# Kumano Kodo

> UNESCO-listed ancient pilgrimage trails through sacred mountains, linking grand shrines of the Kii Peninsula.

- Prefecture: Wakayama
- Type: Attraction
- Address: Tanabe, Wakayama, Japan

Not one road but a network of them, crossing the mountains of the Kii peninsula to three shrines: Hongu, Hayatama and Nachi. People have walked these routes since the tenth century, first emperors and their retinues, later everyone else, in numbers that earned the pilgrimage the nickname the ants' procession to Kumano.

In 2004 UNESCO listed the routes, and they and the Camino de Santiago are the only two pilgrimage roads in the world with that status. The two have a joint scheme: complete designated sections of both and you are registered as a dual pilgrim.

The Nakahechi is the route most walkers take, from Takijiri across the mountains to Hongu, two or three days of forest path with village guesthouses at the ends of each day. It is not technical, but it climbs and descends constantly and the days are long. Luggage transfer between guesthouses is available and worth using. Buses run along the valley roads, so any section can be walked on its own and the rest skipped without shame.

At Hongu, the shrine now stands on a hill because a flood destroyed the original in 1889. The old site, Oyunohara, is marked by a torii 33.9 metres high, the largest in the world, standing alone in a field of gravel where the buildings used to be.

Stay at Yunomine Onsen nearby. Its Tsuboyu, a tiny bath in a hut over the stream, is the only bathing spring inside a World Heritage site anywhere, and you book a half-hour slot in it.

Tanabe is the gateway town and its tourist bureau runs the best English planning service in rural Japan.

## FAQ

### Which route should I walk, and how much of it?

Five routes exist; ~95% of foreign hikers walk the **Nakahechi** (中辺路), the medieval imperial pilgrimage from Tanabe to Hongu Taisha. **Day-trip taste** (3 to 4 h, easy): Hosshinmon-oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha, 6.9 km, last 90 min mostly downhill through forest to the shrine. Bus from Hongu back to Tanabe. **Classic 2-day**: Takijiri-oji to Takahara (overnight) to Hongu Taisha, 21 km total, the most-walked stretch with the best forest/villages mix. **Full Nakahechi** (4 to 5 days): Takijiri-oji to Hongu Taisha to Nachi Taisha to Hayatama Taisha at Shingu, ~70 km, the complete sangu (three-shrine) pilgrimage; gear up because the Hongu-to-Nachi section crosses real mountains. **Other routes** for repeat visitors: Kohechi (75 km Koyasan to Hongu, much more remote), Iseji (sea path to Ise Jingu, partly paved), Ohechi (coastal, easy half). All sections are well-signed in English and Japanese. Avoid Omine Okugake unless you're an experienced ascetic, since that's a serious mountaineering route.

### How do I actually plan the trip: booking, luggage, baggage forwarding?

**Start with Kumano Travel** (kumano-travel.com), the official booking platform run by the Tanabe Tourism Bureau. They handle: minshuku reservations (~¥9,000 to 15,000/person with dinner + breakfast, the only realistic option since restaurants on the trail are essentially zero), bus transfers, route maps, **luggage forwarding** (¥2,000 to 3,000 per bag, dropped at your morning ryokan by 9 AM, arrives at evening ryokan by 16:00, booked at the same time as accommodation). Walk with a daypack; the big bag follows you. **Reservation lead time**: 2 to 3 weeks minimum, 2 to 3 MONTHS for October to November peak season (the autumn foliage + comfortable temperature combo books out completely). **Getting to the start**: KIX or Osaka to JR Limited Express Kuroshio to Kii-Tanabe Station (~2 h, ~¥5,500, JR Pass eligible). From Kii-Tanabe: Ryujin Bus to Takijiri-oji (45 min, ¥980) or to Hongu Taisha (~2 h). **Phone reception** is patchy on the trail, so download offline maps. Tap-to-pay is unreliable in rural minshuku; carry cash.

### When's the best season, and what about the Dual Pilgrim certificate and the Yunomine bath?

**Season**: **late April to May and October to early November** are the prime windows, with cool temperatures, no leeches, autumn foliage in Nov; book 2 to 3 months ahead. **Summer** (Jun to Aug) is hot, humid, leech-infested, and prone to typhoon trail closures; June rainy season often saturates the cedar paths into mud. **Winter** is feasible but cold and many minshuku close; the high-pass sections may have ice. **Dual Pilgrim**: walk both Kumano Kodo AND Spain's Camino de Santiago (the two UNESCO pilgrim routes) and you earn the Dual Pilgrim certificate + pin. Registration is free at the Tanabe Tourism Bureau, Kumano Hongu Taisha, or the Nachi Taisha visitor center; bring your Camino credential. **Yunomine Onsen** (3 km north of Hongu): the historic purification bath for pilgrims, and home to **Tsuboyu**, the world's only UNESCO-listed bathtub. Tiny private bath in a riverside hut, ¥800 for 30 minutes, first-come reservations at the on-site office (8:00 to 20:00). The water's 90 °C source is moderated; soaking is the traditional ending to the Kumano walk.

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Source: Kumano Kodo — Japan Voyage