Over three days I walked from Kumano city on the coast, through the remote mountains of Kumano to Hongu, and then finished off with a hike along the Nakahechi-do trail.

On the first day I passed an old couple preparing their paddy field for the planting. In some parts of Japan there are two plantings per year, and in some just one. As you might expect, there is a lot of manual labour involved in owning a rice field. First of all, there is the red tape. You can’t just grow rice, you need to have the correct paperwork. After that, there is a lot of maintenance throughout the year to keep it free of weeds, etc. Most people own rice paddies that are near to those of their neighbours, so if they don’t maintain them properly, it affects their neighbours too!

This trail is less walked and less well-known than the Nakahechi-do, so many locals asked where we were headed. They were always extremely polite and friendly.

From the coast we entered the mountainous Kumano forests. Small wayside shrines known as Oji are placed at regular spots.

The attention to detail is one thing I have always loved about Japan. Even the wood is neatly-stacked, almost like it will be entered into a design competition!

The terraced rice paddies at Maruyama are something special, and now a mini tourist spot in their own right. They were created over several hundred years.

The warm climate of Wakayama and Mie make it one of the best places in Japan to grow oranges or tangerines. Here they are being sold in a ‘mujin-hanbai’ stall (honesty box stall).

Outside the specialist vegetarian restaurants, the general understanding of what it is to be vegetarian is limited. They make think you can eat chicken and fish, and often do not take into account that many dishes in Japan are made with sauces combining fish with other ingredients, or pork. It’s odd, since eating vegetarian food was actually very common, based on Buddhist beliefs. If you visit a shukubo (temple lodging) today, you will normally be given vegetarian shojin cuisine. Indeed, beef has only been eaten in Japan since the middle of the 19th century.

A very well-known vegetarian restaurant in Kyoto is Café Proverbs 15:17.

Cafe Proverb 1517

Café Proverbs 15:17 is a very modern café restaurant located near Demachiyanagi station on the Keihan Railway. From the centre of the city (the Kawaramachi area), walking from Sanjo station along the Kamo River to Demachiyanagi takes about a 15-20 minutes and can be very relaxing.

The unusual name of the café derives from the Book of Proverbs Chapter 15 Verse 17 stating ‘Better a small serving of vegetables with love, than a fattened calf with hatred’. This passage is the motto of their restaurant. The restaurant uses only organic ingredients. Their menu consists of various fusion dishes combining Mexican, Chinese, Asian and Italian. The Soy Milk Ramen (Chinese noodles in soy milk soup) is a very popular menu and a must try dish at Proverbs. Some of their recent menus include cow’s milk, honey and cheese but vegan dishes are also available. During lunch time there is usually a line of people waiting so if you do decide to go an early lunch is recommended.

Hagi itself is a lovely town – and well worth a day or even two to explore. The size of the town lends itself to being explored by bicycle, since there is so much to see and what there is is laid out in quite a wide area. While many Japanese towns have small preserved historical areas, the island on which central Hagi sits has many interesting areas, with a multitude of historical and preserved buildings.

Map of Hagi in the Edo period

Hagi is known in Japan for its beautiful pottery known as Hagi-yaki. Dedicated exclusively to tea utensils, it is highly-prized by masters of the tea ceremony, second only to Kyo-yaki from Kyoto. Walking around the old central part of Hagi you come across many small shops selling Hagi-yaki, whilst many of the actual kilns are located in the hills surrounding the town.
I visited an old house at the southern edge of the town, bounded on one side by the Aiba waterway. The house was constructed so that the kitchen was open to the waterway, and water flowed in to allow vegetables to be washed and water drawn.
Another wonderful feature of the town are the walls; beautifully constructed many were made from roof tiles held in place by clay.


Even though Hagi is so remote (there is no direct train from Tokyo, Osaka, and several changes are required), it is played a large part in Japan’ history. No less than four of Japan’s Prime Ministers came from Hagi, in large part because of the part they played in the tumultuous Meiji period after Japan ended its period of ‘sakoku’ (closure) in the mid-1800s. Ito Hirobumi was Prime Minister four times and studied under the intellectual Yoshida Shōin who became a thorn in the side of the Tokugawa Shogunate for trying to start a revolt. He wanted the Emperor to be restored and for Japan to become strong so as not to be added to the West’s list of colonies in Asia. Both his wishes became reality after his death.
The Hagi-oukan is a three-day walk, and on the first day, I struck out from Hagi south, crossing the river and heading on to a small road between many lovely houses. Patches of snow lay everywhere, for Yamaguchi is on the Japan Sea coast and gets a healthy amount of snow each winter.





The trail leads up a valley, and into the low mountains that hug the coast. Groves of bamboo were blanketed in white, and I met an old couple, evidently in their eighties, tending their small farm that was covered in 30cm of snow.
In the dead of winter, not a soul was on the trail, but I suspect even in the peak holiday season there are few people who walk here. My first stop was the small town of Sasanami, known for its tofu. I stayed at the only accommodation, the Hayashi-ya ryokan, which is both a ryokan and a restaurant specialising in… tofu.

Hayashi-ya ryokan

The ryokan is now run exclusively as a ‘one group per night’ ryokan. In effect it is a private ryokan, catering to one group of people from one to eight per night. The price rises the fewer people, and there are 2 rooms used for guest accommodations. However you have the complete accommodation to yourself in the evening, once the owners have finished clearing away your evening meal and retired to their separate house.

The beautifully-restored building has a sweeping view over the valley below; rice fields and a few farm buildings stand against the forested mountains beyond, which catch the evening sun.

Meals are served in the main living room, on a table made out of an antique door. The cuisine is heavily reliant on locally-sourced ingredients; home-made soya milk made from local soya, locally-grown rice and fish that are reared behind the house.

The exclusivity of having your own private ryokan is really something that sets it apart. You feel like a spoiled child with the space, comparable to a large suite, and the personal service. It marries the luxury of an exclusive five-star hotel with the warmth and friendliness of the Japanese countryside. The hosts speak some English and talk at length about their move from Osaka; refugees of a sort from the stressful world of being a university professor.

As dusk falls, the mountains beyond glow red. The view itself here is worth the journey. The journey by car is straightforward, but by train you will need to be picked up at the nearest station by the hosts.

Suisen-an is near Miyama, a lovely village known for its restored thatched houses. Even though this area is a few hours north of Kyoto, it is off the tourist trail and makes a rewarding trip to escape the city. Miyama has also imposed strict curbs on development, rare in much of rural Japan. No golf courses, no hot spring resorts, two types of development that are common in rural Japan and are often the only type of investment in rural communities with little industry and an ageing population. So it’s a bold step, but one that seems to have brought benefits such as the sustainable, non-intrusive tourism that the people prefer.

You can visit Suisen-an on a private tour; speak to us to find out more!

Historically, the large plain where Nara is situated, is very significant, being the site of the first of Japan’s permanent capitals such as Asuka and Nara itself.

Many of the sites along the Yamamobe-no-michi are associated with
the kojiki, 古事記, “Record of Ancient Matters”, which cover the events (or myths) of the founding of Japan. Written down in the 8th century, the kojiki form the basis for much of the native Shinto religion and are connected with the Imperial Family.

The burial mound of the first Emperor, Jimmu, is near Kashihara-jingu shrine, on the southern edge of the plane, and the area has many more mounds dating from the same period.

The Yamanobe-no-michi goes from Nara itself to Sakurai, at the southern edge of the plain, but most people walk the section from Tenri to either Miwa or Sakurai, which takes about 4-5 hours. The trail itself is mostly paved and flat, running along the edge of the plain rather than in the hills, but occasionally it rises and falls with the contours. No special gear is needed, but with little tree cover a good hat to protect yourself from the sun, and comfortable shoes are important.

To get to the start, take either the JR or private Kintetsu line to Tenri (天理), the headquarters of the Tenri-kyo sect. The many temples and administrative buildings dominate the route from the station east to the start of the walk. From the station itself, you head a long a shotengai (covered shopping street), where you can buy fruit or snacks. Stopping first at Isonokami Jingu Shrine,
mentioned in the Tale of Genji, a classic work from the 11th century, you continue south.

The trail is well signposted, and there are many public toilets, so many you are spoilt for choice! The signs are in Japanese, (山之辺の道) but they are decorated with a distinctive double maple leaf design and it is not hard to follow them by remembering the shape of the Japanese characters.

From Tenri, the trail passes through fields, some small ponds and occassional copses of trees.


At the small settlement of Takenouchi, you can wander between the houses, many with ornate walls and beautiful tiled roofs. The streets are small, yet people still seem to be able to drive their cars into their driveways, often with the help of carefully-placed mirrors.

Further south, the prospect of Miwa noodles beckons. Miwa noodles (三輪素麺) are famous in this area of Nara prefecture, and are a thin noodle made of wheat, and are often served chilled with a dipping sauce.

As you continue south along the trail, you will pass by another small settlement, Otogicho (己木町) with more of the beautiful traditional houses.

Next is Chogaku-ji temple, founded in 824 and containing an image of Amida Buddha.

A little way further are two large burial mounds, one of Emperor Sujin, the 10th Emperor, a giant keyhold-shaped mound surrounded by a moat. It is a little hard to visualise when standing right next to it, as it is so large. The second, of Emperor Keiko, the 12th Emperor and the father of Prince Yamatotakeru. The burial mounds are located here probably because the nearby Mount Miwa was (and still is) venerated for its powerful kami, or spirit.
In the native Shinto religion, mountains were the place where the kami resided, and shrines were the places to worship them. Thus many shrines are located near to mountains.

Omiwa shrine is the last shrine you will visit, and near to the town of Miwa itself. The shintai (body) of the Kami spirit is said to reside in the mountain, so unlike most other shinto shrines, this one does not have a shinden (place for the spirit to be housed). This is a type of mountain worship that was common in early Shinto, when venerated objects were mostly mountains. Omiwa Shrine is often said to be Japan’s first shrine, or at least one of its oldest.

The street from the shrine leads directly west, across the train tracks, and you can find the nearby JR Miwa (三輪) by crossing over, then taking the first left along a narrow street lined with houses and shops, and then left again. Or, if you still have energy, instead of crossing over, keep south (on the east side of the tracks) and in a few kilometres you will enter Sakurai, which is on both the JR and private Kintetsu lines, and is better if you are not heading back to Nara.

The Yamanobe-no-michi is included on our Nakasendo Trail tour, however you can walk this route yourself using our maps and detailed walking instructions if you are on one of our other scheduled or Self-guided walking trips.

]]> http://www.oxalis-adventures.com/blog/2010/06/yamanobe-no-michi/feed/ 0 http://www.oxalis-adventures.com/blog/2009/08/asuka-mura/ http://www.oxalis-adventures.com/blog/2009/08/asuka-mura/#comments Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:15:38 +0000 admin http://www.oxalis-adventures.com/blog/?p=92 Asuka was the first capital of Japan during the very earliest part of Japan’s recorded history. It preceeded both Nara and Kyoto, and ended a period during when the seat of government was changed each year.

Located on th southern edge of the Yamato plain, south of both Nara and Kyoto, Asuka was a period (indeed Asuka has given its name to a 100 year period from the end of the 6th century until 710) when the first Emperors ruled, when the focus of power was shifting from the Yamato clan (who had prevailed over their rivals) to the Imperial system which forms the basis of the Japanese nation. Burial mounds, known as kofun, dot the landscape, dating from the earlier so-called Tumulus period.

At that time, in the 5th and 6th centuries AD, Japan had strong links with Korea and China, and it was from those lands that Buddhism arrived. The aristocracy would have known the Chinese language, and China influenced heavily upon the culture and architecture. Prince Shotoku, who had travelled to China, was instrumental in spreading the ‘new’ religion of Buddhism in Japan, and built some of the first temples here. He was also instrumental in the formation of the Imperial system of government. Buddhism was elevated to be the basis of the social order, and holding the Emperor as the focus of power. The Kansai area, which includes Nara, Asuka and Kyoto, was the cultural centre of Japan, and the east and north of Japan was still a frontier land, wild and untamed.

Asuka is today a rural village, without much tourism, yet it is a very pleasant place to stroll through the rice fields to temples and the burial mounds. Since the village is spread out, hiring a bicycle from the station is a good idea. You will be given a handy map to guide you, and the paths are quiet and mostly car-free. The bicycles are the ‘sit-up-and-beg’ variety, known in Japanese as ‘charinko’, but very adequate for a day of slow-paced cycling.

Throughout the town there are around 20 large stones, variously carved into the shapes of tortoises, monkeys, etc. The origin of these stones is somewhat of a mystery, and they are a popular part of the walking or cycling course. There are also manyoshu poems inscribed on large rocks. My favourite site in Asuka are the terraced rice fields. You will not find rice fields in Nara or Kyoto, and the setting of the rice fields nearby to the temples and the burial mounds makes Asuka a lovely day away from the big city.

You can get to Asuka in about 1.5 hours from Kyoto, or 45 minutes from Nara. Asuka is south of Nara, and can be combined with visits to Mount Koya. There are several small minshuku (guest houses) run by local families, and make a nice contrast to the formal hotels and ryokan of Kyoto and Nara.

We visit Asuka on the Imperial Pilgrimage tour

Although Nachi is known in Japan, it is not well-known to foreign visitors, and part of the reason is its remote location. The bullet train doesn’t come here, only a slow train from Osaka that takes about 4 to 5 hours. There are no highways, just a two-lane road that hugs the coast or an even smaller road through the mountains that takes about 5 hours from Nara. Nearby is the hot spring town of Katsuura; there are two amazing hot spring hotels in the bay, one on its own private island and the other built into a rock formation off the coast with a hot spring bath in a cave! Also, the former whaling town of Taiji is nearby, with its whaling museum and whaling monuments. Not for the squeamish.

If you want to stay at Nachi, there are several shukubo, pilgrim’s lodges, that will provide a room. One of them is Shonshoin temple, run by a friendly monk.

We visit Nachi on the Imperial Pilgrimage tour.

The dance, known as Yokagura, are performed nightly at the Takachiho shrine in the town just above the gorge. They are a highly condensed version of dances that go on for several days and are traditionally played in local houses, and depict this and other stories from the creation legends. Although Takachiho is in a fairly remote part of northern Miyazaki Prefecture, the beautiful gorge and strange rock formations do attract some tourists. A path has been cut along the deep gorge, and you can also rent a small rowing boat to inspect the rocks up close.

Most people who make the trip to Takachiho do so as part of a longer trip in Kyushu. Takachiho is several hours drive south of Mount Aso in neighbouring Kumamoto Prefecture, and several hours north of Miyazaki city. There used to be a railway from Nobeoka on the coast but the line was damaged in a typhoon and hasn’t been repaired yet. Too bad, as it was apparently a spectacular ride.
It’s worth driving here, and taking some time to see te beautiful Miyazaki countryside.

We visit Takachiho on the Land of Fire tour.