Kumano is an important part of the World Heritage site “the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountains”. Kumano is in Wakayama Prefecture and I worked for Wakayama Prefectural Government as a general manager of Cultural Heritage Division and I was also in charge of the World Heritage Project. I know this sacred site very well.
At your hotel in Osaka
In this tour, we will make a pilgrimage on Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Route Daimon-zaka to Kumano Nachi Grand Shrine, Nachi-san Seigantoji Temple and Nachi Waterfalls.
Shintoism, a religion unique to Japan, is rooted in nature worship. People feared and worshiped nature, which brings both blessings and calamities to them as gods and goddesses. The mountainous Kumano is full of natural wonders. Nachi waterfalls which is 133m high was a wonder for ancient people, people worshipped the waterfall itself as a goddess. As Shinto was organized, people built a shrine here. It is the origin of Kumano Nachi Grand Shrine.
We will take the 7:40am JR train from Osaka and arrives at 11:40am JR Kii Katsuura (Kumano).
This tour will be finished at JR Kii-katsuura station.
You will be able to explore Kumano more or you can go back to Osaka by the 18:04 train which arrives at Osaka at 22:02pm.
At your hotel or JR stations, or other places (ask for details)
guide fee, hotel pick up in Down Town Osaka
Insurance
Transportation approx JPY16,000 per person for round trip plus the same amount for guide
Lunch for guests and guide
Tours are NOT covered by insurance. Make sure to be covered by your own insurance.
Please be NOTED that the price does NOT include transportation cost for both clients and GUIDE.
Transportation fare; approx JPY16,000; JPY14,200 FOR GUIDE
Lunch and dinner are also NOT included in the guiding fee.
Direct payment will be occurred in CASH on the spot on the day of the tour.
As this is a walking tour, comfortable shores are recommended. In this tour we will make a pilgrimage to Kumano Nachi Grand Shrine for 1.3km for 1 hour. The Daimon-zaka is a short (600m long and 267 steps) but scenic cobblestone staircase that runs from the valley bottom to the Nachisan Shrine-Temple complex. And we will walk on another 467 steps approach to Kumano Nachi Grand Shrine.
He was very attentive to what the kids might loke and he took them to all the right places!!! Thank you for a memorable day!
Thank you very much for your kind message. I am glad kids liked the tour. See you later for Nara tour.
Hiro was the most gracious guide/host for our family. He is incredibly kind and thoughtful of our time. He made sure we knew how to navigate through the crowds and find the the best spots for photos. He is well educated and easy to understand and does a lot to make sure we have a good grasp of the history. Hiro is a must guide to have!
Thank you very much for your kind message and pictures. It was really nice visiting Nara and Osaka Castle with you and your wonderful family yesterday. It was very hot and a little hurry, but we had a wonderful day, didn't we? It's sometimes very difficult to do a tour with teenagers. But your family was different. You were all smiling all the time. There's a saying in Japan, "fortune goes to a smiling family". May fortune goes to you. Have a safe trip, bon voyage!
Went as a solo traveller, he is extremely knowledgeable about the history and culture surrounding mt koyasan. Shared many of his insights and made for a very fruitful and enjoyable day trip to koyasan!
Thank you very much for taking my Koyasan tour today. It was hot but I had a wonderful time with you. Have a safe trip and I will be looking forward to seeing you again.
Hiro you are a Rockstar!! I booked a small group tour with Hiro for both Kyoto and Osaka and the experience was fantastic. Hiro and I communicated a number of times pre-travel to solidify the 2 day itinerary. He was very open to ensuring we were able to see and experience what we wanted, our itinerary was very much personalized for us and was flexible. At the last minute we threw out a request to shop for Japanese carving knives and without issue he worked it into our itinerary. One of the things that our group appreciated about Hiro was that he didn’t just take us to locations and shared information, he asked us questions and then challenged us to truly experience the location. At the Ryoaji Temple he got us to sit, clear our minds, search for inspiration and then attempt to see the 15 rocks so that we could be “perfect”! Forcing a group of Canadian to essentially “stop and ponder life”, was something that we didn’t know we needed, until we did it! During our tours we also visited the Golden Temple, Osaka Castle, Dontombori shopping and other spots. Hiro truly helped us better understand the nuance of Japanese cultural. My group really loved him! The depth of knowledge and the ability to convey feeling as well as knowledge just added to the experience. Anyone who is visiting Kyoto and Osaka and is looking for “more than just a tour”, should connect with Hiro! Thank you so much Mike Expedia Cruises Oakville South (Ontario/Canada)
Mike-san, It was really nice to visiting Kyoto and Osaka with you the other day. You and your group were so nice that I enjoyed the tour myself. To be honest, I was a little worried about Ryoan-ji, the Rock Garden. In fact, there are some people who don't understand the values of the Rock Garden. But you all liked it and everyone became perfect. Please come back to Japan someday. There are a lot more to see in Japan. I will be looking forward to seeing you again.