This is really a rest day, as will be tomorrow, although we have wandered quite a few kilometres most of it was without packs – a treat!.
We awoke to the rattling wind, but the rain appeared to have stopped fortunately. By the time we had finished breakfast and set out to see Nachisan the wind had abated, until, when we left at around 11 am, it had returned to the calm we have become used to. We even had a glimpse of sunshine a few times. Thus far on this trip there has only been one day when we have resorted to wearing our fleeces, and that was because we weren’t walking and were damp from the rain.
As I was hunting in the dark last night for my hotel I saw the Nachi Falls floodlit in different colours and today I can see them in all their glory. It is the tallest uninterrupted waterfall in Japan with a drop of 133 metres (there are others higher, but the fall is broken). High above the fall itself there appears to be a swing bridge – not something I would want to traverse.
Nachisan is built on a hillside and wherever you go there are steps, some quite steep. The shrine is at the top of the village and so of course we headed up stairs first thing as per usual. I traversed the stairs crab like – the only way I could do so with my knee. At the top of the village overlooking the valley far below, and looking out to the Pacific Ocean, with its storm tossed waves, is the Seiganto-ji Temple, a Buddist Temple. Next to it is the Kumano Nachi Taisha Shinto Shrine and further along is the Three Tiered Pagoda. Quite a sight.
After a coffee stop we picked up our packs from the hotel and headed, by bus, to the seaside village of Katsuura. It is, essentially, a fishing port – blue fin tuna – but also has some interesting geological formations, including hot springs. This makes it not only a fishing port, but a tourist destination for the healing waters of the hot springs. It is famous for its fish market held every day – except Saturday, the only day we were there! We enjoyed wandering the streets, which are amazingly quiet, like so many of the villages we have visited. The thing we have noticed about all the villages we have visited is how quiet they are of an evening. The night I couldn’t find my hotel, for example, I only managed to find one person out on the streets to ask directions from, and it has been the same in every village thus far. 5.00 o’clock and everyone is off home.
Because we arrived in Katsuura mid morning we were able to drop our packs at our absolutely delightful hotel, and head off to see Shingu, where there were other important shrines for the Kumano Kodo. We caught the train, which follows the coast, down and were struck by the rough seas still pounding in from the storm the night before, and the number of sea walls that were to protect the village from smallish inundations.
The Kumano Hayatama Taisha shrine in Shingu was, to me, very orange. I will let the pictures tell he tale. Lots of people, but very respectful. We visited another shrine too, Kamikura-Jinja - but I only went as far as the Torii gate as the steps were too steep for me and the state of my knee. Neil climbed the whole 538 of them and got wonderful views of the city. The steps are so steep, especially near the beginning, that on the way down he passed a young Japanese woman going up them on all fours – it was the only way she could climb them! They are made of field stones and are irregular in size, making negotiating them very difficult. Each year in February 2,000 men run down them carrying flaming torches – this is the fire festival called Oto Matsuri.
After a day of exploring we returned to our hotel before going out for dinner. It was a wonderful place to stay. For starters we had a western style room so no making our own beds on the floor, we could use the washing machine on the roof for free, and as a greeting we were given orange juice. Tis was a lovely was to start our stay, but then we were also given a voucher for a special sweet bean soup, also for free, and the next morning we had plenty of refills with coffee and toast. We can recommend this hotel to anyone.
The next morning we returned to Hongu Taisha, which we had visited a few days earlier. It was here, at the tourist office, that we obtained our Dual Pilgrim certificate and pin. We then went to the temple and registered as a pilgrim and we given the Taiko drumming ceremony. The same monk who had driven us across to our accommodation at Yunomine a few days earlier also took us through the Taiko drumming.
After that we returned to the guest house and got ready for the next days adventures – which you should have already read about in the earlier post.
We awoke to the rattling wind, but the rain appeared to have stopped fortunately. By the time we had finished breakfast and set out to see Nachisan the wind had abated, until, when we left at around 11 am, it had returned to the calm we have become used to. We even had a glimpse of sunshine a few times. Thus far on this trip there has only been one day when we have resorted to wearing our fleeces, and that was because we weren’t walking and were damp from the rain.
Nachisan
As I was hunting in the dark last night for my hotel I saw the Nachi Falls floodlit in different colours and today I can see them in all their glory. It is the tallest uninterrupted waterfall in Japan with a drop of 133 metres (there are others higher, but the fall is broken). High above the fall itself there appears to be a swing bridge – not something I would want to traverse.
Nachisan is built on a hillside and wherever you go there are steps, some quite steep. The shrine is at the top of the village and so of course we headed up stairs first thing as per usual. I traversed the stairs crab like – the only way I could do so with my knee. At the top of the village overlooking the valley far below, and looking out to the Pacific Ocean, with its storm tossed waves, is the Seiganto-ji Temple, a Buddist Temple. Next to it is the Kumano Nachi Taisha Shinto Shrine and further along is the Three Tiered Pagoda. Quite a sight.
The three tiered pagoda, Nachisan
After a coffee stop we picked up our packs from the hotel and headed, by bus, to the seaside village of Katsuura. It is, essentially, a fishing port – blue fin tuna – but also has some interesting geological formations, including hot springs. This makes it not only a fishing port, but a tourist destination for the healing waters of the hot springs. It is famous for its fish market held every day – except Saturday, the only day we were there! We enjoyed wandering the streets, which are amazingly quiet, like so many of the villages we have visited. The thing we have noticed about all the villages we have visited is how quiet they are of an evening. The night I couldn’t find my hotel, for example, I only managed to find one person out on the streets to ask directions from, and it has been the same in every village thus far. 5.00 o’clock and everyone is off home.
Katsuura Harbour
Streets in Katsuura
A foot bath in Katsuura
Because we arrived in Katsuura mid morning we were able to drop our packs at our absolutely delightful hotel, and head off to see Shingu, where there were other important shrines for the Kumano Kodo. We caught the train, which follows the coast, down and were struck by the rough seas still pounding in from the storm the night before, and the number of sea walls that were to protect the village from smallish inundations.
The Kumano Hayatama Taisha shrine in Shingu was, to me, very orange. I will let the pictures tell he tale. Lots of people, but very respectful. We visited another shrine too, Kamikura-Jinja - but I only went as far as the Torii gate as the steps were too steep for me and the state of my knee. Neil climbed the whole 538 of them and got wonderful views of the city. The steps are so steep, especially near the beginning, that on the way down he passed a young Japanese woman going up them on all fours – it was the only way she could climb them! They are made of field stones and are irregular in size, making negotiating them very difficult. Each year in February 2,000 men run down them carrying flaming torches – this is the fire festival called Oto Matsuri.
The Torii gate at Shingu
After a day of exploring we returned to our hotel before going out for dinner. It was a wonderful place to stay. For starters we had a western style room so no making our own beds on the floor, we could use the washing machine on the roof for free, and as a greeting we were given orange juice. Tis was a lovely was to start our stay, but then we were also given a voucher for a special sweet bean soup, also for free, and the next morning we had plenty of refills with coffee and toast. We can recommend this hotel to anyone.
Our hotel - Hotel Charmant
The next morning we returned to Hongu Taisha, which we had visited a few days earlier. It was here, at the tourist office, that we obtained our Dual Pilgrim certificate and pin. We then went to the temple and registered as a pilgrim and we given the Taiko drumming ceremony. The same monk who had driven us across to our accommodation at Yunomine a few days earlier also took us through the Taiko drumming.
The largest shrine gate in the world. Made of steel, it stands 33m tall, 42m wide, and weighs 172 tons.
The 158 steps leading up to the Hongu Taisha temple
The taiko drum, and our helpful monk
10,735 kilometres to Santiago de Compostela!
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