- Transportation: Mount Koya - Kii-Tanabe (Private Car)
- Tour: Kumano Kodo Orientation
- Transportation: Kii-Tanabe - Takijiri-Oji (Public Bus)
- Transportation: Luggage Shuttle to Takahara
- Accommodation:
Kiri-no-Sato Takahara Lodge
- Meals: B, D
Today you will be picked up from your Mount Koya accommodation by a driver who will take you by private car on to Kii-Tanabe, the access point for the Kumano Kodo region. Journey time is around 2 hours.
Kumano Kodo Orientation
Welcome to the Kumano Kodo! We will arrange for you to meet an English speaking member of staff at the fantastic tourist information center next to Kii-Tanabe Station. The representative will be familiar with your itinerary and will talk you through the route to make sure you are confident about the walking ahead. You will also be given relevant maps and bus timetables, and up to date information regarding the weather and hiking conditions on the ground. This is a great opportunity to meet a knowledgeable local who will welcome you to the area, ensuring your hiking runs as smoothly and safely as possible. The orientation will last 20 to 30 minutes.
Fishing is the main industry in Kii-Tanabe and consequently there is some fantastic seafood on offer here. We recommend grabbing lunch in one of the small restaurants in the Ajikoji district by the station (meal will be at your own expense). Staff at the tourist information center will give you their recommendations!
After exploring the city, you will continue onward to the next leg of your journey. From Kii-Tanabe Station you will need to pay on the day for the bus to the small village of Takijiri-Oji, where you will pick up one of the Kumano Kodo hiking trails. The bus departs at 12:25 PM and arrives at 1:02 PM. As these bus tickets cannot be bought in advance, you will need to pay 960 yen per person for this journey.
There's no need to carry your luggage on your backs as you hike the Kumano Kodo. Instead, we will arrange luggage shuttle transfers for each leg of the hike. On arrival at Takijiri-Oji, please drop your bag off at the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Center and from there, we will arrange for it to be sent ahead to your accommodation in Takahara, where you will stay tonight. Please note that a maximum one bag per person can be transferred by the luggage shuttle service.
This afternoon's walk is 3.7km and will take around 2 hours; a good introduction to the pilgrimage trails and a chance to warm up your legs ahead of some longer walks to come. The walk from Takijiri-Oji to the village of Takahara, where you will stay tonight, involves a steep climb through native and planted forest. Around 15 minutes into the climb, there is a set of large boulders. Some of these form a cave called Tainai-kuguri, where you can test your faith by climbing through the crack at the far end. Another boulder, the Chichi-iwa rock, is associated with a local legend. You'll also pass by the Takahara Kumano-jinja shrin, which is one of the oldest buildings along this section of the pilgrimage route and features giant camphor trees.
Takahara
Takahara is a small ridge-top settlement approximately 300m above sea level which overlooks the Hatenashi mountain range. It's known locally as "Kiri-no-Sato" (village in the mist) thanks to the blankets of mist which create a sea of clouds over the valleys below. In the Edo era (1603~1868) the pilgrimage route, which followed the Tonda-gawa River was redirected to cross over the Shiomi-toge pass. Subsequently, Takahara became a post town, home to a relay station and "Hatago" inns servicing pilgrims to Kumano and those on the Thirtythree Kannon pilgrimage of the Western Provinces.