1 day Kumano Kodo trekking, Japan
Trekking with JMGA guide who is also Shugendo monk on ancient Japanese mountain worship route in Kumano Kodo.
Private
Kii Mountain Range
1 Day
All year
Occasional
Beginner
Highlights
- Discover an ancient pilgrimage route in Japan.
- Enjoy hiking in the route used by Shugendo monks.
- Visit the ancestral natural forests of Kumano.
Description
What about trekking Japanese ancient sacred mountain pilgrimage route?
A thick bunch of trees or undeveloped sacred land is the original meaning of Kumano. When we walk this quiet and sacred trekking route, we can still feel the ancient mountain worship spirit. You will have a great experience walking on Kumano Kodo.
This 1 Day tour mainly focus on the core zone of Omine Okugake route, which is from Kongo-no-tawa to Kumano Hongu. You will be amazed to walk on the same route that Shugendo monks use for their training.
I am a JMGA guide and also Shugendo monk. I will take you to the ancestral natural forests of Kumano. Let’s enjoy a beautiful historical atmosphere trekking!
If you would like to have other routes like Kogumo-torigoe or Kohechi (over Hatenashi-touge), those are available as options. This tour is for small groups under 5 people, so it is good for relaxed moderate pace of trekking.
Send the request to book your place on this trip if you are interested.
You can also check out this 4-day trekking in Oomine Okugakemichi.
Price includes
- Guiding fee
- Transportation start and back
Itinerary
Day 1: Kumano Kodo Trekking
We will meet at B&B Cafe Hongu at 9:30 a.m. From there, we will go forward to the Kami-kiribara trail-head and start our tour. Our tour probably ends around 4:00 p.m., but it will depend on the course and our walking speed. The guide will tell detailed information about the meeting point to the participants after the tour reservation.
Details
Meeting point B&B Cafe Hongu (Hongu Taisha mae bus stop) |
Equipment you will need to bring
Backpack
Watter bottle
Other gear: Walking shoes, rainwear, towel, sunscreen, hat and personal medicine.
About the guide
I am a local guide in Kumano and also a certified JMGA mountain guide. Being in the mountains and in the nature has always been my passion - trekking in the hills and mountains of the Kansai region in my childhood, riding bikes around Australia for 3 years in my youth, and am very passionate about different activities related to the mountains such as kayaking, rafting, backcountry skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, mountaineering and rock climbing. I’ve done numerous white water river kayaking and sea kayaking in New Zealand and in the US, and have done some first descents too.
I started my mountain career at a Japanese outdoors gear company, Montbell, then started my own outdoors gear brand called Finetrack in 2004. But I then wanted to become the actual connection between people and the nature, and also through my experiences abroad, I wanted to be able to communicate the wonders of Japanese nature to the world directly and thus became a mountain guide myself.
Japan is bombarded by the rigor of the nature. We have volcanoes, are right in the middle of the paths of numerous hurricanes, and rugged mountains forming at the edges of tectonic plates. These have been treated as sacred places in Japanese ancient beliefs and religions.
I am also a practitioner of Buddhism “Shugendo” (ancient mountain worship) and am a certified “Sendatsu” - trainer of Shugendo (aka mountain priest). I’d like to be able to tell you these stories so that you can better understand and ‘feel' the Japanese nature through history and culture.
It interesting to me that these mountains, rivers and the sea is not just a part of the nature but has always been the subject of faith.
Contact me if you’re interested in learning more about the mountain worship culture and to join me on a trek of Kumano with a lot of background stories!
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