Tokyo to the Kumano Kodo

9/28/24

Despite the unpredictable effects of jetlag, Alice and I awoke together at 6 am, fresh and ready to go. Today we would travel through a complex set of connections to the beginning of our pilgrimage route. We repacked our bags and backpacks to be ready for quick conversion to back pack only as we started the pilgrimage. Once again the breakfast was included in our Tokyo hotel and once again it was very adequate.

Our train south was scheduled to leave at 8:24. So we summoned the taxi using the super convenient “Go Taxi” app, and it arrived in 10 minutes. We had the benefit of weekend traffic, so our trip to the main Tokyo train station was quick and problem free. We pulled into the usually overwhelmed taxi lane easily and unloaded. Walking into the Tokyo Station, hundreds of people rushed in every direction. We headed to our left and soon found the ticket counter for the bullet trains, “Shinkasen”, and bought out tickets to Osaka which would take us to Osaka in southern Japan at 200 mph. Thanks to an English-speaking information agent who lead us through the station, we found the correct platform and boarded. We found the special are of the train for the large suitcases and settled into our reserved seats on car #12. Now our we could relax as the bullet train pulled out and headed south at 200 mph. After 2-1/2 hours we arrived in Osaka.

We emerged from the train into another busy terminal.

But now things were a bit easier. Our tickets revealed that we would board on car # 3 on platform 2. We were in the right place!

Now we were safely on the train to Tanabe, the nearest town to the beginning of the Kumano. This train was a slower local trainthat wound through mountains and tunnels along the coast, and afte 2-1/2 hours arrived at Kii Tanabe.

Clearly we are no longer in a big city, but a rural area surrounded by mountains and rice fields. We have to work the little Japanese we have. We aske the taxi driver to take us to the Kumano information center, and after confusing conversations back and forth and with neighboring taxi drivers, he pointed to the information center next to the trains station. Sheepishly we got out of the taxi and walked 100 feet to the front door of the center where we would store our luggage during or hike . We re-confifured our packs and baggage and headed out to the bus with anticipation. Suddenly, I remembered that I had left my trekking poles in the suitcase, and quickly asked to get off the bus. Fortunately he stopped and it was only a few yards to the center again and I easily recovered the poles..

Now we decided to take a taxi and avoid giving Alice motion sickness in the mountains. Within 40 minutes we arrives at our acoomodation the night, a little inn at the very beginning of the Kumano path.

Our host welcomed us to the hostel and showed us our room on the second floor. We removed our shoes, and in order to enter our room lined with tatami mats and with futon and sheets folded against the wall.

Alice began to fill out our passport for the pilgrimage. We will get a stamp at each spot.

As 6:00 arrived, several guests joined us in the common dining room and sat down for dinner. Soon we were served dinner in what is similar to a Bento box, with different dishes divided on the rectangular dish. As we ate, our fears of conversing to Japanese guests softened, and with the help of Google Translate we started to interact. Then we met Moee, a 22 year old young woman worker here at the inn during her gap year.

Technology is not cooperating consistently tonight, so I will sign off.