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Day 5 | Koguchi to Kii-Katsuura
Day 6 | Kii-Katsuura to Shingu
Day 5 - Koguchi to Kii-Katsuura
Good breakfast this morning, Japanese meal again. Shoes still wet from day before. At the bus stop met a couple from New York/Hokkaido on 5-week trip on JR pass. Storm passed but now so hot and humid, heavy air. Caught the 0800 bus from Koguchi to Shingu Station (¥1250).
DANG!!! I forgot umbrella at Shizen no Ie! It helped get me through the mountains! Really had my own “Wilson!!!!” moment… without the crying heh.
Arrived by bus in Shingu at 0848. Had some time before the next train so I asked the tourist info center if they could call the river boat place. The morning session for the next day was already full and nobody signed up for 1430, plus kayaks were not running due to typhoon. Too bad they didn’t have something of a wait list for the sessions rather than just turning away all single travelers. Ahh well, guess cannot help…. jumped on the 0924 train from Shingu Station to Nachi Station.
Arrived at Nachi Station around 0942 and managed to fit my pack in a small locker. Then caught the 1033 bus from Nachi Station to Taki-mae bus stop (¥620, arrived @ 1050).
Went to see Nachi-no-Otaki (waterfall) first. It is the tallest waterfall in Japan (so many record setters in Kumano) at 133 meters high and 13 meters wide. It is a protected sanctuary of Kumano Nachi Taisha and is used for ascetic training by mountain monks who practice Shugendo.
After the waterfall, walked uphill to the main Nachi-san bus stop area. Tried a sample of ume (famous in Wakayama) at the large omiyage shop there… probably the first time I actually enjoyed it!
Saw the same 3 old men & mother/daughter from Hongu Taisha coming down the stairs as I went up. Much easier without my full pack but still too tired. Had ume udon, actually liked it, sesame tofu, and some sweet ginger slushie drink. SUPER hot outside.
Kumano Nachi Taisha is the second Grand Shrine on my list to visit… the area is also probably the most photogenic of the three shrines and so most often is the picture advertised in brochures hehe. Right next to it is a Buddhist temple, Seiganto-ji. It was here where it was most evident of the sort of fusion that exists between Shinto and Buddhist religions in the Kumano region. Here’s an interesting read about the distinction between Shinto and Buddhist beliefs throughout the Kumano area… some may call it the Kumano faith or also Shugendo (it can get confusing):
Anyway, did my prayer and then walked around to Seiganto-ji next to it, then peeked at the three-story pagoda.
Came back to the souvenir shop at Nachi-san bus stop, waited for the bus for about an hour. Had Kumano Kodo beer but one can hit me like 10. Maybe not the best idea hehe. Got asked to do another tourism survey just before boarding the bus, seems they take tourism seriously to have a person just sitting there. Seemed happy to get a foreigner and of course surprised I didn’t speak Japanese. Got a free mouse pad as well as small towel from Shizen no Ie. No English on the buses on this side of Hongu either (compared to Tanabe/Hongu area).
Caught the 1355 bus back to Nachi (arrived 1412). No ticket machine for the train so the info desk guy (whose English was based on 1 year in North Carolina, 45 days in Mexico, and 5 trips to Idaho) explained the process. Just like bus, take ticket but pay after at destination station (Shingu & Kii-Katsuura stations both had machines like normal). Caught the 1439 train from Nachi Station and arrived at Kii-Katsuura Station just 5 minutes later.
Walked through the small streets to the pier where I waited/caught the beluga whale boat to Hotel Urashima. The hotel is huge and I see where they got the James Bond like from (I don’t know, I remember reading that somewhere). Don’t know if I ever caught a boat to a hotel before either. Though this one was not as glamorous or anything.
There is a hiking trail out to peak along the ridge but was closed for maintenance… looks like it could be a nice day hike at least. English translation on the information slip they gave me at check-in was mixed up on the male/female schedule for the onsen which might cause someone else to be confused later haha (told the front desk about it). Again this place is huge, corridors with extra shops and restaurants scattered here and there.
Dinner was a very nice surprise buffet and had a nice view. I was a little skeptical at first with the beluga whale boat but that dinner hit the spot. Was the only single traveler under 50 it seemed (until the huge Chinese tour group arrived, at least 3 bus loads). This place seems like an old place trying to keep up with the times in some areas but overall a great bargain! Got my appetite back at least to 90% and they had curry and stew too! Wooo!
Day 6 - Kii-Katsuura to Shingu
Woke up early 0450 to go to the largest cave onsen (Bokido) at the hotel. A Chinese guy was taking pictures (tsk tsk) early. When first opening, it’s usually less crowded and cleaner (hopefully). Cave was huge and there were multiple pools so I got my own little onsen to myself. Probably one of, if not most, the coolest, nicest onsen so far. Breakfast buffet was great again, wish I could’ve eaten more. Bought more ume/orange cider from Lawson after hehe.
There was an onsen tax collected at checkout (only ¥150) which seemed weird… I’ve read about it at other hotels but just figured it was already included in the price beforehand.. this was first time charged separately at check-out. Walked back to Kii-Katsuura station after taking the ferry again. Stopped at a small gift shop along the way… bought a three-legged crow (made of black stone from Dorokyo) from the two nice old ladies and they gave me a free snack (was expiring). I don’t think they knew of Hawaii.
Caught the 1007 train back to Shingu (¥240, 33 minutes), dropped off my pack at Shingu UI hotel, then walked over towards Kumano Hayatama Taisha. Bought another umbrella on the way from an old man umbrella shop in the arcade area (but nothing could replace the blue one I lost heh).
Finally made it to the third and final of the Grand Shrines! Kumano Hayatama Taisha is the easiest of the three to access.. actually in the city. I found the more I had to suffer to get to a place the more I appreciated it hehe… Located at the mouth of the Kumano River, the area has a deep tradition of nature worship. It’s a pretty simple shrine, not much unlike other shrines you might’ve visited elsewhere in Japan but then again, I’m not an expert… I guess it has it’s own meaning for me.
More info here:
http://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/world-heritage/kumano-hayatama-taisha/
Stopped by the river but not much to see. Guess I won’t get to play in the water afterall. Soon after I got lunch at Shikaroku, not too far from the shrine but hard to notice from outside (at least for me). Probably the best unagi (¥2900) I’ve ever had (and more hiding under the rice too)!
After lunch, I went to Kamikura Shrine and Gotobiki-iwa, halfway up Mt. Kamikura. Little hard to find the starting point but it was right next to Kamikura Elementary school on the map. The reason this place is special is because it’s believed to be where the Gods of Kumano first descended and Kamikura Shrine is the original house of the Gods. Going up the stairs at first seemed intimidating but actually they weren’t so bad or high, just a little steep and uneven. Having climbed the steps, I could really appreciate the Oto Matsuri fire festival they have here during which people sprint downhill with huge torches. Nice view from up near the rock. Sat in the shade under it just to cool off for a while. Didn’t see the stamp box anywhere up top so I was a little worried to walk back down but it ended up being at the bottom in a little box on the steps to the shrine to the right of the bridge. This was the last stamp I could get on this trip…
Went back to hotel for nap after waiting for my key. Had dinner at Kiku not too far away. Recommended in an English food map/brochure but no English menu and smaller than expected. VERY local place but ended up being good experience talking with nice old lady cook and 3 other older Shingu guys in half English/half Japanese. I basically used my single word broken Japanese to ask for recommendations and the following is what they came up with. One guy said he went to Hawaii once, another guy recently retired, and the other guy bought sake from Nara. Helped recommend what I should eat. Everything was good for ¥3150). Really craving meat I said because hiking was all fish, onigiri, bento, etc.
All and all, a great day and nice conclusion to this part of my trip. That just about wraps up the Kumano Kodo part! The last and final entry will be in Toba and Ise… stay tuned!