{"id":2527,"date":"2011-11-13T08:15:42","date_gmt":"2011-11-13T08:15:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insidejapanblog.com\/?p=2527"},"modified":"2016-02-08T20:32:17","modified_gmt":"2016-02-08T20:32:17","slug":"crabs-stags-the-monk-kumano-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2011\/11\/13\/crabs-stags-the-monk-kumano-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Crabs, stags &#038; the monk: 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%2F2527&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=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F2527\" 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%2F2527&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%2F2527&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%2F2527%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%2F2527\" 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%2F2527\" 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><p>It started with an onsen\u00a0and finished with a waterfall.\u00a0 The two-day hike in the hills,\u00a0from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.city.tanabe.lg.jp\/hongukan\/en\/onsen.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yunomine\u00a0Onsen <\/a>to the waterfall at Nachi, frequently took my breath away.\u00a0 Fortunately, there was an abundance of fresh air around to\u00a0revive me.<\/p>\n<p>I spent around six hours on the trail each day.\u00a0 I didn`t need climbing skills, which is fortunate, as I don`t have any.\u00a0 A half-decent pair of walking shoes and a half-decent pair of lungs were enough to get me up and down the hills.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2533\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2533\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03603.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2533\" title=\"DSC03603\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03603-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03603-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03603-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03603-1200x676.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03603-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03603-1440x811.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03603-390x220.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03603-780x439.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03603-900x507.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2533\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View looking out to\u00a0Koguchi village where I stayed on the 2nd night<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2534\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2534\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03615.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2534\" title=\"DSC03615\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03615-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03615-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03615-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03615-1200x676.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03615-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03615-1440x811.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03615-390x220.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03615-780x439.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03615-900x507.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2534\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rare sign of human life in the morning mist at Koguchi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The path\u00a0took me along\u00a0the Nakahechi\u00a0trail, part of the old Imperial Route traversed\u00a0by Emperors making a pilgrimage\u00a0south from Kyoto.\u00a0\u00a0Two days trekking\u00a0led me up and down the high hills of the Ogumotori-goe\u00a0and Kogumotori-goe\u00a0sections &#8211; the route is\u00a0illustrated on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tb-kumano.jp\/en\/kumano-kodo\/ogumotori-goe.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this excellent Kumano website.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I had plenty of company, but little of it was human.\u00a0 I stepped over\u00a0tiny\u00a0red forest-crabs, met 3 perky pensioners picking wild mushrooms, chatted with the birds and insects &#8211; I had trouble with\u00a0their accents,\u00a0 startled a stag or two and\u00a0passed a couple of\u00a0speed-marching foreign tourists.<\/p>\n<p>I can`t really describe the\u00a0variety of trees, I literally can`t, except to say\u00a0the colour tones, shapes and sizes were distinct on each section.\u00a0 I soon filled\u00a0a memory card anyway.\u00a0 Perhaps I will\u00a0spend the Christmas break learning the difference between a cedar, a cheddar and a cider.\u00a0 Should be fun.<\/p>\n<p>The series of typhoons in September left loose branches scattered across the trail,\u00a0otherwise the ancient\u00a0route\u00a0survived the freak weather\u00a0virtually unscathed.\u00a0 Japanese\u00a0tourists have been temporarily put off, so I had the birds,\u00a0trees and old tea houses all to myself.\u00a0 At one point, I must have been the only human being for miles in any direction.<\/p>\n<p>Signs posted in Japanese and English drip-fed\u00a0me stories of the old Kumano.\u00a0 Approching Nachi, I came across this entry hinting at the pilgrims` diet:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;An 18th century pilgrim`s diary stated that the Hatago [inn] where he stayed was very hospitable, but unfortunately, because monkeys and deers had raided their garden, there were only dried ferns to eat. Another Hatago attracted business from weary pilgrims with this simple but effective sales pitch: `We have Tofu. Bath is ready`.\u00a0&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, Kumano cuisine has more bite\u00a0to it these days.\u00a0\u00a0The locally caught tuna, raw and cooked, was a particular highlight.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2535\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2535\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03650.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2535\" title=\"DSC03650\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03650-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03650-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03650-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03650-1200x676.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03650-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03650-1440x811.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03650-390x220.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03650-780x439.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03650-900x507.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2535\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Twigs and leaves carpeted the trail in places<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2531\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2531\" style=\"width: 168px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03669.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2531\" title=\"DSC03669\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03669-169x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"168\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03669-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03669-390x693.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/dsc03669-780x1386.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 168px) 100vw, 168px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2531\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bento lunch with view out to Nachi and the Pacific Ocean<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Each night,\u00a0the\u00a0friendly welcomes, hot baths and\u00a0cooked dinners made\u00a0for\u00a0memorable experiences.\u00a0 At Mitaki\u00a0Sanso, the minshuku\u00a0by Nachi\u00a0waterfall, the kind owner even organised for me to participate in the morning Buddhist service at Seigantoji\u00a0temple.\u00a0 At the time, I\u00a0did not think the owner was kind &#8211; the service began at\u00a04:30am &#8211; but I have had two weeks to recover\u00a0since then.<\/p>\n<p>On reflection,\u00a0the\u00a0intimate service was well-worth the early rise.\u00a0 I particularly\u00a0fondly recall\u00a0the moment when I got up from the tatami ready\u00a0to leave the temple.\u00a0 The\u00a0Head Monk came towards\u00a0me\u00a0through\u00a0wafts of incense smoke, smiled and handed\u00a0me a packet of, &#8220;Japanese Sweets&#8221;.\u00a0 Faith has its rewards.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">This\u00a0hike on the Kumano trail forms part of the new for 2012, Emperors` Footsteps\u00a0small group tour.<\/p>\n<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%2F2527&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=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F2527\" 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%2F2527&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%2F2527&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%2F2527%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%2F2527\" 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%2F2527\" 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>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! It started with an onsen\u00a0and finished with a waterfall.\u00a0 The two-day hike in the hills,\u00a0from Yunomine\u00a0Onsen to the waterfall at Nachi, frequently took my breath away.\u00a0 Fortunately, there was an abundance of fresh air around to\u00a0revive me. I spent around six hours on the trail each day.\u00a0 [&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":[1599,1607,1802,1813,1906,1951,2066,2291,2292,2348,2534],"class_list":["post-2527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-transport-and-travelling-in-japan","tag-hatago","tag-hike-japan-holidays","tag-koguchi","tag-kumano-trail","tag-nachi-shrine","tag-ogumotori-goe","tag-seigantoji","tag-walk-japan","tag-walk-japan-holidays","tag-yunomine-onsen","tag-tom-orsman"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527","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=2527"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9386,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527\/revisions\/9386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}