kumano kodo 3 night itinerary

hello,
I ma visiting this area in March , first night Ki Tanabe, 2nd night Hongu with stop in Yunomine Onsen, 3rd night Ki-Katsuura and then go to Kyoto. is this a feasible itinerary and how to get from Katsuura to Kyoto for the return? Best to train back to Ki-Tanabe annd then train to Kyoto? Any advice welcome, open to change in itinerary. We are coming from Koya San....abit of an adventure with public transport!
thanks

Some useful info here, you can easily modify the itinerary to suit your time frame.

http://www.kumanotravel.com/index/en/action_ModelCourseDetail_Detail/i...

This should work:


http://www.kumano-travel.com/index/en/action_ModelCourseDetail_Detail/...

Thank you for the link. Very good and well explained information.
Another question:
If we finish our kumano Kodo in ki-Katsuura, can you tell me the best way by train and /or bus to Kyoto?
Also, do you have any information about Koya San. We shall be there before going to Kumano Kodo. I cannot seem to find at the schedule for the bus from Daimon to Koyasan Station to connect to the the cable car to the Gokurakubashi Station. We need to take an early train from Gokurakubashi to Hashimoto to Wakayama to arrive in Ki-Tanabe.
We shall either sleep the first night in Ki-Tanabe or if we arrive in time for the bus, we shall bus to Yunomine Onsen, otherwise we bus there the next day and carry on to Hongu for the second night of sleeping.
Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate you taking the time.
Best wishes,
Christine
Christine

If you are going in March, the direct bus from Koyasan to Tanabe may not be running due to snow. Here is a very useful link about transportation:

http://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/transport/
http://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/transport/bus/

The bus transport is especially useful, because Hyperdia does most of the train times for you. The direct bus route from Koyasan to Tanabe is route 7, and the bus route page goes into some of the limitations about that route. The basic transport page does outline the two train passes into the Kumano region.

The easiest was to get from KiiKatsurra Station to Kyoto is by the Ocean Arrow Limited Express train. I am not sure it still goes by the name "Ocean Arrow" anymore, but the carpeting in the first class cabin still had that the last time I rode it. I believe that it is now called the Limited Express Kuroshio. There are seven of these Limited Express trains that go to Shin-Osaka Station, but the Kuroshio 30 goes all the way to Kyoto (Departs Kii-Katsurra at 4:06 PM, arrives at Kyoto at 8:19 PM).

The Limited Express also goes the other direction, and you are correct about going to Wakayama. I've actually gone to Kii-Katsurra by riding the Nankai Cablecar down to Gokurakubashi, and then riding the Nankai train to Hashimoto. A JR liner car will then take you to Wakayama, where you catch the JR Limited Express and ride it all the way to Shingu, if you want to. If you can, try to get to the cablecar by 8:53 AM, which will allow you to get to Shingu by 2:59 PM, which is plenty of time to catch the bus to the Ryokan that you chose. So, yes, you can go from Koyasan to the Kumano mountain ryokans in a single day, if that's what you want to do. If you want to stay longer at Koyasan, try to catch the 11:23 AM cablecar, so that you can get to Kikatsuura by 4:59 PM. You could stay in Kiikatsuura overnight before going to Hongu-Taisha and the Ryoken.

In my opinion, if you are staying at a temple, you should stay for morning prayers before leaving.

You can check the cablecar and train schedules with Hyperdia. Here is a link:

http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

I hope this helps.

Thanks so much....your information clarifies alot.
We shall try and use our Japan Rail Pass since we have bought it as much as possible but can see we will be needing to use Other rail companies , the Ocean Arrow, and the West Japan Railway so that is fine.
In your opinion, starting off in Kii-Tanabe and going on to Yunomine Onsen, Hongu and ending up in Kii Katsuura is the most logical way or is it better we start in Kii Katsuura and finish in Kii Tanabe to go on to Kyoto.
We have 3 nights in this area. We shall take local buses between these places.
In Koyasan, we spend two nights staying at Yochi In.
The koyasan/kumano Kodo part of our Japan adventure is from March4th to March 9th.
Thanks again,
Christine

The Ocean Arrow is a JR train, and your 7, 14, or 21 day JR All-Japan Pass will cover every train that the JR West Pass covers. The real question is:

Are you going to have an active pass while you are traveling in the Kumano region?

Since the trains and cable car to Mount Koya are privately owned (Nankai, and not JR), you may not have an active JR Pass when you go to Mount Koya. When you reach Hashimoto, you will transfer to a JR Liner, which is not that expensive. At Wakayama, you can also take a JR Liner to Tanabe, again at a lower cost.

This would follow your original idea. On the following day you would take a bus to Yunomine Onsen, and visit Hougu Taisha. The next day would be a bus to Katsuura. You would then Activate your JR Pass the day that you leave Katsuura, and go to Kyoto.

However... If you HAVE an active JR pass...

I would go straight to Katsurra, and spend two nights there. Then I would go to Yunomine Onsen for the night. My reasoning would be my concerns about snow in early March. Here is some information about trail difficulty of the various Kumano trails:

http://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/difficulty-rating/

Here is some elevation data:

Osaka is sea lever.
Koyasan is about 800 meters.
Natchi-Taisha is about 500 meters.
Yunomine Onsen and Hongu-Taisha are at about 100 meters, and the trail between them climbs to about 300 meters (this is the Dainichi-goe trail, about 3.5 kilometers, difficulty 2).

I would be a bit leery of walking some of the Kumano trail in the snow. You will have a very good idea of how much snow will be on the trails when you go to Koyasan (800 meters). If you take the train to Katsuura, and then visit Natchi-Taisha (500 meters), you will have a better idea of what the trails will be like.

When you get to Yunomine Onsen, I would try to get there as early as possible to drop off my luggage. I would then take the Dainichi trail to Hongu-Taisha. If you want to hike more of the Kumano trails, your could take the Hossinmon-oji and Akagi-goe trails back to the Yunomine Onsen, both are difficulty 2. The problem is both of these trails go up past 600 meters, and if there was snow on the ground at Koyasan, I would want to check out snowfall around Nachi-Taisha before attempting these trails.

Here is the link to the overview of Kumano trails:

http://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/

Look at the trails, and imagine walking along them with a few centimeters of snow on the ground. This could be hazardous.

I hope I have properly voiced my concerns.

In Katsuura, I have stayed four times in the Hotel/Hot Springs Resort Urashima. I like the hot springs that are located in the sea caves that overlook the ocean. Katsurra has a large Tuna fleet, and the buffet dinner will include a Sushi carving demonstration from a whole tuna. I can recommend this hotel.

The other comment that I have is:
There is a tourist information center located below Katsurra station. The station is on the second floor. There is usually someone in the information center that speaks English, and will help you figure out if there are any discount bus passes that you can use for getting to Natchi-Taisha and Hongu-Taisha.

I hope this helps.

I just wanted to mention that the Limited express train to Katsuura is a "Wide View" type train. This means that the passengers in the first car can see out the front of the train. The engineers compartment is the first two or three meters of the first car, and the compartment is separated from the first class compartment by a clear wall. If you get a first class (Green) JR Pass, try to get the rightmost seat on the first row. The engineer will be on the left side of the car, and your will have an unobstructed view out the front of the train. The view between Shirahama and Katsuura is wonderful, and your will pass through tunnels dug through the mountains and pop out into small coves between each mountain. I think this is one of the more scenic train rides that I have been on in Japan. If you purchase a regular JR Pass, try to sit on the right side of the train when you go from Wakayama to Katsuura, and on the left side on the way back.

When I mentioned the hot springs sea caves, I didn't tell you that there are two of them inside the Urashima resort. The lower sea cave is about 20 meters above sea level, and looks out on the ocean side of the resort. Both of the sea caves have a wall separating the mens and womens side. You can relax in the hot spring pool while listening to the waves crash on the rocks below. You may not have a choice, but try to go to the resteraunt buffet at the top of the resort. It has a nice view, and you get to go up the huge escalator. I think it is over 30 stories long.

Once again, I hope this helps.

Thank you so much for all this information. It will really help me prepare my trip to this area and your suggestions for accomodation.
I will study my options carefully and decide which one to take.
I have already purchased a 2 week pass. This is my itinerary.

Feb 24 night train from Tokyo to Matsue arriving Feb 25 for 2 nights
Feb 27 from Matsue to Tsuwano 1 night
Feb 28 train from Tswuano to Hagi 2 nights
March 1 train from Tsuwano to Hiroshima and spend night on Miyjami Island.
March 2 train from Hiroshima to Uno to spend 2 nights on Naoshima Island
March 4 Naoshima (Uno) - Koya San for 2 nights
March 6-9 Koya San to Kumano Kodo 3 nights
March 9 kumano Kodo - Kyoto 5 nights
March 14 Kyoto-Nara 1 night
March 15 Nara- Osaka 2 nights
March 17 leave From Osaka to Canada
Thanks again for all your help.
Any tips, ideas and information you can add will be gladly received.
I hope to have chosen an interesting route for discovering a part of Japan.
I am really looking forward to this discovery!
Christine

Thank you so much for all this information. It will really help me prepare my trip to this area and your suggestions for accomodation.
I will study my options carefully and decide which one to take.
I have already purchased a 2 week pass. This is my itinerary.

Feb 24 night train from Tokyo to Matsue arriving Feb 25 for 2 nights
Feb 27 from Matsue to Tsuwano 1 night
Feb 28 train from Tswuano to Hagi 2 nights
March 1 train from Tsuwano to Hiroshima and spend night on Miyjami Island.
March 2 train from Hiroshima to Uno to spend 2 nights on Naoshima Island
March 4 Naoshima (Uno) - Koya San for 2 nights
March 6-9 Koya San to Kumano Kodo 3 nights
March 9 kumano Kodo - Kyoto 5 nights
March 14 Kyoto-Nara 1 night
March 15 Nara- Osaka 2 nights
March 17 leave From Osaka to Canada
Thanks again for all your help.
Any tips, ideas and information you can add will be gladly received.
I hope to have chosen an interesting route for discovering a part of Japan.
I am really looking forward to this discovery!
Christine

You have a problem in that you activate the Pass on the 24th, and it will end on the 8th, I think. The Sunrise Izumo night train leaves Tokyo at 10:00 PM. and so your pass will have to start on the 24th.
You will also may not be able to book a nobi-nobi berth the day that you activate your pass, because the berths have already been sold.

I actually booked a nobi-nobi seat or berth once on the Sunrise Seto, but ended up cancelling. I did it on a three week pass, and I booked immediately after activating for two weeks from then. I decided to cancel because I found out that I had sleep apnea, and needed a plug for my CPAP machine. The Nobi-nobi does not have a plug nearby, so I needed a private berth.

The other problem is lost luggage. Are you going to head off to Matsue if you can't collect your luggage? I would recommend that your stay in Tokyo the first night, and activate your 14 day pass on the 25th. This way, your JR pass will be active on the March 9th, when you plan to go from the Kumano region to Kyoto.

I would also move the Koyasan trip to the end and outside of the 14 day pass. The JR pass will allow you to go to Nara on the JR line, so delay Koyasan until later in the trip.

If you do this change, and move the Kumano section forward a few days, then if your luggage arrives, and if there is a berth on the Sunrise Izumo, you will be able to take it. This is if your "Japan Experience" needs to have a night train in it.

I would also suggest putting Miyajima Island close to either a full of new moon. This gives you the maximum high and low tides. The high tide will occur in the morning, and you will see a "Floating Temple and Tori Gate. The afternoon low tide will subside and you will be able to walk out to the Tori Gate and touch it. I have a 5 yen coin wedged into a crack in the wood. You will actually find many on the gate. If you delay leaving Tokyo, you can catch the 6:00 AM Shinkansen that leaves Shin-Yokohama for Hiroshima on the 25th. You will end up in Hiroshima about 10:00 AM. This is a pretty good start for your trip.

Once again, if the Night train is part of your what you want to do, ride, then ride the Sunrise Setto or the Sunrise Izumo to Okayama, and get off. The two trains leave Tokyo linked together, and are split at Okayama. This means that you are twice as likely to get a berth, because you can ride either section of train. If you still want to go to Matsue on the first night, and all the berths are booked. Try to book the Sunrise Seto to Okayama, and then get a Limited Express train from Okayama to Matsue. There is a Limited Express departing Okayama about 30 minutes after the Sunrise Izumo leaves the station, but it arrives only 10 minutes after the Sunrise train comes into Matsue station.

I would still hit Hiroshima first, because of the tides, and reverse the arc, ending near Okayama and going to Naoshima Island before going to the Kumano Region.

You will find that Temples and other places will close around 4-5 PM. I have also found that I tend to check out of a hotel, ask them to hold my luggage, and then explore wherever I am for the day. I then go back to the hotel, pick up my luggage, and board the train for my next destination in the early evening. This means that you are not burning daylight that could be used going to attractions for travel between cities. There are several exceptions to this, such as an evening in the Gion Distict in Kyoto, at a hot springs resort or Ryokan, or in the Dotonbori section of Osaka. In these cases, your evening time is important.

Good luck in your trip planning.

Hello ebaychucky311,
I have been following your conversations with deep interest. I will also be visiting the same areas this coming May.
I like the Urashima resort you recommended. Will probably stay 2 nights there. The only concern would be a large crowd in the hotel. I will be there on the 15th, 16th of May.
I also like the idea of reserving the night-train for Okayama only, if the Sunrise Izumo is fully booked. I am hoping your strategy will work for me.
Thank you again ebaychucky311!

I went to the Hotel Urashima in early July of 2014, for the Nachi Fire Festival. I was somewhat surprised that the hotel was not teeming with people. I had more trouble in Shirahama, because a middle school was having a field trip at the hotel. At that hotel, the buffet was closed to other guests, and we were upgraded to their restaurant. The multi course meal was more like that served at a ryokan. Schools in Japan usually let out about mid July for summer break, and on that trip, I did notice a much higher volume of people at tourist attractions around mid July. The Gion Matsuri festival in Kyoto stands out as one of the places where the sidewalks and streets were packed. I also remember the fireworks in Tokyo at the end of July was also wall to wall people. I ended up enjoying the fireworks more at Atami, and at Amonohashidate that year. I really liked the priestess and dragon dances before the fireworks at Amonohashidate.

If you are going in mid May, students will be back in school from Golden Week, and you should not have too much trouble booking a room. Since you will be going after Golden Week, it will be off season. You will also not have any trouble with the Kumano Trails in mid May. It should be just before the rainy season, and the weather should be good for hiking.

Hello ebaychucky311,
Thanks again for taking the time to help with my itinerary.
I forgot to mention that we begin the trip arriving on February 19 in Tokyo.
The night train to Matsue is for 2 reasons. We enjoy night train travel and the other to maximize our stay in Matsue, as we shall have 6 full days in Tokyo and would prefer two full days in Matsue.
If not possible, we can take the day train on the 25th. But I will look into your suggestion about booking the train from Okayama.
I am thinking to reverse the itinerary as you suggested , leaving Naoshima (Uno) to Katsuura or Ki Tanabe and then going onto Koya san from there .
Can you help me find the right train connections. I realise this means transfers and long rides. We are very flexibile.
I also will try to book the Urashima Hotsprings Resort. It looks like a unique experience, once I get the train schedules worked out.
For the rest of my itinerary, I will try and keep it as is ,as my accomodations are booked and the train schedules worked out.
My biggest stumbling block is the Kumano and Koya San.. Those mountains make for roundabout passage!
You have described the journey so well, I am very excited to experience it!
I appreciate your concern about getting full use of our pass. I also hope to be able to maximize it as well
For luggage, we travel with only one carry on pack and one pair of sturdy walking shoes, so hopefully won t be burdened down.
Again, many thanks
Christine

Using Hyperdia will help you figure out train schedules. For the Naoshima Island to KiiKatsurra trip. Try to leave Naoshima Island and get to Uno for the 8:29 AM liner to Okayama. You will then take a Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka Station, and catch the Limited Express to KiiKatsuura. Here is a link to Hyperdia:

http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

Type in "Uno" as the start, and "KiiKatsuura" for the destination. Then change the starting time to 8:29 AM and press the "Search" button.

You should have about 15 minutes at each station to get to the correct platform to board the next train. You should get to KiiKatsuura Station at 2:44 PM. You will then walk through Katsuura to the dock and take the "Happy Turtle" boat to the Resort.

Hi guys,

Thank you very much for the questions and answers.
I learned from questions from Christine and answers from ebaychunk which are really helpful.

I'm also planning to do walking along some of Kumano trails at the beginning of March (8-9), which is probably the same time as Christine. Just start to study the trail and then I just realized about the weather.

So you think there is still be some snow on the trail?
If so, then I might skip the walking this time and just taking the bus to visit Kumano sanzan instead or just do the Daimondzaka.

What do you recommend? If I go back in April or May, it should be better,right?

Thank you so much in advance.

I am not a weatherman, and I cannot predict the weather.

Today at Koyasan (800 meters above sea level), the morning low is supposed to be 29F, with an afternoon high of 47F. There is a 10% chance of precipitation. It's going to be below freezing in the morning.

Today at Hongu Taisha (300 meters above sea level), the morning low is supposed to be 36F, with an afternoon high of 50F. These is no chance of precipitation.

There is no snow on the ground at either location, however, it the precipitation at Koyasan is in the morning, it will be snow. If it is in the afternoon, it would be rain. Right now, you could hike the trails.

March 8th and 9th is still technically winter, and you at choosing to visit a place in the mountains in the winter. I cannot predict the weather, but if it does drop 10-15 degrees, which is possible, you would have snow.

You probably should not expect to hike along mountain trails in the wintertime in a t-shirt and shorts. The one thing that I have discovers about being outdoors in the winter is fewer bug bites, and less problems with overheating.

I hope this helps.

Hello again,
I was just getting ready to write to chuckyebay to thank and sum up my thoughts on my upcoming trip to Japan next week!
As soon as I arrive in Tokyo, I shall try to book the nobi nobi seats for Matsue for the following week. If not able to, I will book either morning train or try your suggestion for the other 2 connecting trains.
I haven t yet decided if I should train from Koya San, to KiTanabe and bus to Yunomine Onsen and from there bus to Ki Katsuura for 2 nights or if I should train to Ki Katsuura first and then work my way to Kii Tanabe by bus via Yunomine Onsen .
I take the train to Kyoto after my 3 days there.
Which way is better?
I think there will be plenty of day walking and visiting to do even if I bus between the villages and with the possibilitty of snow, I will keep my options open.
Thanks again for your advice and I am happy to hear others are sharing this information!
Christine

I forgot to say, "How excited I am getting for my adventure to Japan that is coming up so soon!"

I want to thank ebaychucky123 for all his detailed advice.
We are back in Canada. Our month long trip in Japan was so rewarding and enriching! We were lucky to get nobi nobi seats to Matsue due to cancellations, an amazing unique experience! Also the Kumano Kodo worked out so well. Having only 2 nights there, we spent one in lovely Yunomine Onsen ,, where we cooked eggs and potatoes, with a stop in Hongu Taishaand the other night in Kii-Katsuura, busing in between. I highly recommend both places and in Kii- Katsuura, go to Nachi, we walked from the top of the mountain down to the sea and caught the train back to Kii..the whole area is bereathtaking!
Thank you Japan for a most memorable and hospitable stay !