Exploring Kumano Nachi Taisha in the Land of the Gods

Kumano Nachi Taisha lies in a region with such beautiful nature and spiritual energy well-known since ancient times that it is called ‘the Land of the Gods’ – Kumano.

At the end of December 2021, I finally had the chance to explore this mysterious and spiritual region that had long been on my bucket list – the Kumano region in the Kii peninsula of Wakayama prefecture. Kumano Nachi Taisha is one of the Kumano Sanzan, meaning the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano, arguably several of Japan’s most sacred shrines.

After experiencing one of the worst years of my life, I decided to end the year in a region known for a focus on healing. I hoped it would help me make peace with all that had happened and start the process of looking ahead to what the new year will bring.

In this post, I’ll be sharing the first of my three day Kumano Sanzan itinerary. I found three days to be enough time to explore and enjoy the Kumano Sanzan, which was the main purpose of my visit. However, if you’re a keen hiker you can extend this trip to include many more days if you wish to hike more of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route. Ok let’s get started!

Day 1 – Kumano Nachi Taisha, Seiganto-ji & Nachi Falls

Kumano Nachi Taisha is the first of the Kumano Sanzan that I visited and with the neighbouring Seiganto-ji temple and Nachi Falls, this spot contains one of the most iconic views of Japan that many would recognise across the world.

Why stay in Nagoya the night before?

If you are travelling from the Tokyo region, I really recommend staying in Nagoya the night before you begin your journey to the Kumano region. Firstly, it’ll give you the chance to explore more of this under-rated city and most importantly, there’s a Limited Express train called Nanki which takes you directly to Kii-Katsuura in just under 4 hours.

*You could also travel from Shin-Osaka which also takes 4 hours +, but there seems to be less frequent opportunities for travelling on only one train and more changes need to be made.

Arriving at Kii-Katsuura

I took the 08.05 Nanki train from Nagoya and arrived at around half 12 (it should have arrived at 11.56 but it was a day of unexpected snowfall, so I was a little delayed). I decided to stay in Kii-Katsuura as there are more choices for accommodation (especially with private onsen) and it is very convenient to get to Kumano Nachi Taisha. There’s quite a few coin lockers at the station where you can store your luggage which is handy. Just opposite the train station is the bus terminal, where you can buy your tickets and they depart every 40 minutes. Click here to see the bus timetable.

You can choose to get off the bus at Daimonzaka (¥420 one-way ticket) , Nachi-no-taki-mae (Nachi Falls) or to Nachisan (for the shrine). I decided to get off at Daimonzaka as this enabled me to experience hiking along part of the ancient Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route.

Hiking Daimonzaka to reach Kumano Nachi Taisha

The bus dropped us off at the side of the main road and I was a little bewildered – it didn’t fit what I had imagined. However, once I spotted the signs guiding me to the Kumano Kodo and wandered through a residential area, I found the start of the Daimonzaka, meaning ‘large gate slope’ and it was exactly how I imagined.

Two absolutely humongous 850 year old cedar trees greet you at the entrance. They’re called Meoto-sugi, or ‘husband and wife cedar trees‘ as their roots are interconnected beneath the path. If you’re lucky, you also might spot some people dressed in traditional Heian period costumes. If you feel inclined, you can also rent a costume for the day from Daimonzaka-chaya, the last building you see before you start climbing Daimonzaka.

A note – you’ll really be missing out if you choose to head straight to the shrine skipping Daimonzaka! This was one of my most memorable parts of this trip. Walking along the cobblestone path where dappled rays of sunlight made their way through the hundreds year old cedar trees, it’s so easy to see why this is considered such a spiritual pilgrimage route.

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After walking up the Daimonzaka, walk through a little residential area following the signs to the shrine. As it was winter, most of these shops and restaurants were closed, but I imagine it would be thriving in the warmer months.

Arriving at Kumano Nachi Taisha

After walking up many more stairs, and passing through several torii, you’ll finally reach Kumano Nachi Taisha’s main shrine. You’ll be greeted by this beautiful tiger ema (2022 is the Year of the Tiger) just after you made your way up the final set of stairs.

The history of Kumano Nachi Taisha

The Grand Shrine of Kumano Nachi Taisha can trace its history back for 1,700 years yet as you can see below, it still appears new due to the culture of repainting & maintaining shrines. Next to Kumano Nachi Taisha is the Buddhist temple of Seiganto-ji, which, for a large part of history, were part of the same religious complex, known as a jingu-ji, or shrine-temple. Despite them once being common as Shintoism & Buddhism were intricately connected, many were unfortunately destroyed in 1868 due to the Separation Order policy.

Kumano Nachi Taisha’s adorable yatagarasu ema!

Yatagarasu, the three-legged crow, is said to be a divine messenger of the gods and is a symbol you’ll come across frequently in the Kumano region. In the Kojiki, an ancient book of Japan’s history & mythology, it tells of a three-legged crow who helped guide Emperor Jimmu, the first Emperor of Japan through the Kumano region. After seeing & hearing crows so often on this trip, it’s made me think of them a little differently!

At Kumano Nachi Taisha, you can purchase a rather adorable Yatagarasu ema (prayer board), where you can write your wish & prayer on the back.

Once you’ve written your wish on your ema, it’s time to climb through an 850 year old camphor tree in an experience known as the “passing of the womb”.

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I’m not a religious person, but being inside this ancient tree did feel very spiritual. I can’t quite express the experience in words but I highly recommend doing this. Essentially, it’s said to symbolise rebirth, and it’s said that your wish written on your ema will come true!

As you exit the tree through a set of stairs, you’ll find this board to hang your ema. You can see just how huge the tree is in the above image – so impressive!

The largest omikuji in all of Japan!

Make sure not to miss drawing omikuji (fortune-telling paper) at Kumano Nachi Taisha as it boasts the largest one in all of Japan! I warn you though, it was so heavy! Took me many shakes to get a wooden stick to come out! Once you know the number, you can tell the shrine staff and you’ll be given your paper. I got 中吉 – middle luck, pretty accurate for my life right now.

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But if you need some extra luck, don’t forget to pick up an omamori – protection amulet. They even have an amulet for Victory in the Japan Football Association’s colours. Fun fact: the yatagarasu is the symbol of Japan’s national team as it’s said to help guide the football into the net!

Seiganto-ji Temple

After I finished looking around Kumano Nachi Taisha, I headed to Seiganto-ji, the Buddhist temple right next door. Reconstructed in 1590 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi after being burnt down by Oda Nobunaga, it’s said to be the oldest structure in the Kumano region. I loved how it really beautifully contrasts with the vibrantly coloured Kumano Nachi Taisha.

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Inside the temple, you can see a range of paintings, old statues and other cultural assets, so don’t miss out on going inside!

Seiganto-ji’s iconic pagoda

From Seiganto-ji, you can finally spot the incredible, iconic pagoda and Nachi falls. The pagoda is a part of the temple, but was more recently reconstructed in 1972. You need to pay a small amount to enter but it’s well worth it though!

There are more Buddhist treasures within, plus due to its 25 meter height you can enjoy a closer look at the falls.

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Finally, follow the path down from the pagoda to reach Nachi falls…

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Hiro-jinja Shrine & Nachi Falls

After a long day of travel, I was not reaching the last part of my plan for the day. But despite how tired I as starting to feel, I couldn’t help but feel refreshed when I came face to face with the falls. Nachi falls is 133m high, making it the tallest single-drop (uninterrupted) waterfall in Japan! Not only is its height impressive, but the surrounding greenery makes it hard not to feel awestruck by nature here.

Unlike most shrines, it doesn’t have a shrine hall to pray at and donate to. Instead you make a donation at the torii and pray facing the waterfall, which is the shrine’s shintai – an object where a kami (god) resides. I think this is what appeals to me about Shintoism in general, it’s the true appreciation and worship of nature. For me, nature is the only place I get spiritual feelings of any kind and it’s definitely a power spot here.

After I spent enough time enjoying the view, it was time to climb up the stairs (so many stairs!) to get to the bus stop. Make sure to keep an eye on the last bus, in winter it was 17.35 from Nachi-no-taki-mae (in-front-of-the-waterfall stop).

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Where to stay near Kumano Nachi Taisha?

After catching the bus back to Kii-Katsuura station, it was time to head to my accommodation for the night. I decided to stay in a beautiful ryokan hotel called Katsuura Gyoen. It’s very well known in the region for offering stunning coastline views, open-air onsen and delicious fresh seafood.

I decided to go for a room with a private onsen as I feel more comfortable with that, and so I could take full advantage of that beautiful view! It was so nice to heat up after spending all day in the freezing cold.

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Dinner at Katsuura Gyoen

Dinner was such a treat at this ryokan hotel! I got to enjoy Ise-ebi (Japanese spiny lobster) both raw sashimi style and cooked. It was used to add flavour to the miso soup for breakfast the next day. Like most ryokans, there is a set course (it’s not a la carte) but you can choose extras (such as the ise-ebi!).

You’re given a list of the courses beforehand but of course it’s written in Japanese (& often quite old/traditional Japanese at that), so I did have the very unfortunate experience of taking a bite of whale before realising what it was.

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Whale is known as くじら kujira in Japanese, however there are also other names for it depending on how it is prepared and what part is used. In this case, it was called おばけ obake (which usually means ‘ghost’). This area is known for whaling still (Taiji is just next door to this town) so if it’s something you don’t want to eat, make sure to thoroughly check the menu before digging in!

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Tips for visiting Kumano Nachi Taisha

• Wear comfortable shoes! I’m the first one who loves to wear boots or cute shoes when I’m out & about, but this is 100% not the place for it. There are so many stairs! I did over 20,000 steps this day and I’m so glad I was in my comfy cloud sneakers!
• Wear layers & wrap up in the colder months. It’s rare to see snow in Wakayama but I did! I still felt hot while hiking though, so make sure to have layers you can easily take on or off. I highly recommend Uniqlo’s ultra-light heat tech down jacket.
• Have a comfortable backpack to put water in, your goshuincho, and to place any removed layers of clothing.
• If hiking in winter, bring kairo – Japanese heat packs. These were a lifesaver for my frozen hands!
• Bring cash. There are several places where you can have a snack and buy souvenirs, some take card, but not all. As always in Japan, when in rural areas, carry cash.

Enjoy your visit to Kumano Nachi Taisha!

I hope this guide is helpful for you planning a trip to Wakayama to visit the Kumano Sanzan. Stay tuned for parts two and three where I’ll describe my journey to the other two Grand Shrines of Kumano.

As always, you can find video clips of this region on my Instagram under the Wakayama I and Wakayama II highlight, as well as reels and posts on my main feed. Feel free to leave a comment or contact me if you have any questions. I hope you’ll enjoy your future visit to this magical place!