Today’s trail was rated a 5 out of 5, so we knew that in order to complete the full 22km we needed an early start. Given that we had to take a bus back to the spot we had left off on our first day, and there were limited bus schedule options, we were on the bus at 6AM, and…
Category: An Epic Adventure
May 13: Kumano Koda — Chikatsuya to Hongu… or not!
After a pretty decent sleep, once we got used to the “firm” nature of the futon/tatami combination, we woke to a torrential downpour. We had been warned that it was likely to rain, and the weatherman didn’t disappoint — it was rain, heavy most of the time, all morning. So, it was not safe to make today’s trek. We took…
May 12: Kumano Koda — Takijiri to Chikatsuyu, 13km
For this pilgrimage, all of our arrangements had been made for us by an Australian company, RAW Travel. We had met yesterday at the tourist office in Kii-Tanabe with a young woman who provided us with all the maps and guides and directions for navigating this trek, so we had some specific timetables to meet this morning. We picked up…
May 11: Takayama to KiiTanabe
Getting from place to place in Japan is easy in that there are trains that go everywhere, but at the same time it can take awhile with transfers and navigating the sometimes very large and confusing stations. We had an early start in Takayama, and were able to get reserved seats on all three trains; I was worried about the…
May 10: Takayama
This is a lovely small town, and there’s so much to see nearby; it’s unfortunate when time is limited! We set off this morning for Hika No Sato, a folk village just to the south of the railway station. The hotel desk clerk sent us off beyond the turn, but that allowed us to see little streets and gardens and…
May 9: Nagano to Obuse and Takayama
Our train to Takayama, the next stop on what seems to be this whistle-stop tour of Japan, didn’t leave until 11:45, so we decided to get up early and visit Obuse, a small village just to the NE of Nagano. It is an adorable town, with several walking paths through chestnut groves and past a sake brewery. The view of…
May 8: Matsumoto
I’m not certain which was more visually arresting — the Matsumoto Castle or the Japan Alps. To have them both in one photo was almost overwhelming. After a 45 minute express train ride over some hills and through some tunnels we arrived in the valley framed by the snowy peaks. Matusmoto is a major crossroads at the heart of Chibu,…
May 6: Tokyo to Nagano & May 7: Zenkoji Temple and Snow Monkeys!
On Saturday we successfully navigated the inner city train line (once again) to get us from Shinjuku to Ueno station where we had to pick up the bullet train (shinkansen) to Nagano. And 90 minutes later we were well north of Tokyo and at the foothills of the Japan Alps. The Winter Olympics were here in 1998, and some of…
May 5: Imperial Gardens & Dinner with Friends
After two days of trains and temples and crowds I needed a slow moving morning, so we didn’t rush off to anywhere until noon. When we looked out the window in the morning we realized we had a direct view to Mt Fuji. It’s a little lost in the clouds and haze, but it’s there! We had to get our…
May 4: Nikko
Another road trip outside of Tokyo — north to Nikko. We took several trains to get there, and upon leaving the next to last station, all the workers lined up and waved goodbye to our train. Interesting sight.The mountainous region of Nikko is so enchanting that as long ago as the 8th C it attracted the attention of influential priests.…