Kumano Kodo Day 4: Water and Rennovation

On the way to dropping me at the trailhead, Sage mentioned to me how much it rained last night and that the Nachi waterfall should be more dramatic than normal. Looking forward to seeing that, I set off from the small town of Koguchi. The town seemed barely inhabited, as I passed decrepit buildings like an anbandoned school. Throughout the hike, the real recent weather gave two things: dramatic fog and lots of water. The trail was often a running brook from last night's heavy rain, but fortunately my all weather running shoes held out and my feet kept dry. The fog was thematically well timed, as I passed through an area known as the Moja-No-Deai: The Abode of the Dead. The spiritual nature of the mountains were considered to be where the boundary between this world and the next are blurred. After hiking through the fog and water, I reached Kumano Nashi Taisha. The grand shrine was perched with a wide view of the valley below, and had the same style of architecture as the prior grand shrine. There was a very old tree that you could climb through and be reborn; a common theme of the pilgramage. I seemed to still be myself on the other side of it, but did feel accomplished from completing a long hike and rejuvenated from time communing with nature. I then went to see the falls themselves, and the famed pagoda next to it. Turns out the pagoda was under rennovation. After such a long hike, it could be easy to get frustrated at that news. But, and perhaps this was from the tree rebirthing, I just appreciated that they were taking care of their history and preserving it for future pilgrims. Heading to the base of the falls, there was a platform that served that as a small shrine that was used instead of a typical prayer hall. It gave an upclose view of the falls, and they were spectacular after so much rain.
To finish the day, I took a bus into the nearby town of Katsuura, and treated myself with a local delicacy: raw tuna katsu.Læs mere