Wrapping Up Our Magical Kumano Kodo Trail Experience (Days 5 and 6)

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 for the duration of the hike, I caved and shipped mine to Nachi for 4500 yen. Then James carried my food for me. James is the best.

Have you ever eaten a bento box under a waterfall? 10/10 recommend.

The view from the highest point!

You know you’re nearing the end of a Kumano Kodo hike when the cedar trees start giving way to cherry trees.

We didn’t have much time to explore Nachi Taicha on Day 5, as we didn’t want to miss dinner at our guesthouse. But we had some free time the next morning to roam around taking photos (and a stamp that we had missed). As you can see, my backpack was safely waiting for me in Nachi. Japan’s luggage delivery services are superb.

Although we packed our rain jackets, it didn’t rain once until we had already finished the trek. What luck. I even liked the rain on our last morning, because it made for some really dramatic photos of the pagoda and the torii.

A couple more cherry blossom shots for good measure.

After a quick coffee break to warm up, it was back on the shinkansen to Osaka. Thank you for the memories, Kumano Kodo! What an amazing journey.