Newcomers are encouraged to walk the Kumano-kodo Pilgrimage Route. The recommended course is the closest to the hotel, easy and immersed in the aura of a World Heritage and the natural environment.
There is much to see in the beautifully stone-paved Daimon-zaka, Kumanonachi-taisha Shrine, Nachi Falls and the area around Nachi-taisha Shrine.Visitors get a taste of both history and fresh mountain air while walking the Kumano-kodo.
Distance: Approx. 2.5 km, Required time: Approx. 2 hr
Surrounded by virgin forest, Nachi Falls is revered as a thousand-armed kannon and original Buddhist divinity. First built in 317, the shrine was burned down by Nobunaga Oda, only to be rebuilt by Hideyoshi Toyotomi and renovated by Yoshimune Tokugawa, so it's history lives on even today.
This temple is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan as it is the first of the 33 temples along the Saigoku Pilgrimage Route.
Behind the main temple is a 3-tier pagoda in cinnabar red that blends in beautifully with the Nachi Falls. It is a great spot for a photo.
One of three largest waterfalls and the waterfall with the greatest drop in Japan, Nachi Falls drops 133 m from the top, is 13 m across at its ridge and plunges 10 m deep to the bottom of its pool. The revered Kumano Mountains from which the falls flow are an impressive sight behind the falls. The falls are lit up at night on New Year's Eve.
