Scenic Trekking on the Historical Kumano Kodo Kohechi Route!Enjoy a Mysterious World Heritage Site with Breathtaking Views!

Welcome to Nara! Meet your driver in Nara City and make your way to Totsukawa Village, located in the southern region of Nara Prefecture. Have a look out the window and enjoy the changing scenery, from nostalgic city structures to magnificent natural landscapes.
On the way to our destination, we’ll stop for lunch in Gojo City at a restaurant called, “Gojo Genbei!” This is a Michelin Star Japanese restaurant known for using local vegetables harvested early in the morning and incorporating them into an exquisite Japanese cuisine. This unique restaurant exists in a 250-year-old traditional style house!
Reach your destination and stay the night at Yunotani Senkei, a luxurious Japanese style villa with a private free-flowing open-air hot spring!
Have a great time relaxing in your own mini villa and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.

Today, you’ll be heading out for an adventure as you will complete the main part of the walking tour along the Kumano Kodo Kohechi Route. It is an old pilgrimage path to Kumano Hongu Taisha, one of three sacred sites collectively known as the Kumano Sanzan.
Your tour starts at the Hatenashi Settlement, also known as “the village in the sky.” Expect quite a steep climb between the Hatenashi Settlement and Hatenashi-toge Pass, which has an elevation exceeding 1,000 meters in height! Feel free to set a comfortable pace and take frequent breaks. Please take your time and enjoy walking safely, as the incline on the trail road from Hatenashi Settlement to Yakio bus stop is fairly steep. Enjoy passing old trail markers called, “Sanju-choishi,” positioned every few hundred meters along the path so that pilgrims could find their way. The distance is approximately 10 km and the walking time is estimated to take 4~5 hours. The total elevation gain is 730 meters, while the total elevation loss is 990 meters.
After reaching Yakio bus stop, you’ll visit the Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine, one of the main worship sites of the Kumano Kodo!

The highlight for today is a special visit to the Tamaki-jinja Shrine, which is situated near the summit of Mt. Tamaki, a 1,076 meter-high sacred mountain. Surrounded by a forest of ancient cedars, the Tamaki-jinja Shrine has a very serene and mysterious atmosphere. It’s also known as an important sacred site and base for Shugendo practitioners along the Omine Okugake Pilgrimage Route and has fascinated visitors for ages. The shrine is located in a relatively unexplored region in the mountains, making it quite hard to access on your own. Your experienced tour guide will provide a special opportunity to experience the Tamaki-jinja Shrine while discussing the history and interesting facts of the area!
We hope you have a wonderful time and look forward to traveling with you again!