In 2004 Kumano Kodo became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and quickly became a sought-after destination since it was one of the only two pilgrimage paths designated as such. Kumano Kodo is not a single path but the collective name for five pilgrimage routes passing through the Kumano area. I did the Nakahechi route. The main connection in all of these routes is that they all pass through three grand shrines Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha known as the Kumano Grand Shrines.
It took me three days to get to the first shrine, Hongu Taisha where I got the blessings for a Dual pilgrimage, and then I got to the Nachi Taisha after the hardest day hike.
This day, I made my way to my third and final shrine Kumano Hayatama Taisha and also the Kamikura Shrine.
Kumano Hayatama Taisha is in the center of Shingu City, a 15-minute walk from JR Shingu Station. It’s a new shrine of the traditional Kamikura Shrine which is about 1 km from Kumano Hayatama Taisha.
Legend has it that the Gods of Kumano first descended on a massive rock called Gotobiki Iwa Rock, the object of worship for this shrine. This Gotobiki Iwa Rock is at Kamikura Shrine.
The beautiful red torii gate, and an insanely steep and narrow staircase rise to the top with 538 steps to this rock at Kamikura shrine. I don’t know if I can explain this staircase, it almost felt like I was going to go down 3-4 times during these 538 steps😅. It is astonishingly steep and enough to make one nervous.
I was in Nachisan village the night before after my hardest hike day. So, sharing a few tidbits from that stay before we talk about the current day. Everywhere I’ve been in Japan, I have noticed that they don’t wear outdoor footwear inside their houses. I know it’s followed to a certain degree in many places/cultures but Japan is on a different level. Every accommodation I have been to provides guests with indoor slippers that guests can use to wander and walk around while at the host’s accommodation. If you have to use the bathroom, it’s a different slipper set. You leave that in the toilet itself.
When I checked into the accommodations the night before, I smiled as I saw they had a shoe cubby labeled with my name and were waiting for my shoes to get in there then when I changed into their slippers, they had me remove those when I went to eat in their eating area. I walked barefoot in the eating area and left my loaned slippers again in my dining area slipper cubby, labeled for every guest. So this accommodation topped it all for me :).
I also want to mention Yukata culture. Yukata was almost always provided. It was normal for guests to walk around in Yukata in dinner areas and the guest houses. It felt like everyone was in a uniform 🙂 but oh so comfortable after long days of hiking and having to change into clean clothes. A Yukata ( a type of summery, kimono-robe made from light cotton ( most of the time). It can be as basic or as extravagant as you like).
The only unbreakable rule is that the left side should be placed on top of the right side, as placing right over left is reserved for dressing the deceased. I was corrected for that as I wore it on my first day and my host was like no, this is how we put it on the dead people. I was like ‘Up your game girl‘ haha.
The next morning, I woke up to catch the bus to Grand Shrine Hayatama Taisha and I planned to hike to the traditional shrine’s long and steep staircase. As I checked out of my hotel, I walked through the coastal town of Nachi. Nachi was a small cute little town famous for its fishing industry. I did not explore much as I was late for my next bus.
As I was waiting for the bus to show up, someone suggested I should instead take the train as it would be faster and cheaper. I did not know that there was a train to Shingu from there. The person was so helpful, he helped me buy the train ticket as well and showed me the platform too.
I took the train to Shingu to pay respects to my third and final shrine today.
When I reached Shingu, I walked into a 7/11 and got snacks for the day. I had mentioned before that 7/11 here in Japan is much nicer than at home, and you can get a pretty nice meal at these convenience stores. Rice balls, shaped round or triangular, are available in so many flavors. They are filled with fish, vegetables, or pickles. I used to always look for the pink one with plum fillings. Mochi is a whole different ball game in Japan, you don’t want to get TJ mochi after you tried one there ;-).
Then I got a good laugh when I saw the coffee. So I had to take a picture to share with my PNW peeps.
I walked to my third shrine and paid respects there. It was a beautiful day and a very uplifting feeling as I was able to visit all of Kumano’s shrines by now.
Then, I started walking towards the traditional old shrine with the craziest staircase of 530+ stairs. I was excited to walk the conventional route.
As I got to the entrance of the Kamikura shrine, I saw more snake warnings. These warnings look more serious, and I was like, please stay in your hiding wherever you are ;- )
Walking up the narrowest staircase, I saw a senior coming down. She was almost coming down bent without poles. I was admiring her. Not even 5 minutes passed by, and I saw her going back up again. I thought, I was mistaken so I stopped her and asked. She said that for the past 10 years, she has been visiting the traditional shrine 2 times daily, my jaw dropped and I had to grab a picture to save this beautiful memory of such an inspiring person. She was in her bike helmet and was going up and down like she had it all nailed down.
It was a scary staircase, but the top view was so worth it. Touching the traditional big stone and getting blessings there was something else.
My heart was full and my Kumano was done today. I was so grateful that I had the opportunity to walk the sacred paths of these forests and mountains where people from all levels of society have made the arduous pilgrimage. What compelled so many people to make the pilgrimage to Kumano from centuries, I don't know that BUT I do know that I feel very blessed to be able to do yet another walking meditation.
As I finished my Kumano Kodo trek, I did a 5-hour bus journey to the mountain Village of ‘ Koyasan’ with 117+ shrines, more on that in the next post.
Arigato💕
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I have enjoyed reading about your journey. Several years ago I visited Mt Hiei outside Kyoto. It was a very spiritual experience for me. My visit was very special because I saw a marathon monk. My guide said seeing him made her feel like she was reborn.
I am curious if you used luggage transport between each accommodation. I cannot see how large your backpack was.
Wow, a marathon monk. I have to read about Mt. Hiei. Seems like a very special journey for you. My backpack was small. The only reason, I carried a small carry on , I wanted to take my heavy backpacking boots and hiking poles from home. I did not need anything in between my accommodations from this bag so i sent it to the last accommodation before I left for Koyasan. I did not see the bag for 6 days.