Yunomine | Blue Lapis Road

DAY 7 – KUMANO HONGU TAISHA, Kumano Kodo (熊野古道) 3 of 4, Japan

At Hongu, we dropped off our backpacks at a locker across the street from the main entrance of Kumano Hongu Taisha. We then went to check out the heritage centre where we learnt a little more about the history of Kumano Hongu Grand Taisha and the Kii mountain range. The Kumano Hongu Taisha is the house for the deity of Kumano Gongen, where pilgrims came to pay their respect to the deities of Kumano area for almost 1000 years. Every spring, the Kumano Hongu Taisha Spring Festival would take place with three days of ceremonies.

On a bench outside of the centre, we took out the lunchboxes for a quick lunch. The yummy lunchboxes were ordered online before we left for our trip and delivered to our hotel at Yunomine in the morning. After lunch, we took our time to visit Kumano Hongu Taisha a second time. This time, we had more time to examine the donor lanterns, flags, signs, etc. along the main access path. After a relaxing stroll around the complex, we walked down the main entrance stairs one last time under the afternoon sun. We picked up our backpacks at the locker and walked over to the bus stop in front of the heritage centre, where we would hop on a bus for Wataze Onsen.

The banner at Kumano Hongu Heritage Center commemorated the 10th anniversary of inscription into UNESCO’s World Heritage for “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range”.

The Heritage Center represents a good example of modern architecture with a traditional touch.

33.9m tall and 42m wide, the Torii gate at the entrance to the sandbank of Oyunohara is the largest in the world. This is where the original Kumano Hongu Taisha stood over a century ago, before the devastating floods destroyed much of the old shrines.

Along with our accommodation and luggage shuttle service, we also reserved this local lunchbox online at http://www.tb-kumano.jp prior our arrival in Japan.

Housed in a bamboo box, our lunchbox contained a number of seasonal local delicacies.

Rebuilt after flood damages, the Zuihouden next to the entrance of Kumano Hongu Taisha houses religious study areas, a hall and a souvenir shop.

The stair leading up to the main shrine is flanked both sides with donor flags.

Worshipers put all kinds of wishes onto these wooden “ema” to communicate with the deities.

Tying the Omikuji, the fortune telling paper slips onto trees or ropes at the shrine is a common customs of worshiping.

Small bamboo flags were another common option for worshipers to leave their messages.

Before entering the complex, cleaning our hands at the purification trough had become a common practice even for foreign visitors like us.

Wooden staff in hand, lots of elderly worshipers spend great effort in walking the pilgrim route before reaching Kumano Hongu Taisha.

Our second visit to the Hongu Taisha. This time we had all the time we needed to wander around the complex.

Beside the main shrines stood this small and popular shrine under tree shade.

After a thorough visit, we walked down the main stair once again.

Lanterns with donor’s name were hung on a rack near the main gate of Kumano Hongu Taisha.

We bid farewell to the Kumano Hongu Taisha under the late afternoon sun.

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Read other posts on 2015 Kansai…
Day 1.0 – Kansai Japan 2015
Day 1.1 – Hanami, Mount Yoshino
Day 1.2 – Feast under the Shades of Sakura, Mount Yoshiko
Day 2 – A Day in Kobe
Day 3 – A Day in Central Osaka
Day 4 – Tanabe – Prelude of the Kumano Kodo
Day 5.1 – Takijiri to Takahara, Kumano Kodo
Day 5.2 – Takahara to Tsugizakura , Kumano Kodo
Day 5.3 – Minshuku Tsugizakura, Kumano Kodo
Day 6.1 – Tsugizakura to Mikoshi-Toge Pass, Kumano Kodo
Day 6.2 – Mikoshi-Toge Pass to Hongu Taisha, Kumano Kodo
Day 6.3 – Kumano Hongu Taisha to Yunomine Onsen, Kumano Kodo
Day 7.1 – Ryokan Adumaya, Yunomine Onsen, Kumano Kodo
Day 7.2 – Yunomine Onsen, Kumano Kodo
Day 7.3 – Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Kodo
Day 7.4 – Wataze Onsen, Kumano Kodo
Day 8.1 – Kumano Nachi Taisha, Kumano Kodo
Day 8.2 – Kii Katsuura, Kumano Kodo
Day 9 – Church of Light, Osaka

September 18, 2015 | Categories: Japan, Japan: Kansai 2015, Kumano Kodo | Tags: 熊野本宮大社, 熊野権現, 紀伊山地, gongen, hongu, Japan, Kansai, Kii, kodo, Kumano, oji, Oyunohara, pilgrimage, Shrine, taisha, torii, Wakayama, Yunomine, 大斎原 | Leave a comment

DAY 7 – YUNOMINE ONSEN, Kumano Kodo (熊野古道) 2 of 4, Japan

Since 1800 years ago, Yunomine has always been a popular onsen village in the Kii Mountains. For centuries, its healing water offers a great reward for pilgrims after their visit to the Hongu Taisha. Today, this sleepy onsen village has the oldest hotspring in Japan. Situated at a lush green valley, dozens of timber houses, traditional ryokans and cosy bed and breakfasts cluster along a mountain stream. At the village centre across the bridge from Ryokan Adumaya stands a public bathhouse where visitors buy admission ticket from a vending machine.The only vehicle road passed through the centre of sleepy Yunomine.Traditional ryokans in Yunomine offer visitors a taste of vintage Japan.A stair leads down to the level of the stream where the fenced pool of hotspring becomes the official cooking spot with water from the hot spring. “Onsen tamago”,eggs slowly boiled in the onsen hot spring, is a popular local dish. Other than eggs, the locals also love to boil yams in the 93 degree onsen water. Across the stream from the egg boiling pool stands a hotspring well and pump distributing onsen water to the surrounding houses. Yunomine and its historical Tsuboyu Bath is famous as the healing spot for Hangan Oguri, a clan leader of Oguri Castle 600 years ago. In the background stands the Toko-ji Temple, the main temple in Yunomine.In front of Toko-ji Temple stands the main grocery store. The Toko-ji Temple is located beside the public bathhouse. The shrine at Toko-ji Temple. The entrance of the public bath house of Yunomine Bags of uncooked eggs are prepared for visitors to make “onsen tamago” slowly cooking in the hot spring. The centuries old Tsuboyu Bath is a tiny bath house by the stream. Inside it is small and dark, not ideal for people with speluncaphobia.

From a distance the Tsuboyu Bath seems like a tiny wooden shed that seems vulnerable to flooding. These stone steles situate high on the slope by the main road accessible only via a narrow flight of stair.Bicycle is one of the best means to tour around the Yunomine area. The stone wall that separates the open air onsen at Ryokan Adumaya from the main road. Before we left Yunomine Onsen, we had a leisure stroll around Yunomine. After the walk, we decided to return to Hongu Taisha for a second visit. After a short wait at the only bus stop in the village, we carried our backpacks up the bus heading towards Hongu Taisha.

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July 18, 2015 | Categories: Japan, Japan: Kansai 2015, Kumano Kodo | Tags: Adumaya, 紀伊山地, hongu, hotspring, Japan, Japanese, Kii, kodo, Kumano, onsen, ryokan, taisha, Wakayama, Yunomine, 湯の峰 | Leave a comment

DAY 7 – RYOKAN ADUMAYA, Yunomine Onsen, Kumano Kodo (熊野古道) 1 of 4, Japan

Founded by a shrine priest in the mid or late Edo Period, Ryokan Adumaya is a very traditional hotspring inn in Yunomine, the oldest onsen town in Japan. With 22 rooms all finished in traditional Japanese style, the interior of Adumaya is dominated by timber and bamboo. As an onsen ryokan, Adumaya has its own indoor and outdoor hotspring bathing facilities, which can be visited during the day even for visitors who are not staying the night. As hotel guests, we were able to enjoy the hotspring facilities at Adumaya 24 hours round the clock. Despite the short stay, we enjoyed the baths and delicious meals. Signage of Ryokan Adumaya was erected in a naturalistic setting in front of the inn. Situated in the middle of Yunomine Onse across the street from the public bathhouse, Ryokan Adumaya is one of the most prominent building in the village. Beyond the neatly trimmed trees and bushes lies the drop off and main entrance of Ryokan Adumaya. Entering the ryokan through the wooden overhang was liking going back an times of Edo Japan. Beside the main entrance mounted a board with names of hotel guests written on it. Traditional timber finish dominates the lobby and reception area. We had to take off our shoes during our stay. We could choose to put on either a pair of indoor slippers when staying indoor, or a pair of outdoor shoes for venturing out into Yunomine. The sitting area in the lobby was quite atmospheric. The door on the left led to the bathing facilities and souvenir shop. Upstairs on the second level, the entrance into our room was right at the corner next the the main stair. The wooden door then led into a vestibule and then into an anteroom before reaching the main living space of our room. The vestibule also connected to our private toilet. Beyond the sliding doors of the anteroom is main living space where we dined and slept on the tatami. At the far end of the room there was another set of sliding door leading out to the sun room where a tea table stood. The sun room was well lit with natural light. At the far end of the sun room was the vanity counter. From the window we could see the main street and creek that bisected Yunomine. Beyond that stood the village shrine on the left, and the public bathhouse at further back.

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July 9, 2015 | Categories: Japan, Japan: Kansai 2015, Kumano Kodo | Tags: Adumaya, Architecture, 紀伊山地, hotel, hotspring, inn, Japan, japaneses, kodo, Kumano, onsen, ryokan, tradition, Wakayama, Yunomine, 温泉, 湯の峰 | Leave a comment

Day 6 – KUMANO HONGU TAISHA TO YUNOMINE ONSEN, Kumano Kodo (熊野古道) 3 of 3, Japan

As one of the Kumano Sanzan, Hongu Taisha is one of the three major shrines of Kumano Shinto shrines, and the main pilgrimage destination in the Kii Mountains since the early 10th century. Originally built on the river delta of Oyunohara, the historical shrine was partially destroyed by floods in 1889. Out of the five original main shrine structures at Oyunohara, three were rebuilt at today’s location about 1km from its original spot. Similar to other Shinto shrines, unfinished wood were widely used in the shrine structures of Kumano Hongu Taisha. Not a single nail had been used in the magnificent timber structures. After a long day of walk, we arrived at Hongu Taisha at around 5pm. We entered the complex through its back entrance. Only a few local visitors were around. All the shops and vending stalls selling religious souvenirs were already closed. We quietly wandered around the ground, paid our respect to the deities, and decided to return for another visit the next day. We exited the ground from its main entrance. Across the street from the main entrance stood the Kumano Hongu Heritage Centre and the local bus stop. It was a relief after we realized that the last bus to Yunomine was still yet to come. It was only ten minutes of bus ride from Hongu to Yunomine, the small village famous for its 1800 year old onsen. From Takijiri to Hongu Taisha, we covered a little over 40km of hiking in two days. At Yunomine Onsen, it was the time for a well deserved rest and a dip into one of its hotsprings. We arrived at Yunomine in the evening. After we checked into our traditional rooms in Ryokan Adumaya, the hotel staff immediately prepared our Kaiseki dinner in our room. Ryokan Adumaya is the oldest guesthouse in the village, with its own hotspring baths and traditional tatami rooms serving both foreign and local visitors. After the dinner, the hotel staff set up the bed and blanket for us on the bamboo tatami. We silently walked into the shrine complex from the back entrance, which led us into the outer courtyard of the shrine complex. Unfinished timber gate structure that leads to the inner courtyard of the shrine complex. Gateway into the inner courtyard of the shrine complex. The three main shrine structures at the core of the inner courtyard were off limits to visitors. One of the three main shrine structures rebuilt after the move from the original location in 1889. Bronze features on the rooftop of the shrine structures. Chigi, the crossed detail on rooftop, is a common feature in Japanese Shinto architecture. The main stairway led us to the front entrance of Hongu Taisha. At the bus stop in front of Kumano Hongu Heritage Centre, we waited for the day’s last bus for Yunomine, where we would stay the night at a local hotspring inn. The main creek ran through the entire village of Yunomine at its centre. The public hotspring bath and the adjacent shop/ eatery were still open at 8 in the evening. Below the village shrine by the creek stood the piping system distributing the hotspring water to different parts of the village. We checked in at Ryokan Adumaya, the oldest hotspring inn at Yunomine. Kaiseki dinner at Ryokan Adumaya. Kaiseki dinner at Ryokan Adumaya. Kaiseki dinner at Ryokan Adumaya. Menu of the Kaiseki dinner at Ryokan Adumaya. Bedding and blanket were all set as soon as we finished the delicious dinner. Before bedtime, we still managed to visit the hotspring in the ryokan.

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July 7, 2015 | Categories: Japan, Japan: Kansai 2015, Kumano Kodo | Tags: Adumaya, 熊野, 熊野本宮大社, 紀伊半島, 紀伊山地, food, hongu, hotspring, Japan, Japanese, kaiseki, kodo, Kumano, onsen, Oyunohara, ryokan, Sanzan, taisha, Tanabe, Wakayama, Yunomine, 温泉, 湯の峰 | Leave a comment

DAY 5 – TAKIJIRI to TAKAHARA, Kumano Kodo (熊野古道) 1 of 3, Japan

Along with Way of St. James in Spain, Japan’s Kumano Kodo is one of the two pilgrim routes inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage. We first came across Kumano Kodo during travel research when we were looking for an off-the-beaten path destination in Japan. Learning the historical and spiritual significance of the centuries-old pilgrim trail, we immediately fell in love with Kumano Kodo. Since the 10th century, pilgrims from Kyoto and other Japanese cities took the Kumano Kodo to reach the sacred sites of Kumano Sanzan (熊野三山) in the Kii Mountains. The Kumano Sanzan includes three sacred mountain shrines: Kumano Hongu Taisha (熊野本宮大社), Kumano Nachi Taisha (熊野那智大社), and Kumano Hayatama Taisha (熊野速玉大社). Nowadays, the Kumano Kodo is a popular hiking destination for both local and international hikers. Most visitors do the Kumano Kodo as a three-to-five day hike, staying at minshuku (local bed and breakfast) along the way. In the middle of Kii Mountains near Kumano Hongu Taisha lies the famous Yunomine Onsen, the oldest hot spring in the country. Most pilgrims, past or present, would go for a dip in the healing hot spring after days of walking. Out of the various Kumano Kodo routes, we decided to take the popular Nakahechi route from Takijiri to Hongu Taisha. This route would take two days. On the first day, we walked from Takijiri to Tsugizakura (18.2km), and the second from Tsugizakura to Hongu Taisha (22.1km). Another rainy day to start off with. From Tanabe train station, we took the 6:50 bus heading into the mountains. At 7:28 we get off at Takijiri (滝尻), the official trail head of the Nakahechi route. The Kumano Kodo visitor centre had not yet opened its doors. At 7:30, the van of our backpack shuttle service arrived and we gratefully handed over our backpack to the driver, who would deliver our bag to the minshuku where we were staying the night. Along the way on Kumano Kodo, there are many oji shrines. These oji are subsidary shrines of the Kumano grand shrines. Takijiri Oji is situated right at the trail head of the Nakahechi route of Kumano Kodo. One of the first things encountered on Kumano Kodo was the beautiful cedar forest. The rain stopped soon after we ascended into the mountains. High up on the first lookout we could admire the picturesque valley and distant mountains of the Kii Mountain Range. Mount Meshimori-yama, the first lookout on the trail. About 1.5 hour from Takijiri, we were soon approaching the village of Takahara (高原). Small family farms overlooking the Kii Mountain Range. In Takahara, we visited a local wood shop. The scent of the local wood filled the entire shop. The owner showed us his master piece, wooden frame of a double bed. Beside the workshop there was a small souvenir shop selling all kinds of things made of wood, from key chains to photo frames. Takahara is an attractive small mountain village famous for its mountain views and morning sea of clouds. Takahara Kumano-jinja, the main shrine in the mountain village of Takahara. From Takahara Kiri-no-Sato rest area, we stayed for a short while to enjoy the view. The vending machine at Takahara Kiri-no-Sato rest area was selling all kinds of drinks. At Takahara Kiri-no-Sato rest area we ate the snacks that the wood shop owner gave us. After Takahara Kiri-no-Sato rest area the sign pointing to Chikatsuyu Oji, the next major village about 9km down the road. After a few more minutes of walking, we exited the village of Takahara and came to a fork road where a cherry tree stood and a “Kumano Kodo” sign that pointed to an uphill path. At the top of the path we came across a number of rice paddy fields. In the reflection of the blue sky, rows of young seedlings shooting upwards against a backdrop of the Kii mountains.