Almost spent, as I was, by fatigue and the dreadful suspense I endured for several hours, this sudden certainty of life rushed like a flood of warm joy to my heart, and tears gushed from my eyes.

How mutable are our feelings, and how strange is that clinging love we have of life even in the excess of misery!

Mary Shelley, “Frankenstein”

16 March 2023

• 6:00-7:30 morning prayer
• 7:30-8:00 tea and coffee
• Breakfast at temple
• 9:45-10:00 Keisatsu-mae to Koya-san station bus, 5m cable car to Gokurakubashi station, 10:10-10:50 train to Hashimoto, 11:30-12:40 train to Wakayama, 13:30-14:40 train to Kii-Tanabe
• Exploring the local shrine and beach
• Early dinner at a random restaurant (unagi and cheese mochi)

Morning Prayer

Today I woke up at 5:30, 40 minutes before dawn. There was a morning prayer at 6:00.

The monks included shaved-head men and women. One of the former was performing a fire ritual and burning sticks. One of the latter had a bob cut. Probably a monk in training.

A monk began to chant a sutra from a small book. I think it was in Sanskrit. It reminded me of Jews chanting (or singing? Not sure what to call it) an ancient language, Hebrew from the Old Testament, like I had to do in my Bar Mitzvah. Hatred was bubbling up from my stomach.

But then the monks began to chant all together, and the prayer transformed into something greater than us. Unison. Harmony. Precision. They rose and continued to chant while circling a Buddha. My mood shifted from aversion to existentialism in a matter of seconds, and I found myself crying once more. How could one go back to everyday life after this? How could one work some meaningless job and pay bills?

They let us enter the holy place, or whatever it was called (need to check). We bowed in front of several Buddhas, who had all received offerings of fresh food.

Then the monks began to pray. One of them said a bunch of places and dates in Japanese. I wasn’t sure why.

The prayer went on longer than I would’ve liked it too. I was cold and tired; outside the sun was rising. Finally, it was over.

All seven guests went with two monks to a tearoom. I translated for the Czech family and a shaved-head English woman, who was an ordained monk in a sect of Buddhism that had originated in London. The head monk told us he was born in this temple and studied philosophy in China. After tea, we were served coffee, which I’d never needed more in my life.

I ate breakfast in my bedroom and spent a little more precious time with the kotatsu. This room was even better than the one in Nara.

I left Koya-san a bit sour I hadn’t come for a whole week. The solitude and minimal attractions would’ve driven me insane, but that was the point.

Kii-Tanabe

I met the Malaysian-Tasmanian couple at Hashimoto station. We took two trains to Kii-Tanabe, where we would all spend the night. The three of us had been planning to cover Kumano Kodo’s Nakahechi trail for five days, except they would be taking the bus occasionally, and sleeping in different areas.

At Wakayama station, I went to the ticket office, praying they sold JR passes (I’d wanted one for the week following Kumano Kodo). They didn’t. This station wasn’t “main” enough. Instead, they offered me a 5-day Kansai Wide Pass that was good for my itinerary as well.

I stocked up on snacks at a tiny 7/11. I knew shops along the trail would be scarce, or even nonexistent.

“Lots of sweet things,” the clerk remarked.

“I’m going to hike the Nakahechi trail,” I explained, as I packed everything into a large bag. “I’ll need an energy boost.”

The train from Wakayama to Kii-Tanabe was the first time I’d seen a women-only car, as well as a 14-minute delay.

Apparently Tanabe had enough konbinis to stock up there instead of in Wakayama. I didn’t remember where I’d heard it hadn’t, but that was a lie. Don’t trust the internet.

I went to my accommodation. It was an old and simple ryokan merely 3-4 minutes from the station. No one was there.

I called them twice on the phone. No answer.

I waited in the living room for forty minutes. A newspaper delivery boy came and asked me to give them their copy. Then I got my first mosquito bite in Japan. It was the southeast I’d been to.

Upon checking in, they gave me a free upgrade to a huge room with a kotatsu and a toilet (I paid for a minuscule, cheap room that had neither), because I was the only guest there.

Next thing on the to-do list was pack a bag for the hike and pay the tourist information centre to store my luggage for a week. I was about to undertake the daunting task of picking the bare essentials, when I got an idea. I had a different place booked in Tanabe for the day after my hike, to pick up my bags and head back north. It was only 100-200 yen cheaper than my current accommodation. What if I returned here instead – would they store my luggage?

“Yes,” the owner said, “for free.”

I immediately cancelled the second place I’d booked for Tanabe. Good thing I’d made sure every booking I’d had was refundable.

Now that I wasn’t in a rush to store my luggage somewhere, I could meet the Tasmanian couple. We visited a local shrine dedicated to the cockfight two samurai clans have had in the area, the Genji clan and another. Then we walked to the beach, which was pretty since it was nearly sunset.

Out and about in this small city, we didn’t see any other foreigners. It was nice to return to a place inhabited only by locals.

Dinner was early, at some random place we found after strolling around. After missing hitsumobushi, Nagoya’s eel specialty, I was surprised to see eel on the menu, and had to give it a shot. This, alongside cheese mochi, made for a delicious (albeit tiny) meal.

Finally, I said goodbye to the couple; our schedules for Kumano Kodo were probably too different for us to meet again.

The rest of the evening was spent on packing my bag. I went to sleep with the kotatsu on, anxious to start hiking tomorrow.

Today’s highlights: the monks chanting in unison and walking in a circle; getting upgraded to a large room; and eating cheese mochi. 

17 March 2023

• 8:00-8:50 Kii-Tanabe station to Takijiri-ori bus
• 9:00-15:30 Takijiri to Chikatsuyu hike (6.5h)

Hiking from Takijiri to Chikatsuyu

Today I woke up at 7:00. I was a bit nauseous, so I didn’t eat anything. Might’ve been excited. Or nervous.

I’d never hiked for a full day before, nor done a multi-day hike. Kumano Kodo would require four full days of strenuous hiking, through a mountainous area.

At the bus stop, I met a Swiss guy and a French girl who would be hiking the same trail as me. We decided to walk together.

• French girl, like a brunette Luna Lovegood, with piercing blue eyes smiling in rumination
• Swiss guy, like the Aryan Aragorn, blond blue eyed bearded graying, recently spent 3 weeks hiking glaciers

The ride was beautiful, through villages and misty mountains. Once it was over, I tried eating a matcha ice cream I’d bought beforehand, which had already melted. Then we checked out the tourist information centre – I got a map of Kumano Kodo, after forgetting mine at Tanabe’s tourist centre – and started walking.

Right at the beginning of the trail was a miniscule cave, both in height and length. It was optional, but reputed to give women an easy labor. Maybe that was why the cave felt like it’d been meant for kids. We had to drop our bags and crawl through the tiniest opening. Everything got dirty at once: clothes, hands, bags.

That was quite the start.

We began to climb the hill. I was panting like crazy in no time. It was so steep and humid, that I felt like walking in my underwear.

A fallen branch as a walking stick. The smell of petrichor. Rain had fallen this morning. Whenever I held on to a tree trunk, its leaves rained on me.

The loudest sound in my ears for half of today was my heartbeats, followed by my panting. My glasses were fogging up from all my hard breathing; my shirt became drenched in sweat.

The road was well-marked, sprinkled with tiny shrines and stamping stations. Every time we made a quick stop at one, I forgot my walking stick. I also realised I’d lost my umbrella. It had probably fallen from my bag inside the cave.

The beginning of the Nakahechi trail was its steepest section. Two hours of climbing, and the worst was over.

We ate a small lunch at a cabin. There was a solar-powered toilet nearby. It was raining so gently, that you couldn’t see the drops.

Then it got stronger as we finished eating. We put on rain jackets and waterproof pants and hit the road.

The path grew narrower at times, with enough room for one person. Beyond the trees, everything was white. We were surrounded by mist.

At 14:30, an American guy in his fifties or sixties caught up with us from behind. He had begun hiking at 11:15, and already reached the same spot as us.

An hour later, we reached Chikatsuyu, our destination for tonight. The tourist information centre had estimated the hike would take 8.5h; it took us 6.5h.

At the entrance to Chikatsuyu, there was a tree with pale petals, a mixture of pink and white. It was the first I saw cherry blossoms. An early-blooming kind, called Yama-Zakura (mountain cherry blossom).

In the village, I saw my first “no foreigners” sign, at one of the cafés.

The rain was pouring now. We rested at a different café. Then each went to their accommodation for the night.

I stood at the doorstep to mine, completely drenched. No answer.

What was up with rural accommodations not being ready to check in their guests for the night? Did they not receive guests half of the time?

I called the phone number on my reservation. Someone came a few minutes later with a key and a dinner bento. How could people survive the Japanese countryside without a sim card?

Apparently the reason for today was that no one was inside the place to greet me. It was a huge apartment, all for myself.

I’d completely forgotten this detail. So that was a nice surprise.

The first thing I did was throw everything into the washer. Then I drank and ate a lot after not doing much of either, despite the strenuous hike. I took a bath so hot I almost fell asleep in it, and grew dizzy. The day ended with me finally going to bed early, in anticipation of another early start.

Today’s highlights: crawling through that cave; traversing misty woods in the rain; seeing my first sakura; and taking a hot bath after hiking the hardest I’d ever had.

Travellers we met on the Nakahechi trail – day 1: a Taiwanese couple; an English woman; an American man; and two large groups of old Japanese tourists wearing huge raincoats.

18 March 2023

• Tiny breakfast at some café (included in the booking)
• Chikatsuyu to Hongu 7:30-16:45 (~9h)
• Tiny bento lunch (included in the booking)
• Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine (15m)

Hiking from Chikatsuyu to Hongu

Waking up at 6:30 today couldn’t have been more difficult. I was drained. But no time to waste – day 2 of Kumano Kodo would be even longer.

Breakfast was, ironically, at the “no foreigners” café. There were three twentysomething Japanese guys, and two blonde women. Coffee was served instead of tea. I was much obliged.

It was drizzling nonstop. We were soaking wet from the moment we set out. It wasn’t hot or humid, but rather cold. Had I known my fingers would be freezing, I wouldn’t have washed my gloves yesterday. They hadn’t dried at all.  

We trampled mud and puddles and noticed a deer skull someone had perched on a stick near the exit from Chikatsuyu. My first time touching a skull.

There were frequent bear warnings, as well as cemeteries and abandoned homes. Lots and lots of the latter.

Another frequent sighting was small waterfalls. Today’s road was full of them. They were easy on the eyes (and ears).

Finally, like yesterday, there were red-beanied Jizo statues everywhere. Protector of not only children, but also travellers; so it made sense for them to be ubiquitous.

At some point, we reached a never-ending descent down a winding stone path so slippery, we nearly fell and died. I was holding on to my branch/walking stick and mossy trunks for dear life. It was easier to tread on the ground in-between the stones than on the stones themselves. But the rain also made the path feel special and atmospheric. Mist, raindrops, waterfalls; the occasional tweeting bird. I was glad.

I’d never hiked so hard before in my life, but I couldn’t have been happier that I was doing this, right after the experiences I’d had in Koya-san, and also with a couple of really great tourists I’d met along the way. It was tough as nails, and there were times today when I wanted to tell them to go on without me, because I couldn’t do it anymore. But I persevered. My heart was hammering, my thighs were burning, my shoulders were screaming from all the weight on them. Every part of me was on fire. I felt myself coming to life.

After the steep descent came an equally endless and steep ascent. Such was the circle of life.

We hiked for hours, only taking two short breaks (second breakfast + small bento lunch). I felt like I was in Lord of the Rings, where the hobbits walk far and wide in nature with sticks, and enjoy second breakfasts.

They put pork in my bento even though I’d asked them not to include meat. I hesitated for a second: should I throw my values away and devour it because I was famished? I’d caved in and started eating fish… But no. I gave the French girl the pork. She didn’t have a bento with her.

We resumed our walking. Yesterday, we saw a couple of crabs; today, we saw several frogs. Two were standing completely still. Kind of like a meditating Buddha.

Upon reaching one of the villages, we heard terrible screams. One of the Spanish girls was a bit behind us, and stumbled while walking down the wet stairs. She nearly sprained her ankle. But she was okay.

The village was pretty and picturesque, with rural houses and backyard farms illuminated by the emerging sun. The weather had cleared up and warmed up, turning the last stretch of the trail, 3.5km to Hongu Taisha, into a magnificent stroll.

Kumano Hongu Taisha

We reached the shrine at 16:45. Cherry blossoms were weeping over its gates. I hadn’t expected to see them this early into my trip; the forecast had changed around two weeks ago, when March had turned out to be warmer than usual.

There were three shrines inside the complex, representing past, present, and future. Also a small one dedicated to the Shinto deity of the whole universe.

We chatted with a group of middle aged tourists who had come with a private guide. One of them wasn’t surprised to hear I was Israeli.

“You don’t have an Israeli accent, but I recognised the way you were hiding it,” he said (in Hebrew).

I was mortified. I’d been enjoying the fact that everyone here had thought I was European or something. But it took one to know one. He didn’t have an Israeli accent, either.

On the way to my accommodation for the next two nights, I realised towns and villages in the Kumano Kodo area had zero konbinis.

Thank god.

I did laundry, wolfed down dinner, and then called the place I’d reserved for day 5 to change it to day 4. I’d planned on resting tomorrow (day 3 of the pilgrimage) and walk on days 4-5, but the Swiss guy and French girl would walk on days 3-4 instead of resting, and I’d been enjoying their company so much, that I wanted us to do the whole trail together. I sent a cancellation request for the day 4 accommodation. I’d probably have to pay around 40% for canceling so late, but it would be worth it.

Original plan: day 1- Takijiri -> Chikatsuyu, sleep in Chikatsuyu; day 2 : Chikatsuyu -> Hongu, sleep in Hongu; day 3: rest, visit onsens, sleep in Hongu; day 4: Hongu -> Koguchi, sleep in Koguchi; day 5: Koguchi -> Nachi, sleep in Nachi; day 6: Nachi -> Katsuura -> Hayatama Taisha -> Tanabe, sleep in Tanabe.

New plan: day 3- Koguchi to Hongu, sleep in Hongu; day 4- Koguchi to Nachi, sleep in Nachi; day 5- Nachi -> Katsuura -> Hayatama Taisha -> Tanabe, sleep in Tanabe.

So no day of rest for me.  

The next thing I did was call a hostel that was bookable only by phone, make a reservation there for the end of March, and cancel the reservation I’d made for a private room at a hotel on the same day. I needed to save as much money as I could.

(After talking to the hostel on the phone, I realised you could make a reservation on booking.com, but it was quite more expensive this way, for some strange reason. In the end, the hostel cost me almost half the hotel.)

I was in a “let’s make changes” mood, after the French girl had told me about her visits to two cities that were on my radar. I hadn’t thought I’d have time for them. But now I began to rethink my itinerary.  

I called the place in Tanabe I’d booked for the last day of Kumano Kodo, and asked them to change my reservation to the day before. Now I had an extra day to do whatever I wanted.

All these changes and phone calls made me go to bed too late, yet again. But I was excited.

If hidden cameras were to escort me while walking this trail, the soundtrack accompanying the footage would’ve been a constant, calming drizzle. The occasional chirp of a bird, and the croak of a frog. Followed by the 3^rd movement of Mahler’s 2^nd symphony, nicknamed “Resurrection”.

Travellers we met on the Nakahechi trail – day 2: the American man again (who overtook us once more); the Taiwanese couple again (who wore bear bells and huge raincoats); two Spanish women and a Swiss guy, who were all studying Japanese; the two blondes from breakfast; an old Japanese man walking solo on the opposite direction; a family of six Canadians; and the three young Japanese guys from breakfast.

So far, this pilgrimage had been attracting mostly foreigners. Huh.

Today’s highlights: holding a deer skull; hiking in pouring rain; pushing myself beyond my limit; reaching Hongu Taisha and beholding weeping cherry trees; and making phone calls in Japanese to change my itinerary on a whim.

The last 5 minutes of this symphony are worth spending 1.5 hours listening to it, in my opinion. Tears every time.