Backpacking on Kumano Kodo

 Japan is an amazing place to visit.  During the Golden Week Holiday Faye and I had the pleasure of going to Japan for our second time.  This time we enjoyed the beauty and glory of nature as we hiked the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi route before shopping in Osaka.  

We arrived in Osaka Kansai Airport on September 28th in the early afternoon.  We immediately hopped on the metro to Hineno to catch a JR train to Tanabe.  

The ride was about 2hrs long and by the time we arrived in Tanabe it was already dark.  I stopped very briefly in Tanabe train station to play this charcoal xylophone. 

We took a taxi to our hotel.  Staying in the Kumano Kodo Winery Guesthouse was a fantastic choice.  

When we arrived they were already making us a delicious dinner with locally sourced ingredients. 

The sound of crickets and chirping frogs filled the night air as we enjoyed our meal and some drinks.

Then we repacked our bags and went to bed. 

The next morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast.  I played guitar a little while Faye got ready.  We re-packed once more so that one of our bags could be sent to our next stop.  Then our host drove us to the start of the trail.

The first day of the hike was about 14km and started at Takijiri-Oji and ended at Chikatsuyu-Oji.  We picked up some dual pilgrim certification stamp booklets, which I will explain later, at the Kumano Kodo Information Center.  Then we crossed the street and started hiking the trail.   

The trail is beautiful, serene. and scenic.  We hiked pretty quickly and, even with frequent breaks, made good time.  Having left at around 9:30am we arrived in Chikatsuyu around 2:30pm which means we had been hiking for about five hours.

We stopped at the Nonagase Beer Garden/Guesthouse to pick up my bag and have a snack before taking a ten minute walk to our hotel. 

We stayed the night in Sen. Retreat Chikatsuyu.  When we arrived we were surprised that they did not have any front desk staff on site.  In order to check in the hotel was supposed to have sent us a code to access the reception area where we were supposed to scan a QR code to fill in a form and then use the provided tablet to skype call the receptionist who worked remotely. 

Unfortunately the hotel had not provided us with any code to access reception.  So I had to get in by waiting for another guest to open the door with their code.  I then waited in the reception area until they were done with the process to speak with the remote receptionist via a skype call.  

They helped me sort out the check-in and explained that our food was in the refrigerator in the room. 

Other than the mess with checking-in the hotel was really quite nice.  It was a full sized apartment inside a shipping container.  It was pretty comfortable.  I made us dinner, we ate, and then we returned to the beer garden to sort out a bag porter for the next day.  I went to bed at a reasonable hour but Faye stayed up a bit late just getting ready for bed. 

After breakfast and a rushed morning routine the next morning we set out a bit later than I would have liked.  We had a long hike of 22km ahead of us.  We first made a stop at the Nonagase Beer Garden again to drop off a bag and pay the porter fee. 

Then we set off on trail to our next stop, Guesthouse Hatenashi. 

This day of the hike was a bit more challenging.  I was fine since I had left my heaviest stuff to be portered but Faye decided to carry her pack.  Despite offering to trade bags repeatedly she refused.  By the end of the hike she was at least three times as sore as I was. 

At the end our second day of hiking we arrived in Hatensashi.  Faye was very sore in the shoulders.  We were in much need of rest.  Unfortunately, we were not too happy with our accommodations.  While it was not terrible, it was not at the same standard as the other places we had stayed.  For starters, we had to purchase and cook our own food.  Fortunately there was a grocery store at the highway rest-stop next door and we arrived with a couple hours before they closed.  The shared bathrooms were not as clean as we would have liked and the beds were a bit stiff.  All-in-all we still ate well and had a good night sleep.  I however got a bit sick from what I had cooked since it was too greasy.  I ended up with pretty nasty heartburn that only subsided when I allowed myself to vomit a little.  I felt mostly better afterward and did not have any issues after that. The two photos below are from the parking lot of the guesthouse and were taken the next morning. 

We slept in the next morning since our hike was much shorter and we did not need to rush.  

We arranged for both of our bags to be portered to our next hotel and set off traveling lite. 

The last day of the hike was just as beautiful as the previous two. 

We started around 10:30.  Our final destination was Pension Ashita No Mori, which is a guesthouse that was south of our primary and secondary destinations.

Our first stop, which we reached within an hour, was the gates of Kumano Hongu Taisha.  

Before passing through the gates we were stopped for an interviewed by a stroke survivor in his 80s who wanted to include us on his Instagram page. Then we went to the Forest Owl Library/Wolf Museum (a used book store and wolf conservation organization) and browsed a bit before buying matching shirts. 

When we finally crossed through the gates of Kumano Hongu Taisha we had reached our goal to complete the requirements for dual pilgrim certification.  We went to the Hongu information center to get the completion stamp and only afterward realized we forgot the stamp for the shrine itself.

To clarify what I had said that I would earlier in this post, the stamps of which I speak are part of a dual pilgrim certification program in which hikers who complete a certain part of the Kumano Kodo and Camino de Santiago trails can collect stamps on their route and earn a certification for completing both.  By hiking from Takijiri-Oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha, and collecting all the stamps, we had done one of the two hikes required to earn this cert. 

Below is a photo of all the stops we made along the way to earn the stamps.

We took care of our stamps, then took some photos, and gave respect to the deities for which the shrine was erected.  Then, although our pilgrimage was over, we continued to hike onward to our hotel.  We even continued collecting stamps along the way, even though we had already done all we needed. 

About an hour later, at the half way mark, we stopped at Yunomine Onsen where we got one last stamp and then took a quick soak in the naturally heated water in their private bath.  

Then we continued on to our next hotel. 

We arrived at Ashita No Mori Hotel after another hour of hiking.  This accommodation was a step up from our last.  Even though it had shared bathrooms it wasn't so bad because it had an indoor Onsen and everything was kept very clean.  The beds were also more comfortable and the room more spacious with a nice view of the river across the street. Once we checked in and got settled we decided to go out for dinner to a restaurant down the road called Cafe Kobuchi.

After our meal we returned to our hotel to change into bathing suits.  

What made this hotel, and the town in general, so special was that the river had hot springs bubbling out of the rocks. 

So we went out in the dark and enjoyed a soak in the hot waters that came from the rocky riverside. Below you can see the nighttime soak photos and some that I took the next morning. 

After an amazing night of sleep and a lovely breakfast we ruefully left our lovely accommodation.  

We walked about 20 minutes to the Watarase Onsen bus stop and waited for the bus.  While waiting for the bus I accidentally knocked Faye's phone from her hand and it stopped working.  While she was upset she did not take it as badly as expected and was very forgiving. 

We enjoyed the bus ride to Shingu. When we arrived we attempted to get Faye's phone fixed but they didn't have the parts and told us it would take about 4-5 days.  We did not have time for that.  So we bought dinner for the evening before taking a taxi to our apartment hotel for the night. 

We stayed in Nachi at an apartment hotel called the Midtown Sakura Apartments.

The apartment style hotel was very nice.  It was very comfortable.  We would have enjoyed our stay more if there was more to do in the area. Before dinner we were feeling an itch to walk around and have a bit of fun.  First we walked to the nearby lake. 

Then we walked back to the apartment and decided to get some drinks.  It was an 18 minute walk to the nearest restaurant, Ryu, where we each got an umeshu (plum wine) and I got a beer.  Then we stopped at the Nachi Lawson (convenience store) and I bought six cans of various alcoholic beverages and we got some snacks.  We then went to a place called Taste-Loving Obayashi where we got some fried snacks and I got another beer.

You can likely tell from the photos below that Nachi has a bustling market/business area that is pretty busy during the day.  However, it is lacking in its nightlife.

 When we were both satisfied with the evening we went back to our hotel and heated up dinner.  I finished off the drinks, called my mom, and then we went to sleep. 

On the morning of October 3rd we were finally scheduled to return to Osaka where we planned to do some shopping.

We walked to the nearest train station and caught a local train to Tanabe.  

The train station in Nachi was right beside a gorgeous beach.  There were crabs in the tunnel beneath the tracks and Faye nearly had this spider crawl on her when she leaned against the edge of her web.

The ride from Nachi to Tanabe was about 2hrs long and was just as scenic as the hike.

 

As a practitioner of Aikido (on hiatus until I can find a dojo in Shenzhen which is unlikely) I wanted to visit the Ueshiba Morihei Memorial Museum in Tanabe.  We left our bags in the lockers at the station and walked there. It was raining lightly on the way.  Photos were not allowed inside but I took one of this statue outside.  For those who don't know Aikido is a martial art that focuses on redirecting the energy of your opponent's attack.  It is a practice that emphasizes the minimization of harm while still being quite functional as self defense.  The founder, Ueshiba Morihei, was born in Tanabe. 

Checking out the entire exhibit took a little less than an hour. 

 Afterward we went to Naniwa Sushi for a quick bite before rushing back to the train station to catch the next train to Osaka.

We both slept on the way back to Osaka. 

On arriving in Osaka it was still raining lightly.  We tried a couple places to get Faye's phone fixed but like our initial attempt nowhere had the parts so we gave up and went to Candeo Hotel (The Tower) to check in.  

I found out that evening that, due to some legal loopholes, there was legal cannabis in Japan.  While it did not contain any Delta-9-THC, it did contain hemp derived psychoactive cannabinoids and CBD.  So, our first stop before we started shopping was Weedyyz CBD Dispensary and Cafe.  I bought a THC-X joint (which really just contains esters of delta 8 THC and CBN), a THC-X + CBN disposable vape, and had a beer with some CBD.  I felt fantastic.  Although it did not get me high like a regular weed joint I still felt a pretty heady high with very nice relaxing effects.  

Directly below Weedyyz shop there is a second hand store with a wide selection of jewelry, games, electronics, antiques, and vintage clothing. While I did not get the name of the store it had a pretty cool vibe going. We popped in and browsed for a while.  On Faye's suggestion I bought a really nice shirt.  I also found a Model 1961 Army Canteen with pouch and pot which I bought. 

We got dinner at Osaka Osho.

Our next stop for the evening was Book Off Plus, another second hand store, but unfortunately their third floor was closed so we just browsed their second floor of books before we got some ice cream and called it a night. 

Sleeping in on the morning of October 4th was fantastic.  We really needed the rest.  

Once we had gotten ready we set out for another full day of thrift store shopping and sampling the yummy foods.   We originally wanted to go to Tsutenkaku obersvation deck but the line was too long so we abandoned that idea. 

We stopped at an arcade to use the bathroom and ended up playing some games just for fun.

Our last night in Osaka was spent with drinks at Jazz Bar Bird 56 and Rock Bar Fanny Mae.  The owner of the latter was a funny guy and we got a picture with him.

We retired for the evening and had a good night sleep.

Our last full day in Osaka was spent like the previous two.  We went thrifting, but also managed to fit in a quick walk near Osaka Castle. 

We finished the day by collecting our bags and taking the metro to Nikko Hotel Kansai Airport.  We would be spending the night there to be closer to the airport the next morning.

Leaving the next morning was difficult.  Neither of us wanted to go.  

This trip was fantastic.

It was hard to go back to work this week but I made it through and so did Faye. 

Yesterday Faye worked and I did some chores and got my beard trimmed since it had grown out over the vacation.  

Today we went to a rooftop pool downtown so I could give Faye a swimming lesson.  

We are back into a routine until next month.  In November Faye and I will be going to BKK for a Tokyo-Bangkok cooperative flea market.  The following weekend is the All China Nash Hash in HK.  During the Thanksgiving break we will either go to Chiang Dao Thailand for a camping event called "Double Dick Tiger" or I will go to Dali on a solo adventure. 

October is shaping up to be a dull month, but at least November will bring some respite.  December will feature a solo trip to Thailand and our first couples ski trip, this time instead of skiing in China we will likely go to Takayama Japan.  After that our next big trip will be during Chinese New Year.  At this point we are planning a hike on the Maclehose Trail in HK followed by a relaxing trip to Thailand. 

Faye and I have strengthened our bond over the last couple hiking trips.  This positive growth is meaningful for both of us. We anticipate a lot more adventure to come.