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A beginner's guide to Hiking the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Route

If you are planning to hike the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage, you’re in for some fantastic historical sights, stunning views, and close-up encounters with various wildlife. 

I had the fortune to join a friend for the full 72km Nakahechi Route from Takajiri-oji right through to Kumano Nachi Taisha just as the Pandemic lockdowns were lifting across Japan in June 2020. 

At this time there were very few people to encounter on the trail or at the shrines and towns. The recent lockdown also meant a lot of usual stops for shopping and accommodation had limited options due to the tourism industry being so severely affected. 

The 1000-year-old path is not without its challenges, so a little bit of preparation goes a long way;

When to travel

Most years, spring and Autumn are the preferred times to travel the route to avoid the heat. We chose to begin the pilgrimage on the first day of June 2020 - the day that the government officially lifted the lockdown in Japan. June is early Summer in Japan and temperatures start creeping into the 30-degree region. June is also the beginning of the rainy season (known locally as Tsuyu meaning “Plum Rain”), and the combination of hot weather and heavy rain makes it a less popular period for attempting the Kumano Kodo. Fortunately, we enjoyed a week of perfect weather with just a single overcast day.

Fitness

For reference, my hiking partner and I are both in our mid 30’s and of average fitness. Our winter seasons are spent working desk jobs and enjoying too much beer in ski towns, so summer is a period where we try to shed some of the bad habits and get more active. Neither of us had ever experienced anything longer than an overnight hike before this. Nevertheless, I would describe the Kumano Kodo as being a very beginner-friendly multi-day hike experience. There are so many populated areas along the way that it’s quite unlikely you will succumb to the elements and have your bones picked clean by the local fauna.

Packing Guide for four nights/five days

We both carried 60L hiking packs as we were also carrying camping equipment such as tents, sleeping bags, sleeping roll, cooking equipment etc. These added up to 15kg of weight with water included which made some of the steep passes quite a challenge in our poorly conditioned state. 

For other beginners who would like to do the Nakahechi Route for themselves, below is an outline of what we packed and where we purchased our items locally. Note that the below is not necessarily the best advice; it is merely what two inexperienced and budget-savvy guys chose. 

10-15kg camping setup (per person)

We purchased most of our camping gear from either Hard Off or Second Street. They both stock second hand and budget retail gear and are chain stores available in most large towns throughout Japan.

60L Backpack - 5,500 yen from Hard Off

I went for a large backpack because we were packing camping gear. Most people stay at guest houses each evening and only need a day pack for water, snacks, etc.

One person tent - 1,370 yen from 2nd Street

This tent was reeeeeeaallly cheap. I’m glad it didn’t rain.

Sleeping Bag - 1,500 yen from 2nd Street

Cheapest of the cheap sleeping bags. Not good for cold weather. Great for keeping the boogeyman away from your toes.

Sleeping Roll - 9,000 yen from Alpen Outdoor

I splashed out because I wanted a sleeping roll which packs down really small. Also hoped extra cost meant extra comfort, but it was still quite terrible to wake upon in the middle of the night.

Rain Cover for Backpack - 1,000 yen from Hard Off

Just in case it rained. A cheaper option is to put a bin liner in your Backpack.

Gas Stove & Gas & Lighter - 5,000 yen from Alpen Outdoor

Simple but effective. A little bulky compared to models in the 10,000 yen range and it uses larger gas canisters but got plenty of cooks and cups of coffee out of it.

Pots & Cup - 900 yen from 2nd Street

These were incredibly cheap, and we instantly burned the hell out of everything we tried to cook. Great for boiling water. Will carbonise anything else. A decent Teflon camping pot set will be on my Xmas list. 

Umbrella - 1,000 yen from Uniqlo

A simple alternative for keeping dry if you don’t want to purchase waterproof pants and jacket, which tend to get pricey when they are both waterproof and breathable.

Clothing 

We stopped at Uniqlo for super cheap, light clothing. Nothing special, no fancy brands or special weaves. It was all comfortable for our needs.

3 x Tee shirts - 1,000 yen each from Uniqlo

2 x shorts - 1,000 yen each from Uniqlo

1 x Gym pants - 1,500 yen from Uniqlo

Great for changing into after washing up each day and keeping bugs away from the ankles.

1 x light hoodie - 2,000 yen from Uniqlo

1 x light windbreaker - a Nike running Jacket I already owned

I never used this, but it packed down tiny so no problem.

5 x socks - 2,000 yen total from Uniqlo

These were cheap, cotton, ankle socks. I know cotton is basically the devil; however, I applied antiperspirant cream to my feet each morning to prevent my shoes from turning into the Bog of Eternal Stench and had no problems.

5 x undies 

Personal preference. We ended up swimming on a couple of afternoons, so I found it easier to just rock life “commando” for a day or two rather than suffer wearing or carrying damp undies for hours. 

1 x Shoes - Salomon AlphaCross 8,000 yen from Amazon

Hiking boots may be a better option due to the unstable terrain - my hiking companion almost rolled his ankle into the next century a couple of times. That said, these trail runners were comfortable and dry, and the traction was excellent everywhere except for the sections with wet, mossy rocks. Might as well have been wearing banana peels on my feet during those parts of the path.

1 x Jandals - already owned

For letting the piggy wiggies breath after a long day in the shoes.

1 x set of thermals - already owned

Totally unnecessary in June. Don’t be like me.

Sun hat and Sunnies - already owned

For looking cool at the club. A wide brim hat would be a better choice for the trail.

Food and water

You should encounter drink vending machines and food shops at least once each day, so it’s not necessary to go overboard with supplies - especially if you’ve booked accommodations which provide dinner, breakfast, or a packed lunch. 

As we specifically planned to camp on a couple of evenings, and we had a brand new gas stove to try out, we brought extra food to cook up so we could feel like self-sufficient mountain men.

We packed: 

Rice which we mixed with grains and seasoning and refrigerated for rice balls on the trail. Warning: google how to prepare rice for eating later, so you don’t DIE.

Instant ramen and canned tuna, which we cooked up for dinner both nights that we camped.

Eggs and spam which we cooked and promptly burned for breakfast the morning after our first camp

Bananas, trail mix, CalorieMates, and Protein Jelly drinks as snacks

Instant Coffee and Teabags

Around 2-3 litres of water

Special mentions

Wipes in case of emergency poopage

Bluetooth speaker for fighting off the Daru Spirits during the steep sections (special mention to Prodigy’s Fat of the Land album for getting us to the top of Echizen Toge Pass on day four).

We forgot Insect Repellant and received some gnarly bites on the legs

Itinerary 

(5 days, approx 80km / 4160m total elevation gain)

Our Itinerary was modified mid-travel because the Info Desk in Hongu advised that all accommodations and shops were likely closed at Koguchi. This village is where people typically rest overnight before tackling the demanding Echizen Toge Pass on the Ogumotori-goe section which is the most gruelling climb of the Nakahechi Route. As such, we incorporated the climb into the end of our 4th day rather than the beginning of our 5th.

Day One

Takajiri-oji Trailhead > Chikatsuyu-oji - approx 13.5km

After being dropped off at the Trailhead by bus, we nosed about and took a few photos at the entrance before starting the ascent. It didn’t take a great deal of time to start building a sweat as the steps slowly took us up to the 400m mark, and I could feel a bit of self doubt (henceforth known as Daru Spirits) setting in as my lack of fitness made itself clear. Fortunately, there were a couple of interesting shrines on the way up which offered a chance to take off the packs and have a few sips of water.

Only a short while into this first climb we encountered our first slithery friend as we startled a nearby snake beside the track who in turn startled a few of my hairs into turning grey.

Once on the ridge line the pace was quite easy right through until Takahara 4km further. Here we enjoyed idyllic scenes of stepped rice paddies dropping down into the valley while a nearby water wheel lazily turned under a weak stream.

Another relatively tough climb directly out of Takahara - mostly due to the heat - and we were back under the forest canopy.

In between enjoying the shrines and the forest views along the trail there were also plenty of interesting creatures spotted including more slitheries, and some red crabs which were definitely completely lost. 

We camped at the Iris Park Campground which added a couple of extra km of walking as it is located over the hill from the main village. It was a great spot next to a river with plenty of amenities including cabins, sento bath facilities, power outlets, covered bbq areas, and - inexplicably - some sort of menagerie.

Day Two

Chikatsuyu-oji > Hongu - approx 25km

After a surprisingly shit sleep in our $15 tents, we cooked up some spam and eggs for breakfast to fuel the finely tuned machines that are our bodies then hit the trail again. 

Today was to be a big 25km trek to Hongu where the first major shrine “Kumano Hongu Taisha” is located, and it was another hot one pushing 30 degrees with 85% humidity.

An hour or two out of Chikatsuyu there was an impressive shrine with stunning Cedar trees lining the stairway and a rest stop displaying a traditional grass “raincoat”. 

TIP: Don’t try this thing on with short sleeves or you’ll rash up like a baby’s ass in summer.

The trail followed the road for some time making it an easy journey - except for the moment we didn’t notice a recently-squished snake on the road until we almost trod on it and squealed in sheer terror. 

The easy times were short lived though, as we entered the Detour Pass and started climbing, Daru Spirits started flying at us from every angle; between the steep staircases and sections exposed to the blazing sun, the Daru almost got the better of us. Fortunately, after a hard fought battle we reached the peak and promptly collapsed in the shade knowing that the worst was behind us for now.

Our feet were definitely feeling tender after this lengthy hike which involved clearing three passes in total, each with steep elevation. After the Detour Pass near Jagata-jizo, there was an excellent spot to relax on the stoney shore of a small stream, have a bite and cool the feet off in the chilly water.

As we were descending the final pass of the day, we had set a brisk pace through the trees and I accidentally stepped on a snake which was having a nap on the path. Needless to say it was none too happy about having its slumber rudely interrupted and it made a bee-line for my companion close behind who gave a yell and looked about ready to throw himself off the path to avoid the slithery vengeance. We proceeded a little more cautiously afterwards, but between all the sticks that look a lot like snakes, and all the snakes that look a lot like sticks it was a jumpy last few kilometers.   

Once we arrived in Hongu we picked up a celebratory beer - had a kanpai to celebrate surviving our snake encounter - and booked a dorm at the Kumano Backpackers. The owner offered excellent local advice about where to find river swimming spots, camping, and refilling drink bottles on the road ahead. 

Day Three

Rest Day - approx 7km

We stayed a second night at Kumano Backpackers and used our free time to properly explore the Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine, the impressive Otorii, and we also caught the bus to check out the nearby Yunomine Onsen town.

We learned on this day that our intended destination of Koguchi for the following evening was likely closed - which meant we may not be able to top up on clean water, fresh food, or book accommodation. This meant we were looking at a much bigger day of walking and would need to clear the Echizen-toge pass the same day to reach the next stop - Jizo-jaya Teahouse - which hopefully had operational vending machines for fresh drinks and a good camping spot.

We spent the evening preparing our rice for additional trail snacks, purchased an extra 2L water and looked forward to carrying the heaviest load of the whole trip up the largest mountain.

Day Four

Ukegawa Trailhead > Jizo-Jaya Teahouse Remains - approx 19km

Well rested, we caught an early bus to the Ukegawa trailhead, which saved us an hour or so of walking along the highway. From here it was an easy 12.5km to Koguchi where we stopped for a lunch break.

Upon arriving, it turned out the local shop was, in fact, open and the incredibly kind lady working there gave us a hearty Ganbatte! after topping up our water bottles with fresh, icey water and offering a snack for the road ahead.

Under the Koguchi bridge was a spectacular swimming hole with a plethora of fingerlings ready to nibble on any weary feet dipped into the water. We stopped here for two hours to enjoy a refreshing swim and a brief nap before downing a CalorieMate, Banana, Rice Ball, and an Energy Jelly (for good measure). 

Soon enough, it was time to saddle up again and tackle the 800m Echizen Toge Pass. 

This was a long hike up, and many times we saw the sky appear in the trees ahead and felt we must be near the top, only for the track to turn once again and present us with another indeterminable number of stairs. We found ourselves making steady progress by focussing on counting down the official markers every 500m, and picking an easy line up the stairs which avoided making large strides. Since the steps were often haphazardly sized stones it was a good mental distraction to pick a path a few meters ahead as you climbed to avoid strenuous steps.

As we neared the top, we took a water break, connected the bluetooth speaker and queued up The Prodigy to get us pumped for the final few hundred meters. 

And then we were there - and we felt great! A quick water break, a photo-op, and then down the other side of the pass.

That evening we camped at Jizo-Jaya Teahouse - a fantastic rest stop with power and an indoor seating area for travellers. The shelter was located a short 1600m walk after completing the Pass.

As well as offering more drink vending machines, the rest house area had a tranquil stream perfect for washing off the day’s sweat and grime.

Day Five

Jizo-Jaya Teahouse Remains > Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine - approx 8km

We made an early start to complete the final unchallenging 8km of the Nakahechi Route. The descent into the valley where the second Major Shrine is located offers a rewarding view.

After exploring the temple grounds for an hour or two and collecting some souvenir junk, we descended the Daimon Zaka and caught the bus to Nachi Station, then a short train ride to Shingu to visit the third shrine - Kumano Hayatama Taisha. 

At Shingu we booked a traditional style hotel room, took off the packs for good and called it a week.

Final Thoughts

Bring a copy of the official Kumano Travel guide with you, The information inside is amazing.

Be sure to stop and read the information signs at the various points of interest during the pilgrimage. No photos of the Jizo and Oji shrines are included in this post because I felt they were best enjoyed in person as a rewarding place to rest during the journey. 

Sleeping in a tent on a thin matt is pretty uncomfortable - book a guesthouse well in advance if you want the traditional experience.

Bring a notebook so you can stamp the pages at each shrine along the way.

Every toilet I encountered along the way was in great condition and extremely clean. If you can hold it in until you reach proper facilities you’ll thank yourself.

Stay hydrated and don’t push yourself too hard on the steep sections.

Don’t rush on the downhill side - it’s easy to injure yourself on the uneven paths.

Phone service can be limited especially in the last couple of valleys.

Beware of the Daru!

[mybrainmeat]

Facebook Woes

Knowing the BODMAS order of operations or a City without a particular vowel does not make you a "genius" or part of a "gifted top 1%". It makes you possibly as educated as a 12 year old and certainly a nitwit that propagates Like Farming spam.

[mybrainmeat]

There's always room on my wall for what appears to be one of the homeless white guys that used to buy me and my friends alcohol when we were teenagers. He's still wearing the same hoodie too by the looks of things.

You’re not really a Christian if you don’t share this. It’s what Jesus would have wanted http://proud-atheist.tumblr.com

[mybrainmeat]

Just because we know how a rainbow's made doesn't mean that we still don't adore it. ~ Jacob Cho: Purveyor of Great Wisdom on the Youtubes

I recently had the misfortune of exposing myself to yet another of those Talent show "auditions". You know the sort - A fat guy with crooked teeth that sings fantastic opera, a dowdy woman with the voice of an angel - any sort of mix of above average singing ability with below average looks seems to be the general prerequisite to blow idiots minds left right and centre. What really struck me was how identical it was to every previous video I had seen so I decided to leave a bitter message to try to bring every one else down to my level of negativity - if you've got a sour taste in your mouth what better way to deal with it than by spitting in everyone else's? "Am I the only person that finds the editing on these shows too painfully fake to enjoy? Are most people oblivious to the fact that almost every audience and judge shot is completely out of context? And that basically every scene of the performer crushing their "debut" performance in front of the judges is staged?

It seems like shows like these across different mediums have been in vogue for the last ten years or so - cooking, survival, talent, dating etc with absurd mood-setting music overlayed and explicitly disingenuous editing - it's all utter poo-tits and it does my head in."

The responses were mixed which is to be expected but what really struck me was the message left by a certain Jacob Cho: "Just because we know how a rainbow's made doesn't mean that we still don't adore it."

The simple, elegance of his response struck a chord with me so I decided to address his poignant words: That's a very poetic sentiment Mr Cho. Britain's Got Talent would be like a beautiful rainbow if you lived in a valley that has rainbows every day at the same time and all your neighbors come running and knocking on your door each morning shouting "HOLY SHIT HAVE YOU SEEN THE RAINBOW OUT THERE!? GRAB YOUR CAMERA YOU CAN'T MISS IT! IT'S SERIOUSLY THE BEST RAINBOW YET!" This goes on for a number of years and you get the sneaking sensation that there's nothing particularly special about today's rainbow compared to yesterday's or last week's or last month's - they're still very beautiful and magical but really they are all just the same combination of naturally refracted and dispersed light off the water particles hanging in the damp morning air.

One afternoon you meet a man called Simon. He passes through the valley every day but until now you never spoke to him. Simon is not from the valley and when you mention how beautiful the rainbows are here he doesn't seem very interested in seeing them for himself - instead smiling slightly and saying that he's heard about them. You ask him why he never arrives earlier to enjoy the rainbow and he responds "Oh I actually go through this valley twice a day - I have to go to work at 4am and then I walk back home in the afternoon." You say it's sad he'll never get a chance to enjoy the beautiful rainbow and he responds by asking you to meet him at 3am the next morning.

You wake up early to meet Simon and he leads you out of the valley and over a couple of hills. Eventually you reach a large warehouse with a dish on the roof. Inside it seems very empty - like it's been abandoned but he leads you to the back where there is a small room - he flicks a switch and you see an old sofa chair with the stuffing coming out at the seams and a big grey button on a panel under an old clock. He plops himself down on the chair and looks at the clock "only a couple minutes now..." he says as he watches the seconds hand tick by "It used to take us months to make a really good one but once we got the right formula it became so easy we didn't even need to use the rest of the space here..." he reaches toward the button and his finger hovers above it as the second hand makes it's way around the clocks face "now we've totally stream lined the development process to a click-and-go system which uses the same old formula and applies it automatically with a single command - just need someone to come in each day to press the button..." he pauses as the seconds hand ticks over the 12 and presses his finger down. There's an audible click and then silence. "what happened?" "Go outside and look" You walk out of the warehouse and the dish on the roof catches your eye - beaming out of it is a huge arc of colours stretching out into the sky and across your valley in the distance. "It's not even a real rainbow - we just copy/pasted the original code and press the button each day now. No one seems to notice though - I guess as long as it still looks pretty people don't mind hahahaha!"

And that is why we shouldn't adore rainbows. Especially rainbows that are a metaphor for shit talent shows.

[mybrainmeat]

Potential gold mine

Two words: Insect Underpants.

This shit needs to stop and I've got a hunch there's money to be made stopping it.

[mybrainmeat]

ROBOTS OR DINOSAURS?

Dinosaurs with freshly shaven genitals.

[mybrainmeat]

In response to Ray Comfort's new book "Famous Atheists"

Ray Comfort, I can't thank you enough for finally bringing out a book that will address the deep philosophical points presented by one of the leading authorities on Atheism - Jeffrey Dahmer. His subtle and rational approach of being a psychotic, self loathing, homosexual murdering, cannibalistic, necrophiliac is one that I - like most fellow Atheists - find really rock-solid and we struggle to understand how you people that believe in Jesus could disagree.

Needless to say, until your book came out I was presented with a real moral and spiritual conundrum... do I follow his lead and satisfy my carnal desire to drill holes in the foreheads of incapacitated youths before pouring acid into the hole in the hope of having my own home-made lobotomized zombie sex slave? I mean - if God doesn't exist then why the heck not right LOL! Or do I take the path of salvation and be too scared of burning in Hell for eternity to go and murder some local homeless boys before dismembering and devouring them?

Murdering and eating people sounds awesome but Hell sounds kinda sucky...

Well thanks to your fine publication I can now proudly say I understand that the Famous Atheist Jeffrey Dahmer was full of senseless arguments - I can now easily refute what I first thought were rational justifications for a life of necrophilia, torture and murder and now live life with the fear of the good lord to keep my psychotic imbalances in check!

Oh - I also learned how to debunk everything Christopher Hitchens and Dawkins have to say but they're just Jeffrey Dahmer's goofy sidekicks in the church of Atheism anyway.

I would definitely rate your book 11/10 bananas.