This morning was the first day of the hike. We had another elaborate breakfast, but I needed a coffee. Walking through the lobby I saw some coffee pots. They were empty, but the pot brewing behind the counter was full. No one was around to ask for a cup, so I just walked back there and poured a cup. Amy did not approve of this and went to find someone ask if we could have some. She returned with an employee just as I was replacing the coffee pot. They were in shock. The lady went and got her boss. They both stood there and told me the coffee was not free. I expressed my desire to pay and tried to convey that all was going to be ok. “You must pay”, was the only response. I thought, maybe they don’t mean just give them some money, but are seeking retribution? Eventually it was resolved with me paying $5 for the coffee. There adherence to rules here was a bit overboard, especially coming from the Wild West of Bangkok.
I should breakdown what this hiking trail was all about. It is called the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Route. The route was formed around the year 816. At that time, the people of Kumano, in the Kii Peninsula, started to build a network of trails that connected their shrines, temples, and other sacred sites.
We were starting in the middle and hiking Southeast to Nachi Falls. We would only be hiking 2 days, but you could easily spend a week hiking from one side of the Kii Peninsula to the other, or a month hiking all the various routes. Here is a link to the trail website, given a great deal of information.
I should have done more research on this trail, but I was in the middle of planning multiple trips at the time, and just blindly followed the route I saw on a blog. I would like to come back and hike more sections and learn about the shrines and history of the people in this area.
We were following the Nakahechi section.
The first part of the hike was just a few Kilometers to the village of Hongu. Although short it was all uphill and down.
A short section, but a good warm up. Reaching Hongu, we saw one of largest Torii gates in Japan. The area was empty, but the pictures looked beautiful in summer with all the green rice paddies and flowers. We also stopped at the cultural center to read more about the trail.
This trail is a sister trail to the more famous trail across northern Spain, The St James Way or Camino de Santiago. In fact, many people do both, and they have a ceremony here in the cultural center with a certificate ceremony.
We boarded a short 2 Km bus ride to the next trailhead.
We did run across about 15 people on this stretch of trail leading to the village of Koguchi. We stopped a couple times for snacks and a brief nap. In all I think it took us around 8 hours to finish.
I saw this sign as we came into Koguchi. I really liked the image. Need to find a way to recreate it and display it somehow.
We had reserved a homestay that evening. I booked it 4 months in advance and was glad I did because everyone else was staying at a campground or some sort of YMCA-type lodging.
The owner did not speak English but was kind; a former chef, so our meal was on point. Waiting for dinner I walked to the river and sat with my feet in the water and polished of a few beers. The river had high flood walls along it with all this serious gates.
We watched Sumo wrestling on TV. These was a big tournament going on in Osaka. I was unable to score tickets, as they went fast and for ridiculous prices.
The host left us matching sweatshirt and pants. It made Amy and I look like we were part of some religious cult
I think I slept 10 hours. Our first day on the trail had worn us out. After breakfast, I walked to one of the famous Japan vending machines and grabbed 4 coffees. Amy was debating whether she was going to hike today. Because I had done basically no research on this hike I failed to realize that the second day was a lot of uphill. Described as “back breaking.” It would be an 7 hour stretch, but she decided to give it a go.
We ran into more people today. Actually we met many people who were hiking for more than a week out here, and many had also hiked the St James Way in Europe. I was just excited to speak English, as it had been a few months since I had really talked to anyone.
We stopped for lunch at a clearing with all the other hikers
Only a few more hours to go until the waterfall and our lodging for the night.
We had finally made it. This was Nachi Falls. I am sure you have seen the image as it is one of the top photographs for Japan.
We checked into our lodging. It was the only one near the falls. From our window you could hear and see the water coming down. The lodging was decent, a little too hotel-oriented for my liking. We did get access to a bath and I even got scolded by some guy in the bath for not wiping the floor down after leaving the bath area. I tried to apologize. I had no idea that was a thing. I later crossed paths with him in the bathroom and he was walking around with bare feet in the stalls. I quickly lost concern for my apparent slight earlier. We saw other hikers at the lodging. Amy would call out to people we never talked to with a, “Hey Girl!” They would just look at us. I asked her if she thought they were someone else, but she just reminded me that we saw them on the trail. I explained that yes, we saw them, but we never met them. I think she was woozy from the hike or something as this happened multiple times.
The next morning we had to take multiple buses and trains to get back to Osaka
We checked into a Buddhist lodging in town and spent the next 24 hours exploring the city. Honestly, we were not that impressed with Osaka. The people did not seem overly friendly and there was not a plethora of impressive sights. We did hit the Castle and some billboard of Glico man, for whatever that is worth.
I kept the bamboo hiking stick from the trail. I wanted to take it home to as a souvenir. I found a guy working in his shop and asked if he could cut the stick in half so I could take it on the flight. But, in true Japanese fashion, when I got to the airport, they measured the pieces and one half was a couple inches too long. They would not let me carry it on.
We accidentally ate at this seafood restaurant where you catch your own food. They are all over Asia. I mean we eat fish, but we are just uncomfortable being that close to the entire process. We prefer to act ignorant to the death and destruction. This one was weird. They give you a little toy fishing pole and charge you a flat rate to try and catch the biggest fish in a 3ft square tank. I mean this guy was just dragging this hook along with the fish. He “catches” it and all the people in the place get up and cheer for him as an employee scoops the fish up with a net and they stop for pictures on the way to the fryer. You really could just grab a net and scoop him up and claim you caught it, but that would be against the rules and the Japanese don’t play that game.
It was raining. I looked to see if there was a theater nearby. I read the Google review which said something like, “they play good Samurai movies and I even saw Top Gun here. Sometimes people are having sex in the back and you might get propositioned for a blowjob, but if you are respectful, they will leave you alone.” Obviously I had to get a look at this place.
Amy did not want to go in for the double feature of ‘The Shining” and “Topless in Tokyo”
The trip went well. I enjoyed getting away from the usual spots in Japan. I would like to go back top explore more of the hiking trails and maybe even rent a motorcycle here.
Until Next Time
Darren
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