Our third day walking Kumano Kodo began with rain, a train and a long bus ride to begin our hike along the Nakahechi Route. Stepping off the bus, I could immediately understand why this route is so popular. Mist-covered mountains, rushing river, the smell of cold clean rain — as the Brits would say, “a place of Outstanding Natural Beauty.”
This was the first day we saw other hikers, including a large group of backpackers. It must be a common occurrence for people to arrive without gear, because the visitor center at Takijiri sold daypacks, rain gear, hiking poles, hats, sunscreen and more. We observed several travelers buying items that we never leave home without, so that was interesting to see.
Our walk officially began at the Takijiri-oji shrine with a steep climb immediately up the mountain. A friendly Australian woman took a photo of us, we learned she was solo hiking this first section of Kumano Kodo and her sister was meeting her later on in the route.
It was quickly apparent how much elevation change there was between the Nakahechi and Kiiji routes. No switchbacks or rolling hills here. We walked up…
and up…
We soon arrived at a section called Tainai Kuguri, which means “passing through the womb.” It was a narrow pass through rocks that is said to test women and help ensure they have a smooth delivery. That not being a concern for me, we took an alternate path to the right and kept walking. We heard the backpackers struggling to squeeze through.
We discovered our first Kumano Kodo stamp box, which you see everywhere along the Nakahechi route. We never saw these on the Kiiji route because it isn’t one of the routes which can earn you a dual pilgrim status. I’ll talk more about that on Trips to Walkabout.
Our ascent continued until we reached this expansive viewpoint, opening our eyes to how astoundingly beautiful and remote this region of Japan is.
The descent was equally beautiful, passing through serene forest and well-tended jizu. We purposefully walked slow to let the large backpacking groups get ahead, which meant most of our walk that day was entirely alone. Bliss!
We arrived at the small village of Takahara, with small farm plots tucked into the side of the mountain and everywhere in between.
At this point we had the option to divert off trail and head into Kurisugawa, where we could take a bus to our inn in Chikatsuyu. Or we could continue on the Kumano Kodo for another 4hrs and walk to Chikatsuyu. It was raining, bitterly cold and windy, so we took the road to Kurisugawa.
Waiting for the bus in Kurisugawa was the only miserable experience of our time in Japan. No place to sit or get away from the wind and rain. We spent as much time as we could in a local shop, where I rewarded myself with coffee and packaged donuts. But the bus ran late and so we were drenched by the time it arrived.
On the bus, we quickly forgot the misery as our now toasty warm selves enjoyed the beautiful views en route to Chikatsuyu. Departing the bus, we followed the river into town, passing small rice fields and beautifully-crafted traditional homes. Chikatsuyu was one of the prettiest villages that we visited along the Kumano Kodo.
As suggested in our route notes, we stopped in for a visit with the Oku Japan staff. They have an office in Chikatsuyu, in what they call an “old machiya folk house.” Ryo seemed to be the quiet one, making sure we had hot tea, while Kouki filled our ears with chatter. Kouki was excited to hear about our journey so far and was delightfully surprised when we told him we planned to visit Tomogashima at the end of our trip. He told us his favorite anime series takes place on Tomogashima island (more about that in a later post).
Ready for a hot soak and some food, we headed to our guesthouse for the night, Minshuku Chikatsuyu. The inn is a modern building, so not as pretty on the exterior, but its location on the Hiki River more than makes up for the exterior. The young couple running the inn were friendly and attentive and SUPER busy with a house full of guests.
Our room was small yet comfortable, with shared toilet rooms just a few steps down the hall and to Eric’s delight, one private shower! Once again, he escaped the experience of bathing naked with strangers.
I was here to embrace new experiences, so grabbing my little towel and yukata robe, I headed outside to the bathing house. The young Australian we’d met earlier on the trail that day was exiting as I entered. She quickly showed me where to enter. It was empty, so once again I was able to practice my Japanese cleaning ritual without fear of judgment. That onsen had the most amazing views, looking out at the river and mountains which were shrouded in mist. Sorry I don’t have a photo, you can’t bring phones into onsens — for obvious privacy reasons.
Dinner was a social event at Minshuku Chikatsuyu, with everyone seated at a long table. There were 3 young women (the Aussie and 2 from China), a French couple (slightly older than us), and a talkative group from America. I enjoyed my plum wine a bit too much, so I don’t remember much from that dinner. This of course kept Eric entertained, especially when I almost flung sashimi at the French woman because I was talking with my hands (and chopsticks).
I do not recall this.
Next stop, big temples and grand forests on Day 4 of our Kumano Kodo.
