Kumano Kodo Day 3 - Chikatsuyu to Hongu Taisha
The goal on this day was to travel from Chikatsuyu Village to the Kumano Hongu Taisha. The Hongu Taisha is one of the three head shrines for the Kumano region collectively known as the Kumano Sanzan along with the Nachi Taisha and Hayatama Taisha.
During dinner at the guesthouse, I spoke to a few fellow travellers who got recommended to take a short bus in the morning to skip a 300 metre steep climb.
Considering that it was the second day, and I wasn't sure how my legs would hold up, I decided to join them. Some people were selling pastries by the bus stop and wishing travellers a safe journey which was nice.
On Japanese buses you board at the back and leave (and pay) at the front. I've been on a rural train called a "one man" where you do the same and pay as you leave.
When riding a rural bus in Japan, there's a chance you can't use an IC Card or Contactless Credit/Debit card. If it is cash only like this, you take a ticket when you board. Which says which stop number you embarked. Then you need to track on a TV at the front how much you need to pay when you leave.
So it's a good idea to always have some coins and 1000 yen notes, also in case you stumble upon a vending machine!
The map indicated that there previously was a landslide which meant that a new detour route was created. And over the years became the main route that people take.
I find it really cool how a lot of the "engineering" of the path feels natural.
It's so nice just hearing birds and insects with no cars around.
In September 2011 Typhoon Talas hit the Kii Peninsula. In these photos you can get the sense of the immense force of the landslide that occurred.
The path around here was a bit more built up, I assume as part of the mitigation for future heavy rain. It is interesting to see how the trees seemed intentionally planted for slowing down the water flow rate.
This flood barrier looked really cool. On a pleasant autumn day it's hard to imagine that during torrential rain this could be a completely different scene. But it's clear that there has been intentional guiding of the paths for water to flow down across the path.
Nearby there was a shrine guarded by two fox statues. With a sign nearby saying that it was forbidden to camp due to pit viper snakes.
There is a lot of poetry along the route. However the flowy handwriting is really hard to read for an amateur.
Around lunchtime I stumbled upon a small village and there was this delightful woodworking showcase with owls and a small dog.
There was also ice cream vending machine! I went with the Raisin Butter Crunch flavour.
There aren't many bins on the route you need to be prepared to carry your trash to the next guesthouse.
Leaving the village, it's always surprising how quickly it turns back into forest.
The map indicated a small detour up a steep hill for a view point. I was tempted to skip it until another hiker coming down recommended it. And they weren't wrong!
A view of Kumano Hongu Taisha's Toori gate, the tallest in the world at 33.9m, looking tiny.
Approaching the Hongu Taisha flags line both sides of the steps. Down the middle it says 熊野権現 which is the deity enshrined in the Kumano Sanzen. Each flag is sponsored by someone.
The Hongu Taisha is a lovely peaceful, place to get the stamp of arrival. The Kumano Kodō has a partnership with the Camino de Santiago in Spain where if you walk both, you'll get a batch and certificate. A few people I was walking with achieved their dual-pilgrim status.
The Ootorii, built in 2000, is the largest in Japan at 33.9m is the gate for the Hongu Taisha. It weighs 172 tons!
When passing through you should always walk through the sides not the centre as that's for the gods. Bow deeply before you enter and leave.
Walking around the grounds was really nice.
The nearby Kumano Hongu heritage centre is worth a visit and is nearby by the bus stops. Lots of interesting sweets to buy like hard candy made with cherry blossom petals.
My guesthouse for the night was near Yunomine Onsen, which is one of the oldest thermal springs in Japan discovered 1800 years ago where the water leaves the earth at 92C. I was tired and used the hot spring water available at the guesthouse. But another traveller told me that you can buy an egg and boil it in the onsen to make "onsen tamago". The slow cooking at a mild temperature solidifies the yolk but keeps the white runny giving it a different flavour is what I was told.
Next time, I'll have to try it out!
My room was pretty cosy, and I had a nice home cooked meal and chatted about my travels with the other guests. I met a lot of people from Australia on my travels.
Overall it was a nice pleasant day of walking. Easier than the first which made me wonder if I learnt a better way of walking up hills from the previous day.
I did 19km of walking, 639m of ascent. Garmin says that I lost approximately 4 litres of water through sweat. So the lesson is to always be drinking water.
Links:
- Bus Timetables for Chikatsuyu on Ryujin Buses
- I took the Route 23 07:23 Chikatsuyu-oji to 07:33 Doyukawa-bashi
- https://www.ryujinbus.com/en/busstop/2198/
- How to Ride a Bus
- Kumano Hongu Taisha
- Kii Peninsula Typhoon #12 Information (2011)
- Kumano Hongu Heritage Center
- Yunomine Onsen
- Minshuku Yunosato Guesthouse