Crossrhodes Kumano Journeys

10/05/2026

A little dress code fyi for when you visit Koyasan.
Be comfortable, but be aware of dress code norms observed by this World Heritage pilgrimage site.

Authorities at the sacred Koyasan pilgrimage site in Wakayama Prefecture are requesting that visitors refrain from wearing revealing clothing as the summer season approaches. Kongobuji Temple, the head of the Shingon Sect, recently installed signs and began distributing leaflets at the entrance to the sacred Okunoin area to outline proper attire. The initiative targets a growing number of domestic and international tourists who may be unfamiliar with the traditional etiquette of one of Japan’s most revered Buddhist centers.

Temple officials emphasized that the goal is not to restrict access but to encourage a mindset of respect and preserve the site's spiritual dignity. While the mountain remains open to everyone, staff indicated they may respond more firmly in the future if a visitor's clothing is deemed significantly inappropriate. This move highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing Japan’s booming tourism industry with the preservation of cultural and religious norms.

07/05/2026

Been a great spring so far on the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi and Kohechi!

02/05/2026

Sauntered by the Tonda (once Iwata) River after crossing Inabane Pass and other Kumano Kodo Workd Heritage sites in Kamitonda.

22/02/2026

Wakayama Castle, long the powerful seat of the Kishu Tokugawa family, has history dating back over 400 years. Although rebuilt in 1958 after being destroyed during WWII, the ghosts of the rich Edo-era life still linger on the grounds and surrounding area.
It’s a great stop for folks to visit here in Wakayama City before arriving in Tanabe and starting their Kumano Kodo pilgrimage. Spending a day or two in the rural Wakayama area is a calming, centering experience.

If you go to the castle, have the tea and confectionery before the main castle entrance. Watch for some folks dressed as ninjas (local tourist assistants, but not much English). Exhibits inside the castle have some English explanation which was helpful, and pamphlets about the castle are available in a variety of languages at the entrance. I visited this during winter, but I found the Nishinomaru Teien Garden, the Ohashi-Roka Bridge (shoes off on the inside), and of course the castle tower beautiful with good scenic views.
The stone work around the grounds was fascinating, and the vermillion Oimawashimon Gate was beautiful and apparently quite rare for its color on the grounds of a castle.

Parking: 200 yen for the first hour
Castle admission: adults 410 yen, 200 for children middle school age and younger.
Tea and glazed dumpling confectionery: 350 yen
Hours: 9:00-17:30 (last entry 17:00)
Closed: Dec 29-31

Admission tickets includes free admission to the Wakayama History Center.

Although I didn’t have time, across the street from the castle parking lot is The Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama.

20/02/2026

Getting to Koyasan from Osaka in style without transfers!
(Shout out to Ryochi at Koyasan Guest House Kokuu who posted this originally. His guesthouse is an amazing, laid back option to visit Koyasan, with exceptional hospitality, and the deep wisdom of living so long in Koyasan — and a great guide!)

Official website of Nankai Electric Railway's GRAN TENKU

20/02/2026

Evening ride option in Hongu.
Costs the same as a taxi, like a ride-share, but gives you an option when a bus is not available.
Requires the use of a QR code at pickup points and payment in cash onsite.
No advance booking.

20/02/2026

Cherry Blossom Forecast.

Early April (cross your fingers) is forecasted for the Kumano area, and your chance to see “yamazakura” mountain cherry blossoms and Kumano Sakura at certain locations along the Kumano Kodo.

According to our first cherry blossom forecast of the year, the timing of the cherry blossoms is expected to be quite average in 2026, except in northern Japan, where it is expected to be earlier than average. The best viewing in Tokyo is currently predicted for late March and early April, while it is predicted for early April in Kyoto and Osaka.

Tokyo: March 27 - April 4
Kyoto: April 2-10
Osaka: April 2-10
Nagoya: March 31 - April 8
Fukuoka: March 29 - April 6

See more details here:
https://www.japan-guide.com/sakura/

23/01/2026

Hideki Yukawa was the first Japanese to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
He also had a deep connection to the Kumano Kodo.

There was a small settlement of Yukawa along the Nakahechi Route, in what was once one of the most remote places in all of Japan. So remote, in fact, that when compulsory education began back in the 19th Century, Yukawa was one of a handful of places that was exempt because it was so remote.

Now only a small shrine remains in the area (and a stamp to collect for the Dual Pilgrim credential).

Hideki Yukawa’s wife was from this village. His wife’s family not having an apparent male heir, and he coming from a big family with many siblings, took her name, “Yukawa,” when they married.

Roots are important.

"We do not yet know whether the remaining divergence difficulties are due to our ignorance of the structure of elementary particles themselves. We shall probably have to go through another change of the theory, before we shall be able to arrive at the complete understanding of the nuclear structure and of various phenomena, which will occur in high energy regions."

- Physics laureate Hideki Yukawa in his Nobel Prize lecture on 12 December, 1949.

Atomic nuclei consist of protons and neutrons held together by a strong force. Hideki Yukawa assumed that this force is borne by particles and that there is a relationship between the range of the force and the mass of the force-bearing particle. In 1934, Yukawa predicted that this particle should have a mass about 200 times that of an electron. He called this particle a "meson". Mesons' existence was verified in later experiments.

When Yukawa was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 1949 for his prediction, he became the first Japanese physicist to be awarded the prize. He was awarded the prize with the motivation "for his prediction of the existence of mesons on the basis of theoretical work on nuclear forces."

Read his lecture here: https://bit.ly/3aoAvEA

01/01/2026

I’m not horsing around when I say that the horse was a powerful symbol even in the land of Kumano, where I live. Look for the horse statues and “ema” votive offering boards at shrines on the Kumano Kodo when you visit this Year of the Horse.

In ancient times horses were revered animals in Japan, presented to shrines as offerings to the deities there. In 2026, the year of the horse, we visit some shrines that to this day retain connections to the horse.

28/12/2025

The “Guji,” or head priest of Kumano Hongu Taisha, selected the “kanji” character “笑” or “to laugh or smile” for 2026.
In face of suffering and fear and tension in the world, it is important to lighten our hearts and spirits, perhaps with a smile, as we look at the year ahead.
You can view this character (and some recent annual kanji characters) at the shrine when you visit throughout the year.