The final hiking day was the one with the biggest payoff: the iconic Nachi Taicha Grand Shrine and Nachi Falls. To get there though, you have to complete the most strenuous part of the trek, with 1200 meters of ascension in total. Whereas James bravely opted to keep his pack[…]
Saying goodbye to Yonomine Onsen wasn’t as difficult as leaving some of the other villages along this journey. Not only did the sulfur from the natural hot springs make the whole town smell like eggs, but the inn we stayed at was run by a strange, pushy woman who kept[…]
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[…]