Walking along a thousand-year-old pilgrimage trail listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This itinerary allows you to visit all three of the Grand Shrines (Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano Nachi Taisha), one each day, with short and scenic walks around each shrine. A traditional boat ride on the Kumano-gawa river which takes you to Shingu and offers an alternative perspective on the surroundings. Overnight stays in three different hot-spring villages in the mountains (Kawayu and Yunomine Onsen) and on the coast (Katsuura Onsen).
Starts from
4 days / 3 nights - from Osaka to Kii Katsuura.
Notes
Recommended accommodation (or similar) 1 - Kawayu Onsen: Ryokan Fujiya or Ryokan Kawayu Midoriya 2 - Yunomine Onsen: Ryokan Adumaya or Yunominesou 3 - Katsuura Onsen: Urashima hotel
Services to be booked in Italy Ise - Kumano - Wakayama Area Tourist Pass (5 days) - delivered before departure, to be converted locally at the Japan Rail offices. overnight stays in the places indicated
Services recommended to be booked in Japan luggage shipment from Kawayu Onsen to Katsuura (1 item of luggage per person) - first day boat tour on the Kumano river - approximately 1.5 hours (third day)
all the necessary local transfers by bus as per the itinerary: Bus from Kii Tanabe to Kawayu Onsen - 2 hours (first day) Bus from Kawayu Onsen to Hosshinmon-oji - 30 min. (second day) Bus from Hongu to Yunomine Onsen - 20 min. (second day) Bus from Yunomine Onsen to the river pier for the departure of the Boat Tour - 40 min. (third day) Bus from Kii-Katsuura to Daimon-zaka - 20 min. (fourth day) Bus from Nachi to Kii-Katsuura - 30 min. (fourth day)
Itinerary
Giorno 1 — Osaka → Tanabe → Kawayu Onsen
Suggested itinerary:
Departure by local train from Osaka to Kii Tanabe (136 minutes) using the Ise - Kumano Wakayama Area Tourist Pass (after activating it locally at the Japan Rail offices in the station). On arrival, visit the Tanabe Tourist Information Center and then buy something to eat. Departure by scheduled bus (tickets to be bought locally) for Kawayu Onsen, a geological wonder, where you can bathe in a hot spring that wells up on the river bank. Overnight in a ryokan.
Times and prices (subject to reconfirmation and to possible changes without notice): Train Osaka - Kii Tanabe 09:04 - 11:21 Bus Kii Tanabe - Kawayu Onsen 12:50 - 14:44 (indicative price 1930 yen)
** we recommend sending your main luggage on to Katsuura Onsen and preparing a small rucksack with what you need for the night at Yunomine Onsen ** After breakfast, departure by bus for Hosshinmon-oji (tickets to be bought locally), known as the "gate of the awakening of the aspiration to enlightenment", which marks the starting point of one of the finest stretches of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route, crossing a mixture of ridge-top settlements and forest paths (7km - approximately 2/3 hours). On arrival in Hongu, visit the Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine and the small village. Afterwards continue on the local bus to Yunomine Onsen (tickets to be bought locally). On arrival, visit this village, one of the oldest hot-spring areas in Japan. Overnight in a ryokan.
Times and prices (subject to reconfirmation and to possible changes without notice): Bus Kawayu Onsen - Hosshinmon-oji 08:07 - 08:37 (indicative price 520 yen) Bus Hongu Taisha - Yunomine Onsen 15:05 - 15:24 (indicative price 310 yen)
Altro
Giorno 3 — Yunomine Onsen → Katsuura Onsen
Suggested itinerary:
After breakfast, departure by bus for Michi-no-Eki Kumano-gawa (tickets to be bought locally), the boarding point for the cruise on the Kumano Gawa River (departure at 10.00, tickets to be bought locally). One of the three Grand Shrines of Kumano, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, stands at the mouth of the Kumano-gawa river. The brilliant vermilion colours set off the surrounding forest. Look out for the ancient Nagi tree, whose leaves were used as amulets. Lunch. Visit the Gotobiki-iwa, a gigantic rock halfway up Mount Gongen, revered as a deity and the place where the Kumano deities are believed to have first descended. At the foot of this monolith is a shrine called Kamikura-jinja with views over Shingu. Continue by train from Shingu to Katsuura (using the Ise - Kumano - Wakayama Area Pass). Visit Katsuura and stay overnight in a ryokan.
Times and prices (subject to reconfirmation and to possible changes without notice): Bus Yunomine Onsen - Michi-no-Eki 08:31 - 09:08 (indicative price 950 yen) Train Shingu - Kii-Katsuura 15:30 - 15:53
After breakfast take a bus to Daimonzaka (tickets to be bought locally). This is the starting point for the final stretch on foot (2 km) to reach and visit the Nachi Taisha Shrine, one of the three Grand Shrines, which stands halfway up Mount Nachi, at approximately 350 metres above sea level. Its religious origin lies in the ancient nature worship of the Nachi-no-Otaki falls. The branches of a giant camphor tree shade the roof of the worship hall. Visit Seiganto-ji temple, founded at the beginning of the 5th century, one of the oldest buildings in the region. The view from the temple grounds is spectacular, with a pagoda set against the waterfall as a backdrop. Nachi-no-Otaki is 133 metres high and 13 metres wide: the highest waterfall in Japan. Its water source is the surrounding primeval evergreen broadleaf forest, a sanctuary protected since ancient times and used for ascetic training by the mountain monks who practise Shugendo, a religion blending foreign and indigenous beliefs. At the end of the visit take a bus to Katsuura (tickets to be bought locally). Lunch. Continuation by train to Osaka (included in the Ise - Kumano - Wakayama Area Pass. End of the tour.
Times and prices (subject to reconfirmation and to possible changes without notice): Bus Kii-Katsuura - Daimonzaka 08:25 - 08:44 (indicative price 430 yen) Bus Nachi - Katsuura 11:44 - 12:08 (indicative price 630 yen) Train Kii-Katsuura - Osaka 13:46 - 17:46.
