Mikoshi | Blue Lapis Road

DAY 6 – TSUGIZAKURA to MIKOSHI-TOGE PASS, Kumano Kodo (熊野古道) 1 of 3, Japan

Another beautiful day. Just like the day before, we used the luggage shuttle service to transport our big pack from Tsugizakura to Ryokan Adumaya, a traditional inn where we would spend the night at our next destination Yunomine Onsen. Leaving Minshuku Tsugizakura behind, we walked uphill to where we left off the day before along Kumano Kodo and continued our journey on the Nakahechi route heading towards Hongu Taisha, a little over 22km away. It was a long day of hike, but today’s hike allowed us to meander through a few peaceful villages where friendly farmers grew tea bushes and orange trees. Similar to the day before, we passed by a number of roadside shrines, cedar forests, bamboo groves, and farming villages. In the morning, we visited the shrines of Nakagawa, Kobiro, and Kumasegawa. Because of road damages to the trail in 2011, we had to take a 4km detour between Nakado-jaya Teahouse to Mikoshi-toge pass via the winding valley of Jagata Jizo. By the time we reached Mikoshi-toge Pass it was already noontime.Toganoki-jaya Teahouse, a reconstructed tea house made of straw and timber in Tsugizakura. This was where we started our second day on the Kumano Kodo. Farewell to the peaceful village, Tsugizakura. Local artists and residence set up a roadside bulletin board introducing local art works capturing the beauty of Kumano Kodo. These two funny looking wooden figures in front of the bulletin board helped to catch hikers’ attention. During the hike along Kumano Kodo, we encountered a number of creative signposts made by the locals.After Tsugizakura we once again entered a world covered with green moss. Along the moist mountain path, fungi, moss, ferns, grass and trees coexisted in what seemed to be peaceful harmony. Cherry blossom is not uncommon when visiting Kumano Kodo in early April. We were a week late from the peak blossom time.Soon we stepped upon this small mountain road that led to the towns of Shingu and Hongu, where two of the most important Kumano shrines had been standing for centuries. Cherry blossoms gave a sense of poetics to the evergreen forest of Kumano Kodo. The road signs for drivers to three most famous onsen in the area: The onsens of Yunomine, Kawayu, and Wataze, which are all within a day of hiking distance.Soon we reached a valley with a water channel where bright green leaves and moss covered allover. Signage of Kumano Kodo appeared every ten minutes or so along our way.After less than two hours on the road, we reached a sign indicating a 4km detour for hikers, as the main route was damaged by a massive typhoon that struck the area badly in 2011. Moss and small plants thrived inside an offering bottle at a small shrine along the detour, revealing the power of nature. That bottle also becomes a piece of art display. Soon after we finished the detour and stepped back onto the main route of Kumano Kodo, we reached the next ancient shrine, Yukawa Oji.By around midday we finally arrived at the park pavilion at Mikoshi-toge Pass where we took a break and had lunch. At the pavilion, we took a short lunch break. Another couple was finishing their lunchboxes when we stepped into the shelter. We were grateful to find the pavilion sound and tidy, including a sparkling clean modern washroom facility adjacent to the resting area. At the pavilion, we unwrapped the bento lunch boxes prepared by the Yuba family at Minshuku Tsugizakura. We love the onigiri rice balls, wrapped in dried bamboo leaves. The rice balls had lingering aroma from the bamboo leaves. In addition to the onigiri rice balls, the bento box also included some side dishes made of local specialties and seasonal ingredients such as bamboo shoots, seaweed, tofu, fish cake, pickles, tamago egg etc. With a mix of flavours (sour, sweet and salty) and textures, the bento box was not meant just to fill up our bellies but also to awaken our taste buds. The bento box also included a bottled green tea and a lovely checker-box patterned mini picnic cloth, pink for the lady, blue for the gentleman. Kawaii !! (cute in Japanese)