The Kumano Kodo,
a Pilmgrimage in Japan
May 8-17, 2024
A fundraising trek to support the Parkinson’s Association of San Diego and help fund an MRI suite at Scripps Clinic in preparation for stem cell replacement surgeries for people with Parkinson’s.
Day 1 – By train to the Kumano Kodo Trail Section One: Takijiri
to Takahara, overnight at Takahara or Kurisugawa, includes dinner.
Day 2 – Kumano Kodo Trail Section Two: Takahara to Chikatsuyu overnight at Chikatsuyu or Nonaka, includes breakfast and dinner.
Day 3 – Kumano Kodo Trail Section Three: Chikatsuyu or Nonaka
to Hongu, overnight at Yunomine or Kawayu Onsen, includes breakfast and dinner.
Day 4 – Kumano Kodo Optional Hike: Akagigoe and Dainichigoe, overnight at Yunomine or Kawayu Onsen, includes breakfast and dinner.
Day 5 – Kumano Kodo Trail Section Four: Ukegawa to Koguchi, overnight at Koguchi, includes breakfast and dinner.
Day 6 – Kumano Kodo Trail Section Five: Koguchi to Nachi, overnight at Nachi-san or Kii-Katsuura, includes breakfast and dinner.
Day 7 – Onwards from Kii-Katsuura, includes breakfast.
Included in the tour cost:
- Services of a full-time guide
- Accommodation in hotels or Japanese style inns. Japanese-style accommodation will generally be in tatami
mat rooms - Meals as indicated in the table above and in the Day-by-Day Itinerary below
- Individual train tickets from Kyoto or Osaka to the Kumano Kodo trail, and from the Kumano Kodo trail to Kyoto or Osaka
- Any bus journeys included along the trail
- Luggage transfer on two occasions during the trip
Not included in the tour cost:
- Flights to and from Japan
- Drinks with meals, lunches (if not provided by accommodation),snacks and miscellaneous items •
- Entrance fees to museums, temples etc.
- Transportation costs not mentioned under ‘Included’
- Travel Insurance
Accommodation notes:
The following types of accommodation are used on this tour:
Hotel (Kii-Katsuura)
A modern western-style hotel is used in Kyoto. The rooms are generally smaller than equivalent hotels in the West. Our city hotels have en-suite facilities, air-conditioning and TV; most have fridges in rooms. The hotel in Kii-Katsuura is a wonderful blend of Japanese and western styles; all rooms have Tatami mats and Futons laid outin the evening for sleeping. There are terrific indoor and outdoor communal thermal baths.
Ryokan and Minshuku (Takijiri, Yunomine or Kawayu, Chikatsuyu, Nachi)
Ryokan and Minshuku are traditional Japanese-style inns. They may be in modern concrete or older wooden buildings but the rooms are always in the Japanese style with Tatami (straw) matting and Futon bedding. At Ryokan, the futons are laid out for you in the evening. In minshuku, you may need to arrange your own futon with the provided bedding. The Japanese style lodges also feature Japanese style rooms and are similar to a minshuku. Dinners are served together, usually in the dining room, and are exquisitely prepared multi-course meals. Some Ryokan have en-suite bathrooms, though older buildings generally offer shared facilities. Smaller inns offer domestic-scale bathing tubs used privately in turn by guests; larger inns offer communal spa-style baths, segregated by gender. They are the classic Japanese experience.
Meals
Most meals will be Japanese cuisine. Vegetarian options are available, but limited. Strict vegetarian diets, vegan diets, or gluten free diets will be difficult to accommodate due to the pervasiveness of the fish-based stock dashiand the use of soy sauce and miso in Japanese cuisine. Tips are not required in Japan.
Luggage
As a general guide, we recommend you bring a small to medium size suitcase on wheels, as well as a medium size backpack. Please note that forwarding of one larger item of baggage per person is included in your tour price on two occasions; if guests choose to travel with two larger items of baggage, then the tour guide will happily arrange forwarding of both items and simply ask guests to pay locally for the second item. (approximately 2400 yen per bag per transfer). Please note that the dimensions of your suitcase must be no more than 160 cm when adding the length, height, and width of your bag and its weight can be no more than 25 Kg in weight). Bags larger than this size cannot be accepted by the long-distance transfer companies.
Day 1 – Pre trip hotel to Day 3 – Yunomine or Kawayu Onsen
Day 5 – Yunomine or Kawayu Onsen to Day 7 – Post trip hotel