Walking the Kumano Kodo

The Kumano Kodo is a network of pilgrimage trails in the mountains of the Kii Peninsula, south of Osaka. For over a thousand years, emperors, monks and ordinary people have walked them to reach the three grand shrines of Kumano. Today the routes are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most rewarding walks in Japan.

It is also hilly, often wet, and more demanding than the photographs suggest. Here is an honest picture.

Which route

There are several routes. Most visitors walk the Nakahechi, the old imperial route, which runs east from near Tanabe through the mountains to Kumano Hongū Taisha. It is the best supported, with small inns along the way and buses to help at either end.

The full Nakahechi to Hongū is typically walked over three or four days. Many people walk only part of it, and that is a perfectly good way to do it. We often suggest two or three days of walking, with nights in villages along the trail.

Other routes, such as the Kohechi from Kōyasan, are longer, steeper and more remote. They suit experienced walkers who are comfortable with fewer facilities.

What the walking is like

Expect forest. Tall cedar and cypress, moss on everything, stone steps worn smooth by centuries of feet. Small stone statues and shrines, the Ōji, mark the way. In the gaps between trees, you see layers of blue ridges disappearing into mist.

Expect hills, too. The trail climbs and descends constantly, often on steep, uneven stone. A typical day might be 10 to 20 kilometres with several hundred metres of ascent, which takes five to eight hours at a gentle pace with stops. Your knees will notice the descents more than your lungs notice the climbs.

You do not need to be an athlete. You do need to be comfortable walking for most of a day, several days in a row, on rough ground.

When to go

• Spring, March to May: mild, fresh, with mountain cherries in early April.
• Autumn, October to November: clear skies, cooler air, some colour in the leaves.
• Winter: cold but often dry and very quiet. Some inns close or reduce services.
• Summer: hot, humid, and the rainy season in June can be heavy. Typhoons are possible from late summer into autumn.

The Kii Peninsula is one of the wettest regions in Japan. Whatever the season, plan for rain. The forest is, if anything, more beautiful in it.

Where you sleep

Nights are spent in small family-run inns and guesthouses in the villages along the trail. Rooms are simple, usually tatami with futons. Many have hot spring baths. Dinner and breakfast are typically included and very good: mountain vegetables, river fish, pickles, rice.

These inns are small and book up early, especially in spring and autumn. This is one of the reasons we suggest planning months ahead.

At the end, many walkers stay in the onsen villages near Hongū. Yunomine, one of the oldest hot spring towns in Japan, has a tiny riverside bath that has been used by pilgrims for centuries. Kawa-yu, nearby, has hot water bubbling up through the riverbed itself.

Your bags

You do not carry your luggage. A local service typically forwards bags between inns each day, so you walk with a daypack: water, lunch, a rain jacket, a little cash. Inns often prepare a packed lunch for the trail.

What to bring

• Broken-in walking shoes or boots with good grip. The stones are slippery when wet.
• A proper waterproof jacket, and a pack cover.
• Walking poles, especially for the descents.
• Cash. Small inns and trailside honesty stalls often do not take cards.
• A small towel. You will be glad of it.

Walking with a guide

Many people walk the Nakahechi independently, and the trail is well marked. A guide adds something different: the stories behind the shrines, the names of the plants, the right pace on a steep day, and a quiet word with the inn when you arrive. On our journeys, a local walking guide joins you for at least the first day, and longer if you would like.

A pilgrim's pace

The Kumano Kodo was never meant to be walked fast. Pilgrims stopped at every Ōji to pray, rest and look. Do the same. Sit on the stone steps, drink your tea, let the walkers behind you pass. The trail has been here for a thousand years. It is not in a hurry, and neither should you be.