Wakayama

We awoke to heavier and more persistent rain than the past few days, with thunderstorms in the forecast as well. I guess we used up all of our good weather luck in New Zealand last year... Since I'm not crazy, despite what Keanan might think, and don't think that voluntarily hiking through a storm, on slippery rocks, with no views, while soaking wet sounds at all enjoyable, we decided to amend our plans.

Instead of hiking, we hopped on a bus to Shingu and the Kumano Hayatama Taisha, another of the Kumano Sanzan. When we got off the bus, the rain was coming down in buckets and we were both instantly drenched. We explored the shrine, ducking under cover whenever we had the chance, and then grabbed breakfast on a covered street.

From there, we took the train to Kii Katsuura, hoping that we'd be able to seek shelter in our next hotel even if we weren't able to check in. By lunchtime, it seemed like the end of the storm was in sight! We got a variety of tuna dishes (Kii Katsuura's specialty) for lunch before hopping on the very crowded bus to Nachisan. We got off before the top in order to climb a portion of the Kumano Kodo, Daimonzaka, to at least get in a little hiking and approach the shrine as the pilgrims. We saw the first blue sky of our trip as we arrived at the top of the stairs to the Kumano Nachi Taisha, the last of the Kumano Sanzan. We explored the grounds of the shrine and temple before going to get a closer look at Nachi falls, the tallest single drop waterfall in Japan.

By the time we made it back to Kii Katsuura, the sun was fully out, and we were able to check into our hotel room with an incredible view of the ocean! Neither of us slept very well on our traditional Japanese beds last night, but these seem to be thicker mattresses and more comfortable. We enjoyed sampling a bunch of different foods at our hotel's dinner buffet, and I tried my first public onsen experience. It was quite overwhelming, and I feel confident that I prefer hot tub/ hot spring experiences where I'm not naked in front of a bunch of strangers!Read more