Days 1 and 2 of the Kumano Kodo Trail

Last week, we embarked on our six-day trek through the Kumano Kodo: a UNESCO-recognized network of pilgrimage trails that have been important spiritual routes for over a thousand years.

The itinerary we followed (described here) was the classic Nakahechi trek that starts in Takijiri and ends at Nachi Falls. I had shipped my laptop to Osaka with the rest of our luggage, so I’m just catching up on the blog now. I’ll document the hike in chronological order in a series of posts, with some days grouped together.

Day 1: Takijiri to Takahara (4km)

Day 1 was mostly spent taking the train to Tanabe: the starting city for the trail. Coming from Kyoto, that took approximately four hours. Then, we had a steep but short 4km hike to our first accommodation in Takahara.

We booked this trip through the Kumano Travel website, and our accommodations were arranged for us. So, we were never quite sure what we were going to find each evening. However, our first stay wound up being exceedingly difficult to top. This incredible home was previously owned by a geisha (who, by all accounts, was very successful in her line of work). Every detail of this house was a work of art, to the point that we considered abandoning our hiking plan and just booking a week here.

The house is now owned by Miko, who runs it as a luxury guesthouse for hikers (Kumorian). She is an absolutely delightful person, and an incredible cook. We truly did not ever want to leave.

Day 2: Takahara to Tsugizakura-oji (13km)

Reluctantly, we said goodbye to Miko and her beautiful home, and began our first real hike on Day 2.

The trail takes you through old growth forests, with various waterfalls, bridges, and shrines along the way.

Unsurprisingly, Miko’s packed lunch was very on point.

So many cherry blossoms! They are in full bloom now.

We reached the town of Chikatsuyu in good time and high spirits. So, we decided to celebrate with an afternoon beer in a “Sakura Beer Garden” that we came across.

However, it turned out that our next accommodation was not in Chikatsuyu. Rather, it was in Tsugizakura, which was still several kilometers away. Oops! Back to the tipsy trail we went. Good thing it was such a beautiful day out.