If you missed it, please start with the first part of our journey along the Kumano Kodo. Otherwise, keep reading…
Yuasa to Hidaka
Our second day of walking the Kumano Kodo continued along the Kiiji route, from Yuasa to Hidaka. After bringing his daughter to school, our host dropped us off at the starting point in town and we began a steady ascent, passing more mikan orchards heavy with fruit.
One of the highlights of this section was the ishidatami cobblestone. This is the longest continuous cobblestone pathway on the Kumano Kodo.
The path continued to ascend through dense forest. There were no major points of interests along that route, no big temples or tiny jizo statues. It was simply a gorgeous day of walking through quiet woodlands, which is how we like it.
At the top, we stopped for lunch in a shady area with benches.
Heading down towards Hidaka we passed abandoned rice terraces, now covered in bright yellow wildflowers and cherry trees awaiting bloom.
Like the day before, this section of Kumano Kodo was mostly through agrarian countryside, so it wasn’t what I’d call “postcard pretty” but it offered a closeup of rural Japanese life.
Including the lesser-known route of Kiiji was one of the reasons we chose Oku Japan as our tour operator. Most people go straight to the Nakahechi or mountain routes, which offer superb landscapes and large temples.
To include the Kiiji section shows a dedication to supporting rural tourism and local businesses. As we’ve learned on our travels, the best memories come from the people we meet, not the photos of gorgeous places. A company like Oku Japan understands this and they had several local experiences in store for us that day.
Japanese Hospitality
Our first stop was at a Hidaka household, where Mayumi Kanasaki welcomed us into her home and served us tea and a large bowl of savory and sweet snacks. Using Google Translate, she visited with us the entire time and was patient when we stumbled on translations. She showed us the display in her home, honoring the Hinamatsuri festival that celebrates girls.
Mrs. Kanasaki followed in her car as we walked to the nearby Kōmyō-ji Temple, where she took us inside and gave us a tour. I could hear the pride in her voice as she spoke of the items inside this temple and the reverence as she prayed. Unlike many of the temples we visited in Kyoto, this one felt like it was actively used by the community. It did not feel like a tourist attraction.
A young woman gave us a gift upon departing, small hand towels which are helpful while traveling in Japan because there are rarely hand dryers or hand towels in public bathrooms. Then Mrs. K followed us again in her car as we walked to her husband’s bamboo shop.
The Master of Black Bamboo
Mr. Akihito Kanasaki is a 3rd generation bamboo wood worker, and he is the only one producing black bamboo that is harvested from the mountain along Kumano Kodo. His family has been fire-roasting bamboo for over 100 years and he demonstrated the process.
He and his wife told us of the challenges that deer and boar pose, eating all of the young bamboo shoots, and we shared with them our stories of Newfoundland where moose pose a similar threat to the trees. They gifted us with handcrafted bamboo pens with our names carved into the wood, something to treasure forever.
The Ambassador of Wakayama
Our host for the night picked us up at the bamboo shop. And this was when our real adventures began! The ever-smiling, bursting with knowledge Katsumi Yukawa has to be one of the most delightful innkeepers we’ve ever had the privilege to meet. He and his wife Yumiko opened Coast Cafe a few years ago, returning to his hometown after living in Tokyo.
After introducing himself, Mr. Yukawa asked if we were tired and we said no, and thus commenced a guided tour of his favorite spots on the Wakayama coastline near Hidaka.
He took us to his friend’s new burger shop on Ubuyu Beach which opened the previous day. We visited over coffee and a spongy light-as-air chiffon cake. The burger shop had a cozy beach vibe and excellent views of the sea.
Moving along, Mr. Yukawa drove us to the Kokoku-ji Temple in Yura. Walking the temple grounds as the sun began to set was a wonderful experience and doing so with someone who was happy to share his knowledge made it even more special.
He told us this was the origin of kinzanji-miso and the shakuhachi bamboo flute. The temple is also renowned for its Tengu, the red deity with a long red nose, which we were unable to see in the dark.
We then stopped at Shirasaki Ocean Park for beautiful sunset views. Walking to the observation point, we passed several young couples holding hands (this is a popular romantic spot with the youth) and a building that used to be a diving school before it was destroyed by a typhoon several years ago.
Packing every last bit he could, our dedicated host drove us further along the coast, stopping for photo ops and telling us of the submarine in the bay just outside his inn. He kept us up until 10:00 that night, talking about the Hidaka region of Wakayama. I almost fell asleep in my soup, but that was one of our most memorable days and I would love to return some day to stay longer with the Yukawa family.
The guesthouse was an interesting assortment of buildings. The main house was large with a modern kitchen open to the large dining area. There were excellent views of the bay from this space. Mrs. Yakawa teaches flower arrangement and other craft classes so there were examples of her handicrafts displayed on tables.
Our room was in a separate building with the toilet rooms just a few steps away in another building. The private bath was in the back of the building where we slept and had a good sized soaking tub and sink. It sounds like a strange arrangement, but it was quite comfortable and added to the unique experience.
Mrs. Yukawa had a collection of tea cups which you could choose from for tea or her special coffee. The food at Coast Cafe was different than anywhere else along Kumano Kodo, I would call it homecooked Japanese-French fusion, but really I just think Mrs Yukawa cooks whatever she loves and thinks will make her guests happy.
As Mrs. Yukawa served us breakfast the next day, her husband pulled out a laptop and monitor to show us YouTube videos. I had informed him we would be ending our trip in Wakayama City and he was delighted that we wanted to explore his prefecture. He was the best travel advisor and historian, could not have asked for a better person to introduce us to this region!
Follow along as we switch to the Nakahechi route of Kumano Kodo and conclude our tour of Japan by exploring Wakayama City.
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