Kumano Kodo Trail (Walk only)

Tour Type:

Pilgrimages | For those looking to follow a path of self-discovery. Our Pilgrimage and Camino routes take you on a journey through diverse landscapes and local flavours, while meeting like-minded adventurers along the way.

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

Activity Level & Terrain

The walk is graded moderate but it does involve some days with fairly steep ascents and descents.The terrain can also be quite tricky underfoot as wet tree roots can be quite slippy at times.  The longer walking days can be shortened if you want to cut down the distance. On most days you will be walking between 2 and 6 hours although there is one longer day of up to 8.5 hours so you should be an experienced walker to get the most from this trip.

Navigation

The route is partly way marked (in English and Japanese) and we provide detailed route notes and topographic maps so you should have no problem following the trail.

• 5 Nights minshuku (guest house) accommodation on the Kumano Kodo trail.
• 5 Breakfasts
• 5 evening meals
• Train tickets from/to Kyoto or Osaka
• Detailed information pack with local travel information, route notes and maps.
• Telephone support from our local, English speaking, area manager.

• International flights and travel to Kyoto/from Osaka
• Drinks with meals
• Lunches
• Local buses on day 3, 5 & 6 should be paid locally (around ¥2500, £18 or $28)
• Baggage forwarding is not included, though we provide instructions for how this can be easily arranged locally or you can pre-book as an optional extra
• Travel insurance

• Additional nights on the trail or in Kyoto, Tokyo or Osaka (prices on request for Kyoto and Osaka)
• Daily Luggage Transfers (Takijiri to Nachi-San)

When To Go

This trip is available year-round but we recommend April to November. The region may experience occasional snow from December to March. It can also get quite hot and sticky in July and August. 

Accommodations are busy and may charge extra during the following Japanese holiday periods: New Year (29 December - 04 January), Golden Week (29 April - 05 May), and O-bon (09-17 August).

The inns get extremely busy for the months of April and May as this is peak cherry blossom season, so please be aware that bookings during this time may require a change of itinerary or accommodation. There is very limited accommodation in Takahara so if the inn there is full you will stay in Tanabe (where you usually take the train to on Day 3) on the first night and complete the first two sections of the walk on Day 4 to Chikatsuyu.

Getting to the Start

By Air:

The best airport to arrive at is Osaka Kansai Airport (KIX), which has flights from international destinations. You can also fly into Tokyo Narita (NRT) and take an internal flight or the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto (3h30).

The West Japan Rail Company operates services between Kansai Airport and Osaka/Kyoto. The Airport Express HARUKA (Kansai Airport Line) takes approx 75 mins to Kyoto. 

Getting from the End

By Air:

Train tickets are included on Day 6 from the trail to Osaka city centre. You can then fly out  Osaka Kansai Airport (KIX), which has flights to many international destinations. You can also fly out of Tokyo Narita (NRT) and take an internal flight or the shinkansen (bullet train) from Osaka (3h30).

The West Japan Rail Company operates services between Kansai Airport and Osaka. The Airport Express HARUKA (Kansai Airport Line) takes approx 75 mins to Kyoto.

Luggage Transfer

Luggage transfer is not included during your walk as standard and you have a couple of options here. The first option is to arrange luggage transfers by a service called Takkyubin which is a courier service in Japan and can only be booked in Japan. This is cheap, reliable and costs approx £12 per day. With this service, your bags will not be moved each day but instead will be waiting for you at your accommodation a couple of nights later. On the Kumano Kodo tour, we recommend forwarding your luggage from Kyoto (or wherever you are staying before the walk) to Yunomine Onsen. You then carry overnight essentials for your nights in Takahara and Chikatsuyu. You then forward your luggage from Yunomine Onsen to wherever you are staying after the walk; you carry your overnight essentials for your nights in Koguchi and Nachi. Our information pack has full details on how to use this service, which is really easy. Your accommodation during the walk provides robes to wear in the evening and shoes are not worn inside, so you only need your hiking gear and can travel very light.

The other option is to arrange a daily baggage transfer service if you prefer to access your bag every night and this can be booked in advance through ourselves. Daily Luggage Transfer offers clients the option of bringing luggage by train and bus to the trail and then having it transferred from inn to inn on a daily basis. However, as it can be quite difficult to navigate public transport with luggage, we recommend Takkubin as the most convenient method. On the Kumano Kodo, this service is available from Takijiri through to Nachi-San. You will need to carry your bags with you on the last day.

General Information

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof cloths, and lightweight clothing for summer.

Latest Travel Advice on Japan (2022 and 2023 Season)

For the most up-to-date information visit: https://www.macsadventure.com/us/about-macs-adventure/booking/japan-travel-advice-2023/ 

Dietary and Allergies on the Kumano Kodo

Japanese Inns prepare their meals in-house and take great pride in their cuisine which showcases the best seasonal and local produce it has to offer! This means that dietary requests such as gluten-free and strict vegetarian and vegan are difficult to cater to. Gluten-free is still poorly understood in some parts of Japan, and the base ingredients of Japanese cuisine contain a large amount of gluten or fish. Whilst, in some cases you think it's easy for them just to make you vegetables and rice but this is not the case! The inns may be family-run and simply cannot make alternate meals due to resources at hand or more commonly that the meals and hot spring baths are the largest attraction to staying at an inn for domestic Japanese travellers and the innkeeper's sense of pride will cause them to simply decline these requests fearing the customer will be unsatisfied.

Interestingly, on the Kumano Kodo itself, there are many young families or those simply fed-up with the rat race in the larger cities who have decided to move to regional Japan. You may find that these residents have set up local businesses such as Japanese inns, cafes, and coffee roasters. These residents are more progressive in attitudes and many have opened a vegan cafe, or are willing to substitute the fish stock for mushroom or seaweed stock at their inns.  

Getting around

Your package includes train tickets from/to Kyoto or Osaka to the start of the walk and from the end of the walk back to Osaka or Kyoto. The public transport system in Japan is world class and your pre-departure information pack and itinerary has detailed information on tickets, trains and how to use public transport easily and what trains/buses to take from Kyoto/Osaka to Kii-Tanabe at the start of the walk.

Our specialist Laura travelled to Japan in 2014 and you can read her experience of using public transport, on the blog.

Visas

Please check your visa requirements with the foreign office or the embassy in your country of residence before travelling to Japan.

British nationals wishing to visit Japan for three months or less for business, tourism or family purposes etc (but not to work for a local employer) may do so without a visa. You must have a valid passport and an onward/return ticket. Please visit www.fco.gov.uk for up to date information.

Equipment

Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, lightweight clothes, waterproofs and a day pack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.