Day 58 -Pilgrims, Mountain Roads, Hachikō & Costco

Our final day in the Kumano region began with another Japanese breakfast that wasn’t quite to our liking. Fortunately, the day improved considerably!

We picked up a rental car in Katsuura and headed first to Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingū, then back into the mountains to Kumano Hongū Taisha. Here Cindy officially became a Dual Pilgrim, having completed both the Camino de Santiago in Spain and the Kumano Kodo in Japan! She even got to strike a ceremonial gong under the watchful supervision of a Buddhist monk. I qualify too, but without access to a copy of my Camino certificate, my official recognition will have to wait.

From Hongū, we continued along spectacular mountain roads toward Kōyasan. The scenery was extraordinary, with clouds drifting through steep, forested valleys. It was hard to believe that an entire temple town awaited us at the top of the mountain.

Our destination was Okunoin, an ancient Buddhist cemetery beneath towering cedar trees. Thousands of moss-covered monuments, stone lanterns and little Jizō statues created an atmosphere unlike anywhere else we’ve visited. There were also some surprises, including a rocket-shaped memorial!

Then came another unexpected connection to our travels. We discovered a bronze sculpture celebrating cooperation and mutual assistance, particularly for older people. Its sculptor, Tsutomu Ueda, also created a statue of Hachikō reunited with his owner at the University of Tokyo.

Hachikō seems determined to follow us around Japan! We first learned about the famous Akita dog at the Akita Dog Museum in Ōdate, watched the movie Hachi afterward, and even spotted an Akita Christmas decoration at Costco. Now another Hachikō connection in a mountaintop cemetery!

We would have loved more time to explore Kōyasan, but Kyoto was still a long drive away.

And then came perhaps the day’s most exciting discovery: Costco!

After weeks of Japanese breakfasts, unfamiliar dinners and convenience-store meals, we got completely carried away. Rotisserie chicken, steak, salmon, cheese, wine and more. We have five nights in a Kyoto Airbnb with a stove, and the prospect of cooking our own meals was almost as exciting as completing another pilgrimage!

We also managed to retrieve our excess luggage before settling into the Airbnb around 8 PM.

A very long day, but a memorable one. Two grand pilgrimages completed, ancient shrines, a mountaintop cemetery, another Hachikō connection, and a refrigerator full of food we can’t wait to cook.

Sometimes the greatest luxury of travel is simply having your own kitchen!Read more