Day 3 : Kumano Kodo- Takahara to chikatsuyu

(with a side of Amazing unexpected adventures)

This was one of those special days, a day that filled my heart with gratitude and brought back cherished memories. The wind danced with heavy rain and brought some fun adventures with it.

It was a day that reminded me of hiking the lush trails back in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), along with the nostalgic childhood memories of growing up in India. A humble reminder of life’s simple pleasures and the precious connections. A reminder that of how nature transcends human made boundaries.

The previous day I had finished my hike at a viewpoint lot where I enjoyed my yummy bento box and freshly made coffee with amazing views. This is where I was picked up my next accommodation’s host.

Little did I know when I booked Giovinne’s place, what an amazing day this was going to be and what a treat I was in for. As I was mentioning earlier it is not feasible to do Kumano without booking your accommodations since there are no walk in hostels or lodges. The Kumano way is to stay with your hosts and experience what it feels like to live in these small villages. Off course, you could also take public transportation and go out of the village every day, stay in some hotels and then travel back to your trail the next day. This is what I ended up doing this day since I was not able to find any accommodation close to my trail. Probably because my trip planned at the last minute.

I knew his place was very remote and he had kindly offered to come pick me up. He showed up at the right time with an amazing smile. I was even more blown away by his kindness when I learnt that he drove 35 minute drive in arguably the narrowest and steepest mountain road you can imagine.

That Italian knew how to drive his truck like a Ferrari. 😂

Here’s the delightful twist: As we journeyed to his home he mentioned he’d moved to Japan about 8-9 years ago with his wife of 25 years, originally from Japan. While he grew up and lived throughout Italy, his career path took him to Michelin-starred restaurants as a top chef. The high-stress lifestyle eventually took its toll, and he yearned for a change.

His dream of a farm-to-table concept led him to purchase farmland and an old house. Here, he pours his heart into creating a unique experience for guests – amazing food holidays with a touch of rustic charm.

My jaw dropped as I entered his home. The walls proudly displayed various certificates recognizing him as a top producer of goat cheese in Japan, alongside a decorated Michelin Guide for Wakayama Prefecture. Despite these impressive achievements, his humility was truly remarkable.

He showed me to my room, which was a loft going down the steepest old creaky staircase, which I was super scared to climb 🤣, but a comfortable futon was waiting there for me. Many times you don’t know what to expect, and I was in that mind frame.

And then he said, would you like to go see my baby goats, they were born two days back. And I was like heck yeah 😸

As you can see in the picture, we were seated in the back of his other farm truck. The couple you see are from the Netherlands and were enjoying a three-week vacation in Japan. We had a fantastic time chatting and creating lasting memories together.

Again, he drives like its a race track🤪😅, safe but boy what an adventure. It was so much fun, going down those windy mountain roads, and the open air truck, we were laughing all this time. Baby goats were super cute and Giovinne loves them. He says these are my pets not work animals and has his favorite named as Bianca and Banana, yes those are names of his goats😀.

Best Italian vegetarian meal of my life!!

After learning of my vegetarian preferences, he surprised me with a custom-made Italian feast – and let me tell you, it was the best Italian food I have had. The vibrant colors on my plate (just peek at the pictures!) were a feast for the eyes before I even took a bite. This wasn’t just a meal; it filled me with pure joy and deep appreciation for his talent and generosity.

The entire meal was crafted from scratch and most of it grown right here at his farm.

After an amazing adventure, extraordinary meals, next morning he dropped me at that same view point where he had picked me up. I was refreshed and ready to start my hike for the day.

It had been raining all night, so I was prepared for the wet and slippery terrain with my raincoat on. The hike was starting with steep elevation and it was going to be a longer day than the day before about the same elevation.

The hike reminded me of how it is to hike back in PNW. With the rain, it looked so much like back home just more tropical. Ferns and mosses growing everywhere. Forest was so beautiful, birds chirping like crazy. I had my raincoat on, and I was enjoying the the trek.

Kumano is oriented around three main shrines but you get the opportunity to visit many smaller shrines as you go through the trail. These are called Oji, subsidiary shrines of grand Kumano shrines. The belief is these are lined to protect and keep the pilgrims safe and to show them the way.

It was a moderate hike, but I knew the strenuous ones are coming, so this was a good pre-conditioner.

I kept adding stamps to my pilgrim passport as I was passing through the small Ojis. There is stamp pad and a stamp there to document your walk. You stamp it yourself unlike Camino. These are not available at restaurants etc, these are at shrines only.

It was so beautiful walking through the forest, seeing the waterfalls, chirping birds everywhere. Pictures don’t do justice.

That trail was not too crowded. I saw maybe 10-12 people throughout the day, the usual suspects, a lot of Germans and Australians. Good conversations exchange of smiles and support was everywhere.

The culture of respect keeps you grounded, and I love that about many places I have visited before and it is everywhere in Japan. From the day I landed, to this day, I have met with the people bowing, sharing smiles, offering help with kindness in their hearts which is very obvious. I was so grateful.

I was getting close to Chickatsuyu village. This was one of the bigger village before the next three days of hike where there is one big co-op store. Everybody tries to get supplies there. I was looking forward to get some snacks there. I was already thinking food 🤪.

I started at 9:30 today and it was almost 4 o’clock when I hit the village shrine. I was tired and my accommodation was little off the trail so I had to go find this place. I paid my respects at the Chikatsuyu Oji and went off village to look for my accommodations.

More on that tomorrow.