bi-lingual employees, the Kumano Tourism Bureau has created an on-line guide like no other available in Japan, all for free of charge. There’s enough on that website alone to help you plan and walk the Kumano Kodō. So why buy a guidebook at all?
The answer lies within the 230 pages that Kat Davis has devoted to her informative guidebook, a well-researched gem of a publication filled with nearly a hundred spendid full-color photographs. Rather than clicking through web pages and trying to collate all of the information into a notebook, you have everything you need in this guide, and you won’t need a wi-fi connection to enjoy it.
The guide features full descriptions of the Nakahechi and Kohechi routes, each of them 4-day treks through an interesting part of the Kii Peninsula. Part nature walk, part history lesson, the 6 routes outlined in the guidebook offer visitors a chance to experience an ancient pilgrimage route steeped in history. It is the informative explanations of the various Buddhist statues, teahouse ruins, and hidden shrines that sets this guide apart from others, as the author adds context to the historical markers along the way, many of which do not have English explanations.
Additionally, the full-color maps give just the right amount of detail without being too overbearing, and the elevation profiles for each route, marked in a myriad of symbols, provide vital distance and elevation gains that are essential for trip planning. While at first the symbols can be a bit difficult to decipher, a quick study of the map legend at the front of the book, along with a bit of practical use will surely have walkers praising their inclusion. She even goes as far as to include the location of vending machines on the maps, something that even I have come to appreciate during my exploration of Japan’s hidden backroads. The only thing missing from the maps themselves are kanji characters, which Kat makes up for by providing the kanji within each hike description, which will surely be helpful for those unable to read the language.
Besides the concise descriptions of the walks themselves, the book contains recommendation for places to stay and eat for each hike, along with information about soothing hot spring baths and local specialties. Vegetarian hikers will want to bookmark the Japanese phrases on page 45 of the introduction so they can use at the various inns and restaurants they encounter along the way. Indeed, the guide seems to have all of the bases covered, offering a handy arsenal of practical and up-to-date information that both first-time visitors and long-term residents can appreciate.
If there is one thing I would like to see added to the guidebook, it would be at least one walk on the Okugakemichi, which is by far the most beautiful section of the Kumano Kodo. The tough route connects Kumano Hongu Taisha with Yoshino in Nara Prefecture 100km to the north, and features towering old-growth forests, precipitous cliffs, and spectacular views from some of the highest mountains in western Japan. Regrettably, one section of the route is still off-limits to women, and much of the terrain is hardly tourist-friendly, requiring a head for heights and route-finding ability. Still, the final section between Tamaki Shrine and Hongu via Mt. Godaison would be the icing on the cake for this Kumano Kodo guidebook. Perhaps the publisher will allow a slight expansion of routes for the second edition of the guide, if the book proves to be popular. Do your part now to ensure that such valuable resources continue to remain in print by purchasing this excellent guidebook.
Japan Hike
japanhike.wordpress.com/2019/07/16/kumano-guidebook
A wealth of practical information to help plan your trip
Authored by Kat Davis, Japan’s Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage is another book from Cicerone. This particular guide details the country’s most popular and historically rich hike. People from all levels of society, including retired emperors and aristocrats, have made the pilgrimage to Kumano for more than 1000 years, which covers a network of ancient trails on the Kii Peninsula, south of Osaka. Detailing the Nakahechi, Kohechi and Iseji trails, as well as Koyasan and the Choishimichi route, the guide has all the practical information needed, along with notes on the routes’ rich history and culture.
Clear route description and mapping is accompanied by comprehensive details of accommodation and facilities, as well as notes on local points of interest and inspirational colour photography. You’ll find a wealth of practical information to help plan your trip, covering transport, climate, accommodation, budgeting, equipment and safety, as well as fascinating background information on history, religion and wildlife. There is also a Japanese glossary and helpful advice on Japanese customs and etiquette.
Japan’s Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage offers a different view of Japan; far removed from the modern cities, this is a world of forested slopes, hidden valleys, waterfalls, traditional villages, mosscovered stone deities and tranquil oji shrines. There are opportunities to experience hot-spring bathing and to sample local cuisine as you follow in the footsteps of emperors, samurai, priests and ascetics traversing traditional flagstone paths and forest trails.
In 1998 the Kumano Kodo was twinned with the Camino de Santiago, meaning walkers who complete both can register as ‘dual pilgrims‘. This program was developed to celebrate, honor, and share the stories of those who have completed both of these UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage routes.
Words by Sanya Aziz
westendmagazine.com/book-japans-kumano-kodo-pilgrimage
Excellent waymarking, the guide gives both comfort and sound background information.
Excellent waymarking, the guide gives both comfort and sound background information.
Phil - took an advance copy on the trek.
A different view of Japan
Japan’s Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage offers a different view of Japan; far removed from the modern cities, this is a world of forested slopes, hidden valleys, waterfalls, traditional villages, moss-covered stone deities and tranquil oji shrines. There are opportunities to experience hot-spring bathing and to sample local cuisine as you follow in the footsteps of emperors, samurai, priests and ascetics traversing traditional flagstone paths and forest trails.
In 1998 the Kumano Kodo was twinned with the Camino de Santiago, meaning walkers who complete both can register as ‘dual pilgrims'. This program was developed to celebrate, honor, and share the stories of those who have completed both of these UNESCO World Heritagepilgrimage routes.
Westend Magazine
http://www.westendmagazine.com/book-japans-kumano-kodo-pilgrimage/
