{"id":2514,"date":"2011-11-02T08:14:12","date_gmt":"2011-11-02T08:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insidejapanblog.com\/?p=2514"},"modified":"2016-02-08T20:34:20","modified_gmt":"2016-02-08T20:34:20","slug":"walking-with-emperors-the-kumano-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2011\/11\/02\/walking-with-emperors-the-kumano-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking with Emperors:  The Kumano trail"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F2514&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F2514\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F2514&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F2514&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F2514%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F2514\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F2514\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><figure id=\"attachment_2516\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2516\" style=\"width: 436px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03592.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2516 \" title=\"DSC03592\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03592-720x444.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"436\" height=\"267\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2516\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peaks and ridges of the Kumano.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Stop, look and listen: an ocean of green-topped hills; nothing in sight, except blue sky, green forest and the moss-matted trail; no sound except, birdsong and your own panting breath; no thought except, why have I not done this before?<\/p>\n<p>The secluded Kumano rises to the south of Kyoto and Osaka.\u00a0 An estimated 3,600 peaks and ridges line its horizon; the heavily-forested hillsides make a great home for wildlife \u2013 and the Gods of ancient Japan.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Over a thousand years ago, rumours of\u00a0spiritual powers lurking in the Kumano reached Kyoto, then the\u00a0capital of Japan &#8211; and one of the biggest cities in the world. \u00a0Emperors made a month-long trek down from Osaka to beg favours from the Gods.<\/p>\n<p>Over the next centuries, the Kumano creed emerged, a blend of imported Buddhist and indigenous Shinto and Shugendo beliefs. \u00a0All Japanese society was affected.<\/p>\n<p>Female nuns, called <em>bikuni, <\/em>went up and downthe country preaching, sparking a Kumano-craze.\u00a0\u00a0Long lines of pilgrims, from the poorest rice farmer up, filled the teahouse-lined trails\u00a0&#8211; then known as\u00a0<em>ari no Kumano-mode \u2013 <\/em>the Kumano pilgrimage of ants.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03552.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2518\" title=\"DSC03552\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03552-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03552-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03552-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03552-1200x676.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03552-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03552-1440x811.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03552-390x220.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03552-780x439.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03552-900x507.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc036301.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2517\" title=\"DSC03630\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc036301-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc036301-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc036301-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc036301-1200x676.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc036301-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc036301-1440x811.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc036301-390x220.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc036301-780x439.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc036301-900x507.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Three Head Shrines at Hongu, Nachi and Shingu attracted the most visitors.\u00a0 Of these, the two most well-known now are Hongu and Nachi.\u00a0 Hongu hides in the hills; Nachi hugs the coastline \u2013 beneath the tallest waterfall in Japan.<\/p>\n<p>The sacred sites at Hongu and Nachi are connected by a two day World Heritage walk through wild woodland.\u00a0 Next week, I`ll tell you about my recent pant along it.<\/p>\n<p>A hike on the Kumano trail is the highlight of the new Emperors` Footsteps\u00a0small group\u00a0tour<a href=\"http:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japan-small-group-tours\/i-hjh\/heart-of-japan\/\" target=\"_blank\">.<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? 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Help us by sharing it! Stop, look and listen: an ocean of green-topped hills; nothing in sight, except blue sky, green forest and the moss-matted trail; no sound except, birdsong and your own panting breath; no thought except, why have I not done this before? The secluded Kumano rises to the south [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2359],"tags":[1568,1609,1813,2293,2328,2534],"class_list":["post-2514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-transport-and-travelling-in-japan","tag-great-walks-japan","tag-hiking-holidays","tag-kumano-trail","tag-walking-holidays-asia","tag-world-heritage-walks","tag-tom-orsman"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2514"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9388,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514\/revisions\/9388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}