Hiking part 1

Time for an adventure.

After Koyasan i’m going to the Kumano Kodo. A hiking trail that have been walked since centuries. It’s a pilgrimage route located in the prefecture of Wakayama. The route i’m planning to do is about 74km. To reach the starting point of the Kumano Kodo from Koyasan you have to take a few buses. Count about 3-4h.

The ride is scenic and goes throught many forests. It was such a beautiful immersion in Nature. The colors of autumn were already starting to change. Autumn is definetly a great season to visit Japan. It’s georgous and the weather is perfect for outdoors activities. At that point I was getting more and more excited about that hike. I could not wait longer to discover the other face of Japan. The very rural areas.
We are getting closer.

There you go. This is the starting point from Takijiri.A funky tree along the path. “Phagocytosis”

Going up and up.

Wow , the first 30min were pretty intense. The trail started with a big elevation gain also the terrain was a bit accidented. It’s not as easy as I thought. After a good sweat i’m reaching the top of that hill and starting to feel the “hiker high” .. 🙂 When you hike you get pain , it’s challenging  , you sweat a lot but man this is priceless. You always get rewarded when you hike. This what it means to be alive.

The first view point.

A bit further I reached a small village where people tend to stop for their first night. I have only hiked 3h at that point. I did’nt wanted to stop already.

The first village along the trail. From one side civilization , on the other side nature. I like the separation between theses two worlds.

So far I have barely seen anyone. It feels so good to be alone after 3 weeks surrounded by billions of people. The Kumando Kodo is a special treat that you will indulge even more after visiting big cities.

Food stall on the path. Just put your money in the box and grab the item of your choice. This is Japan , total trust !
I had an home made cacao banana brownie which was nice. At that point I had so much energy. I could hike a bit more for the day. On my map I have seen some accomodations 2km later. Let’s go and check this out !

I loved this small paths in between the trees.

Okay it’s been 1 hours i’m hiking now and still no accomodations. What to do , come back on my steps or continue till the next village ? The next village was far away  , about 3 hours hiking , I knew it will be dark in less than 2 hours. I asked myself what should I do , being wise or being strong.

I went for the second option. You have to listen to your gut feeling. I knew it was a bit stupid but it is what it is. You have to be true to yourself even thought your choices might feel crazy at first.

Beautiful view during sunset.

it was getting darker in the forest and no one was there of course. I’m glad I had a headlamp. I finished the last section in the complete darkness. It was actually very cool experience. Like a meditation somehow.

After 17km I have finally reached the second village. What a wonderful feeling , back to civilization. You really get to appreciate little things even better after hiking adventures.
The first minshuku (japanese home stay) I have been was full. What a disappointment .. I have realised afterward that you actually need to make bookings to be able to sleep during the Kumano Kodo. The lady tried her best to help me out but everything was full. There is not many accomodation along the way.
She offered me a shower and also a good diner. All for free… We had a great time actually. There were from Fukuoka. A big city in the south that is surrounded by great nature apparently. She didn’t want me to pay because we had a good time. I even played with their young son. Japanese hospitality is supreme. This really touches my heart that I dont even care anymore about accomodations 🙂 But yes they ended up finding me a mobile home in a camping nearby. Off course the husband drove me there.

For a first day it was quite intense. The Nature so far was beautiful and healing. I’m realising that this trekking will be challenging because there is very few accomodations on the way. To reach my next destination tomorrow it will take about 25 km. Okay let’s have a good sleep to recharge.

See you at the next part guys.

Omotenashi or Japanese hospitality.