Hello fellow travelers!
A friend and I are currently planning a trip to the Kii Peninsula this November, and we'd like to include some time on the Kumano Kodo, but we both have a bad time on paths with steep drop offs. (To be clear, it's OK if the path itself is steep, requiring strenuous ascents & descents, it's OK if the path winds along a steep slope which is dense with trees/vegetation, and it's OK if the route goes along an open drop off but the path is super wide (min 2m). It's when a path is less than ~2m wide and goes along a steep slope that one could tumble down, that causes the panic response…)
I'd love to get advice from anyone who's done some walking on Kumano Kodo, if you know of any sections where we might face these kinds of open drop offs, and/or sections that don't have anything like that. Thank you!
by avenue0123
2 comments
Hello! I did the Kumano Kodo in 2023. The good news is that vast majority of the trail is just as you described: winding ascends and descends, with dense vegetation around. The trail itself doesn’t go super high in terms of elevation, so I wouldn’t worry about falling off cliffs or whatever.
Having said that, I do vaguely remember a section somewhere between Takahara and Uwadawa-jaya with some steep slopes on one side. It’s not a high slope and the path is maybe two metres wide. I don’t think it should be a problem though. It’s a beautiful section.
Hello,
I’m a local Japanese living near the Kumano Kodo. I’ve walked the Nakahechi route several times, so I’d like to share some information from my own experience. (Sorry, I don’t know much about the other routes!)
Takijiri – Takahara:
It’s a steep climb, but I don’t remember any sections where I really feel the height.
Takahara – Chikatsuyu:
Some parts are quite narrow, which might feel scary.
Chikatsuyu – Kobiro-oji:
This section goes through the village on flat ground. I don’t recall any high or exposed places here.
Kobiro-oji – Hosshinmon-oji:
There are many narrow paths and trails along steep cliffs. You may want to avoid this section.
Hosshinmon-oji – Hongu Taisha:
A wide and mostly flat path continues all the way. Highly recommended.
Hongu Taisha – Koguchi / Koguchi – Nachi Taisha:
Both sections include narrow paths right beside steep drop-offs. It may be better to avoid these if you’re uncomfortable with heights.
For reference, I also have a fear of heights. For example, I can’t go near the windows of tall buildings and I’ll never set foot in SKY Tower in my life. But while walking the Kumano Kodo, I personally never felt scared of the height itself. That said, some people do find parts of the trail scary, so please decide according to your own comfort level ☻