Kumano Koda Pilgrimage, Japan

One of the many pics by 
Jim Ellis our leader

Entrenched in a rainstorm near the Apex of a 4,000' cone shaped peak, my raincoat provided no protection to the penetrating driving rain.  Enshrouded by the mystic clouds with periodic views of the valleys below, the trail was feeling like a cross of torture and magic being rolled up in one. I was separated from the group, the speedy ones Larry and Carroll were ahead of me somewhere on the trail, the Doc and our leader Jim somewhere behind. So after an hour or so of being alone, I sat down on a rock along the darkened trail, soaked to the bone, and exhausted. I decided to put in my in Airpods and get some motivating music, and then it happened... a voice came on and said, "Is anybody out there,"say what, I looked around bewildered and realized Pink Floyd had resonated my moment of awe!

Loraine and I were ready for the second part of our adventure.  A two week trek along the famous 1000 year old Kumano Koda Pilgrimage, which still hasn't been discovered by the majority of travelers outside the country. There were many days we didn't even come across other trekkers, so the trails were quite peaceful. All I kept thinking was how fun and easy this trek was going to be, no altitude to deal with, no sleeping on the ground, and ending up each day in a guesthouse with an Onsen (hot spring bath). I was in for a surprise. 

Jim, our group leader, Carroll, Karen, Larry,
Gaylinn (Doc), me and Loraine.

Kyoto, the Ancient Now: Before we started the trek we met up with everyone for a quick 2 day tour of Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan before Tokyo, and nowadays a thriving tourist trap. This time we had an amazing local guide, Koichi, who lead us through the city like a wizard, timing perfectly all the subway stops and entries to temples and shrines, even in the rain. 

Main Torii gate

Our first stop was at the Inari Shrine and once you pass through the main torii (gate) you walk into a channeling scene of more than 10,000 torii  all over the mountainside, quite the start.

The beginning of
10,000 Torii gates

Our next stop was the Sanjusangendo temple which is the largest buddha temple in the world. The main temple building is extraordinary,  holding 1001 real life size guardian buddha statues decorated with gold lace. My guess, is that it would be similar to the Chinese Terracotta sculptures. The Buddha guardians all have different roles and our the protectors of the temples from evil spirits and thieves.

1001 Buddha guardians

Built in the 1100s it is the home to the famous annual archery contests, where archers came from all around Japan to test their skill. Outside the temple, they would shoot arrows from over 300' (100m) to hit a target. Here, Loraine is being awarded the ninja star for finding one of the arrows still stuck in the rafters after 100s of years. Next we took a subway to the idyllic lake setting of the Paradise temple.  The Byodoin Temple originally built in 998, is sometimes referred to as the Paradise temple, or Pure land. On top sits the Phoenix, (the legendary bird), and in ancient Japan it was believed whoever could drink its blood will have eternal life... wouldn't that be nice!

Paradise temple

Koichi, our guide & 
arrow finder Loraine

Burnt down in 1336 by a Samura, BTW, turns out our guide, Koichi, is a descendent from one of the original Shoguns, it was rebuilt again and used as a villa retreat by a local politician. It is now a famous World Heritage site. In the gift shop, Loraine and I purchased the Japanese symbol for love which now presides in our house.  

The purest form of love

Matcha, here we come. The next day we headed out on the train to Uji, where the famous green tea is grown which dates back 800 years. Here you can find the best green tea in Japan, with its antioxidant properties and it natural energy boost without caffeine. The first thing we did was a traditional tea party sitting on the floor with our legs crossed. You might as well torture me, who can sit in these knee challenging positions anyway, but it was interesting to watch the cultural tradition (not really my thing).  On the other hand, main street is loaded with every green tea item possible, including chocolate. We settled for the green tea ice cream dish, although just regular green matcha ice cream on a cone is still the purest and best. The matcha ice cream has a  unique flavor plus an added natural energy boost. 

Matcha ice cream dish

Green tea ceremony

Sake factory, now your talking. Next train stop we got off at one of the historic saki factories of Kyoto. We did a self guided historical walk through the building (which I rushed through) before arriving in the tasting room. Here they have 10 different tastings stations, with 3 free samples. Of course trying to rate Saki isn't as easy as it sounds, so we were forced to buy another round or two to make sure. Most of agreed on #10, very aromatic and not too sweet. 

Doc and Loraine enjoying 
the Saki tasting

The winner #10

Kumano Koda trek, the adventure begins: The Kumano Koda is a network of 100s of miles of hiking possibilities. Located on the Kii peninsula in the Kansai province about a three hour train ride from Kyoto. We first went to Kanabe, and then took a bus ride to Takijiri, where you sign in at the visitor center to start the trek. As early as the 11th century, the trails were traveled by Royalty to honor their forefathers and find peace. The trails offer everything from challenging mountain routes through ancient villages to paths along the ocean's edge- see book recommendation at the end.  

Kii pennisula, south
of Osaka, & kyoto

Off to catch our first train
from Kyoto to the trek

Various routes of Kumano 
Koda treks

The idea behind the trek is a Pilgrimage. This journey could be to honor the dead, or for your own salvation, (sometimes the trek was the last thing you did before you died) and a way to get you closer to the gods. As Jim, our guide, would say, "it's not a pilgrimage unless you suffer a little".  Suffer we did, enlightened we became, aware we were, after our nightly Saki of course. 

Start of Nakahechi trail

Day 1:

Takijiri visitor center, you
sign up here to get a ?

The Nakahechi/ Imperial Route. Unfortunately, the first day was a pretty good kicker for everyone, especially for any newbies to hiking, or if your recovering from a recent hip surgery. The trail started pretty much straight up for about 800 feet, and you are negotiating uneven rocky steps, through shadowy Cypress trees. Luckily it was only 3.5 miles, but still quite the challenge, right off the bat. At one point someone said, "watch out for the bear in the cave," say what, bears in Japan"? No-way. So of course when we came to the cave, I had to go check it out, and there it was sitting at the entry with its protruding jaw and white face. All I remember is that it was huge, with no time for pictures. So, I backed away and yelled, "nice bear, you look real to me," and hightailed it out of there. 

Last minute instructions
by Jim

Asiatic brown bear cr. JTravel

We had to wait a little while for Karen and Larry. Turns out, they had never been hiking before and had never used trekking poles. Karen struggled at the start with the large  rocky steps and using her poles  (kind of looked like a shore crab staggering up a tide pool). She never gave up though and in time, her dexterity of the poles improved by leaps and bounds. Luckily Jim, our guide, was nice enough to carry her pack, and she was off and well on her. Meanwhile, Loraine was 3 months out from a total hip replacement, and it was a push for her since she had no time to train. But, she did well and never complained. Once we reached the ridge-top of the trail, and everyone found their rhythm, we cruised into our first night stay at the Kiribati Takayama guesthouse in the mountain village of Takahara. 

One of the Buddha temples
on the trail

The massage chair and
a beer

Waiting there for us was Johnny. He  kind of reminded me of Johnny Carson.  Smiling from ear to ear, he proceeded to memorize all our names in a matter of minutes.  He could do it all, a comedian, bartender, server, and the best part was that he played the Flamenco guitar for our morning coffee. After a beer, and the massage chair, we settled in for first of many tantalising Japanese dinners.  Many times cooking dinner involved the use of Kobachi bowls, which were placed on our table, using a sterno candle for the heat. When the candle goes out in @15 minutes, dinner is done. It was now time to retire, little did I know I would have some pretty gnarly leg cramps in the middle of the night (remember I thought this was going to be easy). Luckily, Jim brought some extra electrolytes to keep me going over the rest of the trip--lesson learned. 

Shrine along the trail

The first of many astonishing
meals along the trek

View out our window at 
the guesthouse

Day 2 Takahara to Chikatsuyu: We got up bright and early to hit the trail winding through the shaded folded forest of Japanese Cedar and Cypress trees. Many of the trees had the same diameter, which I thought was kind of bazaar for a forest until you find out the reason why. 

I started to realize larry might
be looking at every statue along
the trail.

Same diameter trees

It is an ancient practice, but it was especially important in WW11.  Sometimes the military needed wood with the same dimensions, and it could be harvested quickly for making boats, housing, bridges etc. The hike to Chikatsuyu was not to strenenous and there were many shrines along the way each with their own story.

One of the practices the Japanese do when they are out in nature is called Forest Bathing (shinrin-yoku). This is basically spending time in the forest and taking time to breathe, observe, listen and connecting with nature. I guess you could say it is kind of like sauntering, as John Muir would say, not rushing to get from point A to B. And, this is really what hiking is supposed to be about, not just the exercise. Upon arriving in Chikatsuyu, we were surprised when our host spoke no English, and we were short one room. But once we resolved that it was time our nightly tradition of 

Forest Bathing

Our nightly Saki Ritual
Larry and Karen hosted

Saki and great conversation. 

Day 3: Chikatsuyu to the Onsen city of Takiyoshi was an epic day. Karen and Loraine wanted a break at this point and helped out with lightening our backpacks and took a shuttle to the next guesthouse. In the meantime the rest of us jumped on a bus to get to the trailhead.

Carroll and Larry 
leading the pack

Along the trail, some interesting things were being discovered. The trail is lined with all sorts of small shrines called Kannons, which are buddha bodhisattvas. 

Buddha statue

These buddhist figures represent many things from compassion, to healing, and cosmic dimensions of time. The protector bodhisattvas are souls who have chosen not to enter Nirvana and stay in their current existence to help others to an enlightened state. Acknowledging the bodhisattvas along the trek, helps travelers on a pathway to forgiveness, purification for their past, present and future. "A pilgrimage to Kumano is like a cyclic cosmological journey of salvation". Wow! needless to say, not a Point A to Point B journey, but a time for helping you to reflect on the meaning of the cycles of life. 

Kannon statue of a 
Buddha bodhisattvas 

One of my favorites was Nabeware Jizo, "cracked pot,"which represents a monk who boiled rice water for his master until the water suddenly all disappeared and cracked the pot. I am sure it means something, but I do know what a crack pot is.  These Jizo bodhisattvas are also protectors of children and travelers. 

Guide to Buddhist statues

The cracked pot

Japan's religion is both fascinating and overwhelming. One Japanese traveler told me they have over 800 gods. As George Carlin would say,  "what the heck, how about having just one God--kind of "Amma-like, "... you know, just one supreme being that is in charge of all 8 billion of us, including  other beings. He is afterall, all powerful." Or, maybe we could just have love and compassion be our guiding principle and we take care of our home...Earth. Simple as that, as there are many paths to the top of the mountain. 

After a good 9 hour hike we found the mountain town of Yunomine Onsen. We dropped down a 1000' slippery jagged rocky path only to encounter the statue of a Saki Panda. The statue, if you haven't noticed has huge balls, which a symbol for what happens when you drink a lot of Saki. In our case, I'm taking it as what you needed to complete this section of the trek:)

Saki Panda, with big..you
guessed it big balls!

We walked down the road to find the the Takiyoshi Onsen guest house, where we were greeted by a our wonderful host Reina. We had another delicious meal, that her husband cooked, who wakes up everyday at 4 am to start gathering fresh organic ingredients. Turns out, this mountain side city is the home to one of the oldest sacred Onsen baths in Japan, Tsuboyu Onsen, which has a variety of healing stories over the past 1,800 years. So, I had to try it. I waited in line for my 20 minutes before getting a liquid soak in the emerald water. This experience involves you entering a small cabin with a view of the cascading river outside as you slip into the mineral filled waters. (I felt better almost instantly). 

Outside the river
cabin Onsen

Yunomine Onsen river

  

HONGU: ONE OF THE GRAND SHRINES. We jumped on the bus for a 30 min. ride to the start of a pretty easy trail which gently rolled into the ancient city of Hongu. 

Tea bush along the path

karen along the trail saying
hi to one of the children

The flags for back 
entrance to Hongu

Along the way we encountered children walking on their way to school and saw beautifully manicured gardens growing teas, and various orchards of fruits.  Over 800 years old, this epicenter is a focal for many of the Kumano treks. When you enter the Kumano Hongu Taisha (big shrine), it is said to be the land of Yomi, the 'other world' where spirits traveled in Japanese mythology. Pretty trippy stuff, but there is no denying the intricacies of the Pavilions built with interlaying joints with no use of metal nails. 

One of the Pavilions

Once you finish wondering the collection of Pavilions you make your way down these steps to the formal entry of the complex. Each banner is an offering from a worshipper with a message written on it with various thoughts and meanings. At the bottom of the steps, is the front gate, Torii, where people gather to show off their wares and enjoy festivities. 

steps down to the entry 
filled with banners

The main entry gate to the
Taisha pavilions

The Grand Shrine Otorii: After descending the steps, we wandered through Hongu village. Then, out of nowhere, appears one of the most magnificent sites that I have ever seen; the Otorii Grand Shrine, which is one of the 3 grand shrines of the Kumano. The shrine itself, is the original gateway to the ancient city of Hongu, which is now filled with rice patties. There have been various shrines over the years, but this one was constructed in the year 2000 and is the granddaddy of them all. The Otorii stands 112 feet tall and 138 feet wide, made of all steel and it weighs 172 tons. Imagine the installation process! It took 6 months to manufacture and assemble it. Nowadays, it is the center point for many celebrations and festivals. 

THE GRAND SHRINE OTORII

The next morning, we started a different section of the Kumano Koda trek, called the Kohechi (the mountainous route). This trail cuts through 4 passes over 3000 feet (1000 meters). 

Jim Ellis: our fearless leader

Jim, our fearless leader, was unfazed when the bus driver let us off after a 20 minute ride out in the middle of nowhere, and pointed straight ahead for the trail. After we backtracked a 1/2 mile mile or so, we found the altered trail entrance. Thankfully, Jim had his trusty Gaia App to help us. We then zig zagged up the switchbacks of the trail to the Hatenashi-toge Pass about 3,000' incline.  Along this trail, I got to know my traveler companions a little better. I asked them about what are a few of the tenets of Buddhism. Their responses were enlightening. There were 3 really good ones that I remember: 1. "It is the pause between the breaths that is important." 2. "You are the sky. The clouds are what happens, what comes and goes." 3. "Suffering is part of life, the way to end it is to find the cause of the source, such as: craving (greed), desire and ignorance." Great stuff when you are walking the trail. Since returning back home, I have been trying to apply some of these concepts to my life. Loraine and I are currently reading, "The Monk and the Butterfly," which Torrey, my daughter sent me, written by kai Murano. It is extremely well written and touches on these Zen concepts. There is one particular vinette that has changed me. "The Unfazed flower" teaches us that true inner peace comes from within, a serenity that endures through the storms of life, standing strong and beautiful in the face of adversity. Amazon--The Monk and the Butterfly

Great Zen vignettes

1 of the 33 Kanon Bodhisattvas this
one represents compassion 

views along the ridge

Larry and Karen

Along the trail I learned more about Carroll, our 75 year "Trailblazer". He does more in a 2 days than I do in a week. He trains watching videos by Les Mills called "Body Pump," swing dances, a former Black Belt in Kokikai Aikido, and as for hiking, a Dual Pilgrim, he has climbed all the 46 high peaks (over 4,000") of the Adirondacks in NY,  plus he loves Matcha ice cream.

Carroll Wilcox enjoying his
matcha ice cream

As the day was turning into night along the trail, we started dropping down a 1000' or so into the quaint little mountain city of Totsukawa. Larry and I had gotten ahead of Doc and Jim, and came to a cross section and somehow made a wrong turn. After crossing a swaying bridge over a river we heard a voice from the forest, "you are going the wrong way", reverberating through the valley. 

Suspension bridge w/ the 
group the next day

Turns out it was Jim, so we turned around in the twilight and back tracked back across the bridge to reconnect back up with them. Exhausted now (the 5 hour hike turned into 8 or so), we rolled into the Totsukawa Onsen guest house. This Guesthouse, which sat on top of the river had the best onsens on the trip. It was outdoors, overlooking the valley, and a great view of the stars at night.  

Outdoor Onsen

We stayed an extra day here and hiked around the valley. We found a little park with a zip line, a foot bath, and watched a helicopter rescue swooping down the ridge for a heart attack victim. 

Loraine zipping across
the river

Foot bath

New bridge in town

Japan even has ice cream
vending machines...
I see matcha ice cream!

There are over 4 million
vending machines in Japan
1 for every 25-30 people

One of the highlights of the trip was running into Heroyuki ...a true Pilgrim: All dressed in traditional pilgrimage garb, which includes the straw-like hat and with an engraved walking stick. He proudly wore his purple ribbon with a medal at the end around his neck. I translated the right side which said, he had completed the 745 miles of trekking from the Island of Shikoku and the 88 temples. 

Heroyuki,
traveling pilgrim

He was now traveling to Koyasan on the Kumano Koda trek, which is where Buddhism originated in Japan. On our first encounter, the day before,  I was so in awe,  I forgot to get a picture of him and kicked myself.  I told the group that I had missed a great story. But fate was with us, and there he was again, walking along the road.  I asked the driver to stop and I jumped out of the van to greet him. I was trying to say we wanted a picture,  and I was pointing to my friends in the van (he probably thought I was trying to abduct him or something). But then, he relaxed and said I could take his picture. 

Dual pilgrim pass

We didn't see many Europeans or Americans on this trek, it has not been discovered by the masses yet. The well known pilgrimage is the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Now, there is a "Dual Pilgrim" for Santiago and Kumano, which is a big deal that some people like to accomplish.

That way, no that way

The big summit day over Obako-toge Pass: Saved the best for the last: The next day, we took a 45 minute taxi ride for our biggest trekking day of the trip. Once again, we were dropped off by the driver in the middle

amidst the clouds

of nowhere. Jim,  knew exactly where we were though.  After we walked the road for a mile or so,  looking for the bus stop marker point (we finally found in on a tiny little sign post), we eventually stumbled on the trailhead. This day was a true test of our vigor: with a  3,770 feet ascent and 2,790 feet descent. Think of an ice cream cone turned upside down and you get the idea. Pretty straight up at the start which was ok, at first, but then it started to rain... hard, which is ok if your rain jacket works (my didn't ), and after and hour, I was soaked to the bone... that I recounted at the beginning of the blog. What I left out was that we felt like we were walking through the clouds on a journey through a valley of the Lord of the Rings; waiting for some ancient traveler's spirit to jump out and say hi.. or something. Finally, the rain stopped, the sun emerged through the clouds and after many false tops, we reached the summit. 

Misty clouds

Since we couldn't see much view prior to this, when the sun finally popped through you felt like you were on the top of the world. Doc added to the wonderment when she pulled out a poem out of her pocket about the journey of life and read it to us as we stood there transfixed on the horizon. As we headed down the hill, we realized this was going to be another late hike (close to 11 miles or so). But, near the end, we were  wondering through backyards, Koi ponds and carports on some more tricky stone steps. Finally, we descended into Omata, and eventually found one of our favorite hotels, the Nosegawa Onsen. A luxury hotel on top of a river. A 4 star reward for all our hard work. 

The summit crew

The summit at Obako-toge pass

Curly, Moe and then there is Larry: Larry is an X- Former Navy Seal, and served 2 tours in Vietnam (thank you BTW). I met Larry on our first night with our group, amidst the crowded streets and flashing lights of Osaka. We had a hard time keeping track of him, as he stopped and looked and everything-you know the shiny penny thing. But, as I got to know him,  my perception quickly changed. Larry is a confirmed Buddhist full of insights along the trail, and at 77,  turns out to be an amazing hiker. 

Larry right before he
switched the detour sign

He wasn't always that way. On our first hike he informed me he and Karen  had never been hiking before. However, they did have really nice poles, sleek backpacks, stylish garb and Larry had those funny looking 5 toe shoes. After a quick few lessons on pole placement and realizing the little rubber stops on the end of the pole can be taking off in slippery spots, Larry was off and running. As matter of fact, after a few days, I could barely keep up with him and trailrunner Carroll. They both give me hope for future hiking with their fortitude.  I will have to say though, his forte is his humor and he always managed with some side quips to keep us moving with a smile. 

Save the best culture to the last ancient city of Koyasan:

I have just one word to describe this place... awe-inspiring. Tucked away in the mountains it was founded in the 819 AD. The 1,200 year old city was founded by a man called Kobo Dashi. He had traveled to China representing Japan and became in entranced with the Buddhist religion. He brought the philosophies back to Japan and started the early version of Shingon Buddhism.  He started his practice in Kyoto, and then decided to dedicate his life to the teachings of Buddha. With his legions of followers, they set out to find the perfect place to start the new religion. They discovered it high in the mountains at 2,660 feet (800 meters). From this vantage point they saw 8 peaks which looked like the opening of Lotus flower and Koyasan (Mount Koya) city would be in the middle of the peaks.

One of the many temples

temple by our monastery

The 120 monasteries have withstood fires over time, and even the invasion of a ruthless warlord in 1571, who killed 2,000 monks. Secluded and with very little traffic, the city is kind of how I pictured Kyoto, but nowadays Kyoto is over 1 million people, and Koyasan has kept its character. Another highlight was staying at the Shukubo Fudo-in Monastery that is run by monks. Imagine our delight of being invited to participate and enjoy a unique "O-tsutome," chanting ceremony at 7 am each day. What a way to wake up! Additionally, we had home cooked breakfast, and then again in the evening with a dinner of variety of tasty morsels. Besides the temples, the Okunoin cemetery is a show stopper especially at night, with 2 km of lantern lighted path running through it. 

Okunoin Cemetery

Dinner is served

Koyasan is also the starting or ending point  for the Shikoku Pilgrimage, and this is where Heroyuki was headed. As a matter of fact, we ran into him again on our last day of hiking.  It was Heroyuki's last day of his journey, as he descended into Koyasan... a very special moment.

Heroyuki with the group

Solstice dial at Osaka bay

The trekking portion was coming to end and we took the train back to our final stop in Osaka near the airport with Ikea rooms the size of a big closet.  We took one last walk around Osaka bay along the Rinku Park, and found a cool sun dial which marked the 3 equinoxes (any idea what are they?). And one last search for some Matcha Ice Cream. 

Matcha ice cream here 
we come :)

Last Sushi meal with group

We had our final goodbye dinner and bid farewell to our wonderful guide, Jim Ellis, and our trekking companions from Rochester. What an adventure laid out by Rick French and his crew at Pack, Paddle and Ski organization... thank you.  And, I think many of us found our Ikigai along the way, a Japanese word which describes the pleasures and meanings of life. Another way to put it is to live (Iki) your life with reason (gai), whatever that may be on your journey through the Cosmos.

The Gold cow pointed
the way to our hotel

Loraine and I had one more stop to complete this epic trip with a bang. The Dotombori district of Osaka. Picture Manhattan on steroids. Full of life all day, but it is at night when this area truly comes alive. In the main area, there are mega electronic signs on skyscraper buildings, overlooking the canal full boats of people drifting by. There were lots of entertainment venues, but the Ice Cream Man, took the cake, or I should say, the ice cream. He was full of magic tricks, and with the slight of the hand, could make the ice cream cone disappear to the delight of the customer. 

View of nightlife from 
Dontomboribashi bridge

Ice Cream Man

The best view of the canal is from Dotomboribashi Bridge, shadowed by a myriad of buildings with flashing electronic neon AD boards. As we watched the parading boats go by, one in particular stood out. A young enthusiastic drummer who was pounding his drum with his whole body and soul as if he was flying through the air, it seemed like a fitting farewell to the eclectic people of Japan. The next morning the trip ended as it is started trying, in this case trying to find a bus depot to the airport. As we zig zagged through a plaza with the masses of people on our way to the train station where the bus stop was supposed to be, we somehow stumbled on the express bus to the airport. Does it get any better,  sometimes it's just better to be lucky than good! 

Goodbye from Osaka

Drum serenade

Tips for Japan

Kumano koda book

1. Kumano Koda guide book. Highly recommended. I wish I had read this before we went to help understand the trekking routes and culture, plus it has great pics of animal and plant life: 

2. Pack, Paddle and ski adventure group: They will be running another group to Japan in 2026. They sell out quick. pack paddle and ski . Travel light as you can, maximum is 15-20 lbs in your backpack. 

3. The Ikigai book: 

Great book

4. The Japanese toilets are the best: But if you forget how to use the bidet toilet here is a reminder: Konnichiwa! 

No ... yes