Day 2 : Kumano Kodo- Takijiri-Oji to Takahara.

Short day but no switchbacks, all uphill battle!

Jet lag lingering from my travels, I decided to start late and enjoy the morning. I kept my first hike short to give my body some time to acclimate. Even though short, the climb from Takijiri-oji to Takahara is straight up. This steep ascent gains over 1,000 feet in elevation over a mere 3.5 to 4 kilometers with uneven terrain adding to the adventure. The trail starts right across the Kumano registration office behind the Takijiri-oji shrine, which is considered to be the passage to the sacred mountains.

I paid my respects, covered myself in deet 🦟 and started my climb. My heart was filled with gratitude as I am a firm believer that you are where you need to be in any given time and you are there for a purpose. I become emotional by even thinking that the opportunity to walk the sacred paths where many before us have walked and so much history and bliss is around these mountains. The realization that today I am getting the opportunity to walk the sacred paths, breathe the same air, is very humbling and an uplifting feeling at the same time.

As I started the hike, I already knew this was going to be a very steep climb, just like the ones to follow in the upcoming days. Most of the trail is dense with ancient tree roots and boulders. Luckily, it did not rain the previous day so it was not slippery, which can make things quite tricky.

After about 10-15 minutes, there is a section which looks like a small little cave nestled under some boulders. Apparently, this is the famed Tainai-kuguri, where legend (or maybe just a good story) suggests you can test your faith by squeezing through the crack to the end. Many people try to crawl underneath the tiny crack with their backpack, which is insane to watch. I, being a self-proclaimed chicken 🐔 with a healthy fear of cave-dwelling snakes 🐍, opted for the less dramatic (and way less tangled) route around the boulders. Faith tested, backpack intact 😅.

The trail was interesting, I was huffing and puffing all the way. It was pretty steep, and it was my first day. Seems like there’s a running joke that Kumano does not believe in switchback so everything is straight up. There were many viewpoints into the beautiful mountains along the trail of these exposed giant tree roots and big boulders.

Just like Camino , Kumano also has the stamp collection system. A pilgrim passport can be picked up from the registration office and you collect your stamps as you hike from the small little shrines or the big shrines that you pass through the forest. The trail ended at the little village Takahara by the Takahara Kumano-jiinja Shrine. I was paying my respects on these shrines and was collecting my stamps as I go.

Another thing that I’m really liking about Kumano, the sign markers 🪧 . Every 1/2 km, there’s a marker. if you wander off you will realize quickly and can trace your steps back to last 1/2 mile marker. These directional markers are amazing in explaining where you coming from, where you are headed. They are accurate and very frequent. There are even signs that says ‘ Not Kumano Kodo’. I thought that was brilliant.

Finally I made it to my destination. An open viewpoint area, mainly end of the day 1 trek for most people doing the Kumano. It was a perfect spot for lunch from the veggie bento box that my gracious host from the previous night had put together for me. I had my lunch in this serene place and waited for my new host to come pick me up from here.

The best surprise here was that someone was making fresh coffee by grinding beans for the hikers. I had my decaf for ¥400 and I was a happy camper.🥹.

Arigato 💕