- Kumano Kodo & Gorge
- Katsuura, Nachi, & Nagoya
- Nagoya & Yamaguchi
- Akiyoshidai & Asa
- Asa & Matsue
- Matsue & Kanazawa
- Kanazawa & Wajima
Here is a map of the route we took and the exact places. Wow did we make it far during our first week. We were traveling at the speed of a Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train)! Sadly Google Map doesn't allow you to have all those points while in public transportation mode, but we did travel the entire way on JR train.
 |
Rice field in Takahara about 4 hrs
into our pilgrimage |
 |
Woods on between Takahara
and Jujo-oji |
Val found the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage on the National Geographic
website. After the Onaida Nature Trail I was a little hesitant to
go on another Japanese hike, but since National Geographic recommended it, we
thought it shouldn’t be too hard, so we began our pilgrimage. The beginning of
our hike began in a slight sprinkle but it eventually dried out. The cloud
formations and atmosphere or the whole hike was miraculous. With the mist
rolling in through the woods, the bright orange crabs crawling by, dark red wood
chips covering the walkway, and the bright green leaves, the pilgrimage was
interesting, but not as easy of a hike as we had hoped. At one point, we came
out at a hilltop village surrounded by rice fields all the way near the top of
this mountain range in the Kii Peninsula. By this time, we were completely exhausted, even though it was only
six in the evening. We opted to set up our home and go to sleep. The next day
we finished our pilgrimage, which ended at the next closest bus stop that would
take us to the shrines.
 |
| Dorokyo Gorge in Shiko |
 |
| Dorokyo Gorge in Shiko |
 |
| Kurano Nashi Grand Shrine Torii |
We eventually made our way the Grand Nachi Shrine, which was
located by one of the tallest waterfalls in Japan. At the top of the stairs to
the shrine, we were greeted by the unforgettable scent of incense. The pagoda with the
waterfall in the distance was remarkable, even now it looks like it was photo-shopped,
and the experience was surreal. The shrine was one of the best that we visited
and the different shops that lined some of the walk-ways were nice. I found a
fantastic re-usable bag for Val.
 |
Kurano Nashi Pagoda
with "tallest" waterfall
in Japan |
Leaving the Kii Peninsula we headed for Nagoya, which is also the
closest connection to the Shinkansen to our next location. Interestingly we
could not find a park in Nagoya to camp out in, but we did find a park-ish area
that was around the Nagoya Noh Theater and that is where we slept. It was a great find
for us. It was a little farther away from traffic, so it was quieter. In
addition, it had less foot traffic as well, so we were able to sleep in.
After
visiting a few other destinations, we eventually made it to Kanazawa. Before
leaving this destination for the rice fields, we had to check out the castle.
We had previously checked out Himeji Castle, but could not enter the main
castle as it is under renovation. Here was us hoping we could see the interior
of Kanazawa Castle…alas the actual castle was destroyed hundreds of years ago
and they are working on reconstructing the castle following old photos, plans,
and pieces that had survived from the original.
