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| Ootori in Hongu, Tanabe, Wakayama |
This summer, I spent a couple of days by myself in Wakayama. Wakayama City is unremarkable in most ways, except it has one of the highest rated ramen shops in Japan. The rest of the prefecture is truly amazing.
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| This is ramen from Ide Shoten. It is tonkotsu shoyu ramen and it definitely did not disappoint. I don't know if I'd say it's the best I've ever had, but it definitely was good. I went twice in two days. |
Wakayama has a couple of really amazing sightseeing places, but because of it's location just outside of the main tourist route, it sometimes gets overlooked. I was happy about that.
Kumano Kodo
I rented a car from Wakayama City and drove through the mountains to Hongu, which is the centre of the Kumano Kodo - an ancient Japanese pilgrimage. Hongu has a torii gate they call ootorii, or "large torii" because of its size. Although, because of flooding, the main shrine is actually located down the road from the main torii, which stands in front of the original location.
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| Ootori in Hongu, Tanabe, Wakayama. At about 34 metres tall, it is the largest in Japan. |
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| The "new" Hongu shrine, constructed about 150 years ago. |
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| Inside of the shrine on the left are some Japanese national soccer jerseys because this shrine features the three-legged crow, which is also the symbol of the Japanese national team. |
Along the trail are various onsens (hot spring baths) and one of them is a UNESCO world heritage sight. Luckily, as it was the beginning of August, no one is stupid enough to want a painfully hot bath.
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| Yunomine, a UNESCO World Heritage Sight hot spring bath. Apparently the waters will heal many, many illnesses. |
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| No one is stupid enough to take a SUPER hot bath in August, right? The pool is about 1 metre by 2 metres and can take 1 or 2 people at a time, which is booked in 30-minute sessions. |
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| Somewhere along the Kumano Kodo. |
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| Shingu, the easternmost point along my Wakayama road trip. |
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| art at Shingu. |
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| A very old, very sacred tree. It has a shrine. |
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| Sesshakannokura Shrine in Shingu City. There were a few stairs, but I was a little behind because of taking too many stops for pretty scenery. So, I walked really fast in 35 degree weather. My body was not okay with this. |
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| The Sesshakannokura Shrine. The kumano gods, it is said, landed here, which is why there is a shrine in such an awkward place. |
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| Nachi Waterfall |
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| Kumanonachi Taisha Shrine |
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| Kumanonachi Taisha Shrine |
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The Kumano route and different locations were amazing. I really enjoyed it and the views were breathtaking. Tourists were sparse and it was a beautiful mix of nature, history, and culture.
Koyasan
In contrast, Koyasan, which is a collection of religious building and sights, was extremely busy and crowded. The density of temples, convenience of transpiration, and information available were remarkably different, but compared to the open spaces of Kumano Kodo, it seemed busy. Still, there were some beautiful sights and really interesting temples.
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| Koyasan |
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| Koyasan |
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| Koyasan |
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| Koyasan |
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| Koyasan |
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| Koyasan |
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| Koyasan |
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| Koyasan |
Besides the fantastic temples and shrines, you can stay overnight in a temple stay. I did not (the costs were prohibitive), but I've heard it's a really unique experience. Also, the Okunoin Cemetery is perhaps the most interesting one I've seen in Japan.
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| This is half of the Tokugawa Clan Mausoleum - at Koyasan. |
