2016 Japan's Kumano Kodo Ancient Trail Hike - Day 4

Day 4

2016-04-15 Friday

Yunomine Onsen

No hiking today, we are taking it easy before the hardest day of hiking tomorrow. After breakfast we took a local bus to a neighboring town where we boarded 8-person boats for a 90 minute boat ride down the Kumano river. We are in a deep valley, surrounded by high,  steep mountains.  In 2011 this valley was devastated by a powerful typhoon (hurricane) and we can still see signs where the water crested 50 to 70 meters above normal and marking the devastation.

We ended the ride at the town of Shingu where we visited the second of the three Grand Shrines. Afterwards we were taken to a restaurant where we ate a delicious bento box lunch.

We had to take two busses to get back to our hotel. I was surprised at the quality of the bus service in Japan,  Buses arrive right on schedule, you board and get a ticket from a machine with the stop number printed on it. In the front of the bus there is a panel that lists the cost to the next few stops and when you arrive you present the ticket to the driver and deposit the appropriate amount of coins or money in the collection machine. The driver can provide change.

Back to the hotel we went to the onsen to clean up and relax before dinner. The food was again delicious, I tried for the first time baby squid sashimi. Quite good.

Walking to the boats, Kumano river:

Ready for the adventure:

 At the Grand Shrine of Shingu:

Temple's sake barrel:

 The rope around the tree indicates that the tree is a sacred place, home to a deity:

Our bento box lunch: