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 connection in Nagoya (9 minutes), but held out hope that since everything here is so efficient it should be fine.
It was rainy and cloudy leaving the valley, and the mist and clouds hung in the mountains as we traveled a bit west and then south to the capital of the Aichi province and Japan’s 4th most populous city. Since most of the historic buildings (other than the Nagoya Castle) were destroyed in the bombings in the mid-40’s, this busy manufacturing city isn’t on my list of places to visit. Transiting through was enough. Especially since we missed our transfer to the bullet train by literally seconds!
There was another train for Shin-Osaka leaving 25 minutes later, so we were able to secure a seat on that, and we just hoped that we’d make the next connection. Luckily, despite the tightness of that connection we made it, and 2 1/2 hours later the view out the window was of the sea! The Kii Channel, also called the Kii Strait, is a strait separating the Japanese island of Shikoku from the Kii Peninsula on the main island of Honshū. This strait connects the Inland Sea with the Pacific Ocean. Our stop was Kii Tanabe, the small town from which we will begin our Kumano Koda trek tomorrow.
The ancient Kumano region is nestled in the verdant mountains of Wakayama Prefecture — the spiritual heartland of Japan. This lush and rugged area has been considered the abode of the gods and worshipped for centuries. Kii Tanabe has established itself as the jumping off point for this trek, so other than that claim to fame there isn’t much to note. It is the the second largest city in Wakayama Prefecture and is located at the shores of the Pacific Ocean, The entertainment area in front of the JR Kii-Tanabe station is called “Ajikoji” and is packed with over 200 restaurants and Japanese style pubs (Izakaya) . It is considered to be the most concentrated of its kind for a city of this size in the entire country of Japan. Every alley is full of quaint places to eat and drink. We found a spot that advertised an English menu and were delighted with our dinner.
We have an early day tomorrow so will have a quiet and early night… 13 km through the mountains! I’m not sure whether there will be any internet service; between the remote locations, the ryokan-nature of the accommodations, and the fact that this is technically a pilgrimage, it may be that my next posts come once the 5 day walk has been completed!
