- Time of past OR future Camino
- May 2023: Via Francigena, Lucca to Rome
I just came back from a trip to the Kumano Kodo region in Japan. I wasn't able to do the four-day Nakahechi Route (the one that earns you the dual compostela), but we did a lot of day hikes & I talked to everyone I could who had just done parts of the trail.
OUR ROUTE
Day one: Koyasan. Temple stay in a remote, 1200-year old Buddhist temple complex on Mount Koya.
This was one of the more beautiful places I've been to anywhere. If you are ever in Kyoto or Osaka I'd recommend planning for at least an overnight trip to Koyasan. It's special.
Day two: Bus to Kawayu Onsen.
We only met one pilgrim who was taking the bus to Kii-Tanabe to walk the Kumano Kodo with a group. There were two Japanese couples who were following the same itinerary we were. And that was everyone on the bus.
Kawayu Onsen was heavily damaged during a typhoon in September. The famous outdoor onsen were still buried in sediment, and most of the guesthouses were closed. I really liked our pension, but until the village recovers I'd recommend staying in the more scenic Yunomine Onsen.
Whichever you choose, you'll be able to enjoy a thermal mineral bath at the end of your day. Most pilgrims, whether they arrive by bus or by foot, spend two nights here.
Day three: Two half-day walks. Nakahechi Route from Hosshinmon Oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha. Danichi-goe Route from Hongu Taisha to Yunomine Onsen. Trail maps.
The walk from Hosshinmon is the most popular route, and I've heard it's the most scenic. It's mostly downhill, and passes through a few small villages and a beautiful cedar forest. It only takes few hours, and you arrive in town in time for lunch. The second walk was short but steep and rugged.
Day four: Kumano-gawa River Pilgrimage Route. from Hongu Taisha to Kumano Hayatama Taisha. Daimon-zaka trail to Kumano Nachi Taisha.
Part of the pilgrimage involves a boat trip! This was fun. I think the trail for this part was still closed due to typhoon damage, so your only choice is to bus or boat. This was the first day where I started to feel a sense of community, as we ran into the same people throughout the day.
THOUGHTS
I realize that it's almost impossible to compare a six week walking pilgrimage to a four-day busing-walking-boating pilgrimage ... but I'm going to try anyways. This part is obviously going to be very subjective. The following is partly based on my own experiences, and partly based on talking to others who walked.
Planning: You can make all of your arrangements on the Kumano Tourism Bureau website. I only met one person who was winging it. Everyone else did their trip planning in advance.
Scenery: Wild mountains, old cedar forests, and beautiful shrines & temples - no complaints here! It rivals anything in France or Spain. And the fall colors in November are spectacular.
Difficulty: This is a mountain trail, and pilgrims we met described it as 'mental.' There are no flat areas; you are either going up or down, and except for the last half day the trails are steep. We only met one person who walked the whole route. Everyone else bused through some sections.
Spirituality: In some ways the level of spirituality is far higher than in France or Spain. The Kumano Kodo is a sacred region for the Shinto religion, and Mount Koya is a sacred mountain for Shingon Buddhism. There are shrines everywhere along the path, and the temples are full of Japanese pilgrims. However, I'm not overly familiar with Buddhist or Shinto rituals, so on a personal level I often felt more like an observer than a participant.
Hospitality. The Japanese were invariably warm and gracious, but also a bit formal and reserved. Part of this was due to language barriers, and part to Japanese culture.
Food. Always high quality, but not always exciting. It was much better than the 'pilgrim meals' in Spain, but not quite on the level of those home-cooked meals in France.
Sense of Community: Very low. I think there's a couple reasons for this. One, the Kumano Kodo is a shorter trail, so there isn't the time for a sense of community to evolve. Also, there aren't the same types of communal spaces that you find in France and Spain - there were no cafes on the plaza where pilgrims could gather and mingle. Guesthouses rarely had lounges for guests. Onsen (hot tubs) were mostly aimed at individuals or couples. The places to stay were also spread out - the pensions and guesthouses weren't on the trail, and usually involved a bus ride from the main village. Finally, I think Japanese formality rubs off on visitors. I didn't see groups casually forming. Even at dinner, each guest or couple would have a placard indicating their table, and so everyone ends up spread out and eating separately.
The only time we actually interacted with others was on buses (where it was often a group effort to watch for the right stop) and on the final boat trip. And so it wasn't until the end of the trip that any type of pilgrim community was starting to form!
That elusive "camino feeling." I didn't feel it. Maybe if we had walked the whole route I would have? I didn't meet any dual-pilgrims to compare notes with.
Final thoughts: This was a great region to explore, and to get a deeper experience of Japan than you'll find in Kyoto or Tokyo. I'm really glad that we went, it was a great trip ... but it did not satisfy that camino craving. I guess I'll have to keep planning for the next one ...
OUR ROUTE
Day one: Koyasan. Temple stay in a remote, 1200-year old Buddhist temple complex on Mount Koya.
This was one of the more beautiful places I've been to anywhere. If you are ever in Kyoto or Osaka I'd recommend planning for at least an overnight trip to Koyasan. It's special.
Day two: Bus to Kawayu Onsen.
We only met one pilgrim who was taking the bus to Kii-Tanabe to walk the Kumano Kodo with a group. There were two Japanese couples who were following the same itinerary we were. And that was everyone on the bus.
Kawayu Onsen was heavily damaged during a typhoon in September. The famous outdoor onsen were still buried in sediment, and most of the guesthouses were closed. I really liked our pension, but until the village recovers I'd recommend staying in the more scenic Yunomine Onsen.
Whichever you choose, you'll be able to enjoy a thermal mineral bath at the end of your day. Most pilgrims, whether they arrive by bus or by foot, spend two nights here.
Day three: Two half-day walks. Nakahechi Route from Hosshinmon Oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha. Danichi-goe Route from Hongu Taisha to Yunomine Onsen. Trail maps.
The walk from Hosshinmon is the most popular route, and I've heard it's the most scenic. It's mostly downhill, and passes through a few small villages and a beautiful cedar forest. It only takes few hours, and you arrive in town in time for lunch. The second walk was short but steep and rugged.
Day four: Kumano-gawa River Pilgrimage Route. from Hongu Taisha to Kumano Hayatama Taisha. Daimon-zaka trail to Kumano Nachi Taisha.
Part of the pilgrimage involves a boat trip! This was fun. I think the trail for this part was still closed due to typhoon damage, so your only choice is to bus or boat. This was the first day where I started to feel a sense of community, as we ran into the same people throughout the day.
THOUGHTS
I realize that it's almost impossible to compare a six week walking pilgrimage to a four-day busing-walking-boating pilgrimage ... but I'm going to try anyways. This part is obviously going to be very subjective. The following is partly based on my own experiences, and partly based on talking to others who walked.
Planning: You can make all of your arrangements on the Kumano Tourism Bureau website. I only met one person who was winging it. Everyone else did their trip planning in advance.
Scenery: Wild mountains, old cedar forests, and beautiful shrines & temples - no complaints here! It rivals anything in France or Spain. And the fall colors in November are spectacular.
Difficulty: This is a mountain trail, and pilgrims we met described it as 'mental.' There are no flat areas; you are either going up or down, and except for the last half day the trails are steep. We only met one person who walked the whole route. Everyone else bused through some sections.
Spirituality: In some ways the level of spirituality is far higher than in France or Spain. The Kumano Kodo is a sacred region for the Shinto religion, and Mount Koya is a sacred mountain for Shingon Buddhism. There are shrines everywhere along the path, and the temples are full of Japanese pilgrims. However, I'm not overly familiar with Buddhist or Shinto rituals, so on a personal level I often felt more like an observer than a participant.
Hospitality. The Japanese were invariably warm and gracious, but also a bit formal and reserved. Part of this was due to language barriers, and part to Japanese culture.
Food. Always high quality, but not always exciting. It was much better than the 'pilgrim meals' in Spain, but not quite on the level of those home-cooked meals in France.
Sense of Community: Very low. I think there's a couple reasons for this. One, the Kumano Kodo is a shorter trail, so there isn't the time for a sense of community to evolve. Also, there aren't the same types of communal spaces that you find in France and Spain - there were no cafes on the plaza where pilgrims could gather and mingle. Guesthouses rarely had lounges for guests. Onsen (hot tubs) were mostly aimed at individuals or couples. The places to stay were also spread out - the pensions and guesthouses weren't on the trail, and usually involved a bus ride from the main village. Finally, I think Japanese formality rubs off on visitors. I didn't see groups casually forming. Even at dinner, each guest or couple would have a placard indicating their table, and so everyone ends up spread out and eating separately.
The only time we actually interacted with others was on buses (where it was often a group effort to watch for the right stop) and on the final boat trip. And so it wasn't until the end of the trip that any type of pilgrim community was starting to form!
That elusive "camino feeling." I didn't feel it. Maybe if we had walked the whole route I would have? I didn't meet any dual-pilgrims to compare notes with.
Final thoughts: This was a great region to explore, and to get a deeper experience of Japan than you'll find in Kyoto or Tokyo. I'm really glad that we went, it was a great trip ... but it did not satisfy that camino craving. I guess I'll have to keep planning for the next one ...
Last edited: