Tanabe

One of the best aspects of this hike was the lodging; each place was a Minshuku (like a B&B) and they would provide dinner, breakfast, and some even a lunch to go! I ate a hearty breakfast and headed off with my somewhat odd japanese hotdogs for lunch. Today was the biggest portion of the hike; around 3500 ft elevation gain, and about 23 km. The first quarter of the hike was along small roads in and out of little towns, before dipping into the forest for the remainder of the hike. Large portions of the hike had these very consistency spaced Japanese Cedar trees that had only a few lower branches, resulting in a large covered canopy above. Reading my guidebook informed me they were actually part of a massive plantation; nearly 65% of the forest in Wakayama is used for commercial logging. However, this was only a relatively recent change. Originally, the forest had massive old growth trees; a few are seen in one of the photos. These massive trees were viewed as part of the wealth and heritage of the land, and were closely tracked and accounted for by local shogunates. After WW2, large amounts of wooden homes/structures had to be rebuilt from the carpet bombings. Major portions of old forests were cut for timber, and the government paid rural citizens for every tree they replanted; many converting their rice paddies in the process and leaving to metro areas for work. This resulted in the large plantations present now, and why you see stone terraces with trees everywhere. It also explains a unique aspect to the trail: modern(ish) ruins. I expected to see the ancient ruins, but didn't think I'd see so much from the 20th century. Homes and farms and teahouses that were occupied as recently as the 70s were abandoned and being overtaken by the forest. Often, it was beautiful, but had a haunting presence as well. I'm glad I only hiked during the day.

Many portions of the forest (both replanted and natural) had a Ghibli Movie backdrop quality to them. Beautiful, serene, and with a stillness to them. It was a bit of a grueling hike, but I loved all of it. Each turn of the trail brought new foliage, a shrine, or dilapidation, and sometimes all at once; it kept me pushing for the next ridge, even as my legs admittedly tired.

My destination today was Yunomine Onsen where the geothermal activity gave a sulfur smell to the air and has heated bathhouse water for the last 1800 years! I wasn't able to bathe in the oldest Onsen, but did partake in the modern one adjacent to it and it was amazing after a long day of hiking. After, I was peckish, and bought a bag of eggs to cook in the community boiling pod. 12 minutes later I had delicious hard boiled eggs. The keiseki dinner I had at the Minshuka that evening was delicious (sashimi, local sweet potato, and more), but there was something about the self boiled egg that stood out the most.Read more