Down at the bottom of the Kii peninsular, a good distance south of Kyoto, you will find ranges of pine clad hills, tiny tumbledown shrines, hidden villages, all linked by a long, winding, up-and-down, pilgrim trail. Oh yes! And if you are a bit unlucky, though the photographer might disagree, you will have driving, drenching, seeping rain. Well, it is the rainy season.
This is the Nakahechi Trail, one of several strands of the Kumano Kodo. The bus from Tanabe drops us in the valley, whence the relentless, soaking trail takes us up into the clouds. For most of the route the path is either paved or well made. But in some places it turns into a torrent of its own. This first day we start full of hope that our rain gear will hold out, but are sorely disappointed after an hour or so. We are wet through, right through to our sodden underclothes.
The views are astonishing when the clouds part and the trees offer a peep hole. The water has brought out the beasts: slow worms, toads and hundreds of land crabs. There is an abandoned village and everywhere evidence that people have been walking this way for hundreds of years.
At lest the settlement of Chikatsuyu-Oji appears in a wide valley. We are staying in a house here tonight. It is so comfortable and dry. Food is brought to us from the local cafe. And, in the Japanese fashion, we have sent our big packs up ahead, so there are dry clothes. It was well worth paying for that!
Next morning we take the local bus up to a well-known stopping point, a log bridge, to miss out part of the trail. We still have about 10 hours hiking to complete. Some of the route is washed out by the rain, so there is a bit of road to walk. There are shrines again, then the way opens out into a broader valley. The rain has stopped and the walking is glorious.
There are tea plantations now. I wish we could buy some but it's very quiet. There aren't many people on the Kumano Kodo, I suppose because it is rainy time. We have a tasty Japanese packed lunch from the village last night. Just above where we munch it there is a stupendous view of the ranks of hills.
Here is the final vista down to the end point of Hongu. We staggered into the shrine there.
We catch a bus for the short drive to Yunomine Onsen. A few minutes in the bus or another hour's walk? No contest. The hostel (J-Hoppers) has its own hot baths. Just what we need. You can see the steam rising from the stream. People use the pool with the wooden fence around it to boil their eggs. Some people might think the Kumano Kodo is more of a trial than a trail in the rainy season but it is unforgettable nonetheless.
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