Journal · Kumano · Wakayama
Walking the Kumano Kodo after a stroke: what I packed and what I'd change
Five days, three grand shrines, a lot of stone steps and a couple of buses. An honest look at pacing an ancient pilgrimage two years after my stroke.
In April 2018, two years after my stroke, my wife Joanna and I walked the Nakahechi route of the Kumano Kodo, the old pilgrimage trail through the mountains of the Kii Peninsula. We started at Takijiri-oji on April 17, reached the Hongu area on the 19th, and spent the next two days visiting the grand shrines and the coast at Shingu, Nachi and Katsuura.
I want to be straight about what "walked" means. We walked most of it. We also took the bus a few times, and I'd do that again without a second thought. The trail was never a test I had to pass. It was a place I wanted to be.
The route we actually did
- Day 1: Takijiri-oji to Takahara. About 3.7 km, but it starts with one of the steepest climbs on the whole route. The Tanabe tourism bureau rates it 2.5 out of 5, and its own route guide says to "set a slow pace." Listen to it.
- Day 2: Takahara to Chikatsuyu. About 9.3 km of forest path over a pass, rated 3 out of 5. This was the long, steady day.
- Day 3: Chikatsuyu to Hongu. The full walk is roughly 24.5 km. This is where buses earn their keep: local buses stop along the route, so you can ride part of the way and walk the beautiful last stretch from Hosshinmon-oji (about 7 km) into Hongu.
- Days 4 and 5: the coast. Hongu Taisha, a traditional boat down the Kumano River to Shingu, then Nachi Falls and Seiganto-ji.
What made it possible
Luggage forwarding. We sent our bags ahead from inn to inn every day and walked with daypacks only. If you remember one thing from this article, it's this. Kumano Travel, the local tourism bureau's booking system, arranges it alongside your rooms.
Trekking poles. I used poles the whole way. The Nakahechi is roots, stone steps and leaf litter, often wet. Poles gave me a third and fourth point of contact on the climbs and slowed me down on the descents, which is exactly what my balance needed.
Short days. Taking three days for a stretch many people walk in two meant no day was a forced march. Stopping early in Takahara, a small village on a ridge, was part of the plan, not a failure of it.
What I packed, and what I'd change
The pack I carried was small: water, rain shell, snacks, a little cash in yen, and the lunch boxes our inns packed for us. Here's what I'd bring now, knowing what I know.
Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Fiber Quick Lock Trekking Poles
I walked the Kumano Kodo with trekking poles, and on the steep, root-covered climbs out of Takijiri they did a lot of the work my balance couldn't. This carbon pair is a widely sold, lightweight option with quick-lock adjustment; I haven't tested this specific model.
Osprey Daylite Plus Daypack (20L)
A small, ventilated daypack is the right size for a trail day when your main bag is being forwarded to the next inn.
Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad Cooling Towel
Wet it, wring it, drape it on your neck. Evaporative towels are the cheapest, lightest piece of a heat plan, and they refresh in any shrine's water tap or station restroom.
- A real rain plan. The Kii Peninsula is one of the wettest parts of Japan. Stone steps get slick. Pack a rain shell and a cover for your daypack.
- More water than you think. There are vending machines in villages, but long forest stretches have none. Two bottles on the longer days.
- A way to sit down. Some rest spots are just a rock. On a bad balance day I'd consider a folding seat cane for the road sections and bus stops.
- A "tonight" bag. Forwarded luggage usually arrives before you do, but put a change of clothes and medications in your daypack anyway.
Drive Medical Adjustable Folding Cane with Seat
Lines in Japan can be long: shrine stamp counters, ramen queues, bus stops in the countryside. A cane that opens into a small tripod seat means you can rest anywhere it is polite to stand.
Eagle Creek Pack-It Original Cube Set (XS/S/M)
When you sleep somewhere new every night, cubes turn unpacking into pulling out one bag. They also make it easy to split a one-night kit into your daypack when the big bag goes ahead.
Anker Nano Power Bank (10,000mAh, 45W, built-in cable)
Navigation, translation and photos can drain a phone by early afternoon. A 10,000mAh bank with its own cable means one less thing to forget.
Things I'd tell another survivor
- Book your inns first. Rooms on the trail are limited, and they set the shape of every day.
- Use the official difficulty ratings and maps from the Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau, not blog estimates (including mine).
- Plan a zero day if you can. The Hongu area, with Yunomine Onsen next door, is a gentle place to rest.
- Agree on signals with whoever you walk with before the first climb, so "I need to stop" never turns into a debate.
My Kumano Kodo video is in production. When it's up, it'll live right here.
The kit for this guide
Also in this guide
Opening hours, routes and rules change; check before you go.