From spa hotels to guesthouses 8 recommended inns along the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Road.
The Kumano Kodo is one of only two ‘roads’ in the world selected as a World Heritage Site. In this issue, we introduce some recommended inns along one of these roads, called Nakahechi.
We introduce a wide range of accommodation, including guesthouses that are perfect for walking the Kumano Kodo and onsen (hot spring) hotels where you can heal your body after a tiring day’s walk.
How do you read Nakahechi ? Where is it located?
The Kumano Kodo is a World Heritage Site. This is the name given to the pilgrimage route taken by pilgrims to the Kumano Sanzan (Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha) in Wakayama Prefecture. Nakahechi, which translates as ‘middle part of the road’, refers to a part of the Kumano Kodo.
The Kumano Kodo can be divided into five main routes: Nakahechi, Iseji, Kobechi, Kiiji and Oheji. Of these, the Nakahechi route is one of the most widely travelled, stretching 105 km from the Tanabe area where JR Kii Tanabe Station is located, around Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine, to Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine and Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine. The Nakahechi was the official pilgrimage route during the Kumano Gokou, which took place between the Heian and Kamakura periods. Even today, many people still walk this road.
To enjoy the Kumano Kodo on foot, we recommend a stay of at least two days and one night. Therefore, we will introduce recommended accommodation in two main parts of the Nakahechi Road.
Tanabe – Takijiri – Chikaruro – 4 recommended hotels along the Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine.
First of all, here are some recommended hotels along the 35 km road from JR Kii-Tanabe Station to the Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine, some of which are new and opened in 2022, so be sure to check them out!
[TAKAHARA] SEN.RETREAT TAKAHARA
The first one is SEN.RETREAT TAKAHARA, a two-and-a-half-hour walk from Takijiri-oji, the first tourist attraction on the Nakaheji Road, and a one-and-a-half-hour bus and walking distance from Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine. It is a perfect location for a trip along the Kumano Kodo.
This inn is a renovated old private house built in Takahara, a village with a population of 70 people. It is an uninhabited inn, so you can spend your time without worrying about other people’s eyes.
The meat, vegetables, sake, juice and snacks from Wakayama Prefecture prepared at the inn are all included in the accommodation fee, so enjoy them without worrying about the price. If you can’t eat it all, you can take it home!
Reunite in the spacious living room with its warmth of wood, or talk over a bonfire in the evening. If you are lucky, you may be able to see a sea of clouds on an early morning walk along the Kumano Kodo. Located at an altitude of 300 m, the plateau offers a good view of the vast terraced rice paddies. And at night, the sky is full of stars. You can see stars that you cannot see in the city.
Address.
〒646-1416 1966 Takahara, Nakaheji-cho, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture
Access.
40 minutes by car from the Kamitonda IC, 45 minutes by car from JR Kii-Tanabe Station.
Official website
https://sen-retreat.com/stay/takahara/
[Nonaka] Guest House MUI
Located approximately 7 hours‘ walk from Takijiri Oji, 70 minutes’ walk from Chikarou Oji, 13 minutes‘ walk from Tsugizakura Oji and 7 hours’ walk from Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine, Guest House MUI is named after ‘Mutai Shizen’, which is a Kumano Kodo-like word. It is a small inn with only two rooms, run by a couple who moved here from Tokyo.
The breakfast is a mix of Japanese and Western-style dishes, with homemade yeast campagne freshly baked every morning. These dishes will energise you for your walk along the Kumano Kodo Trail. Home-baked yeast bread is also sold in the shop every Saturday.
Two goats welcome you to this relaxed guesthouse.
Address.
〒646-1401 284-5 Nonaka, Nakaheji-cho, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture
Access.
From Kii-Tanabe Station, 75 minutes by bus, 30 minutes walk from Nonaka Ipponsugi bus stop.
Official website
https://www.guesthousemui.com/
[Chikatsuyu] SEN.RETREAT CHIKATSUYU
Next in line is SEN.RETREAT CHIKATSUYU, which is in the same family as SEN.RETREAT TAKAHARA, which was introduced first. This one has seven container villas. You can make pizzas in the stone oven and have lava plate BBQs.
You can also stay here with your dog. If you want to enjoy the Kumano Kodo with the whole family, this is probably the best place to stay. There is also a drum-type washing machine with a dryer, so you can keep your luggage to a minimum.
Like SEN.RETREAT TAKAHARA, this is an all-inclusive accommodation where all meat, vegetables, sake, juice and snacks from Wakayama Prefecture prepared at the inn are included in the room rate. You can enjoy Wakayama produce to the fullest without worrying about the price. There is a supermarket called ‘A Co-op Kumanokodo Chikatsuyu’ right next door, so it is very convenient.
As it is a 4-hour walk from SEN.RETREAT TAKAHARA and a 9-hour walk from Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine, we recommend staying at TAKAHARA (Takahara) and CHIKATSUYU (Chikatsuyu) for those walking the Kumano Kodo for 3 days and 2 nights in succession.
Address.
〒646-1402 1806 Chikanuro, Nakaheji-cho, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Access.
40 minutes by car from the Kamitonda IC, 45 minutes by car from JR Kii-Tanabe Station, 1 hour by bus.
Official website
https://sen-retreat.com/stay/chikatsuyu/
[Yunomine Onsen] Ryokan Azumaya
There are many hot spring towns in the area around the Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine. Among the Kumano Hongu Onsen Hot Spring Resort, consisting of Yunomine Onsen, Kawayu Onsen and Watase Onsen, Yunomine Onsen is well known as the oldest hot spring in Japan, having been in operation for 1,800 years.
If you want to experience the ultimate in relaxation at Yunomine Onsen, Ryokan Azumaya is recommended. It is a long-established hotel with a history dating back to the Edo period. The hot spring water pumped up from its own spring source has hot spring flowers floating in it, and the atrium bathhouse, built of cedar, has a pleasant woody aroma. The water is cooled to the right temperature without being watered.
The Japanese garden can be enjoyed from the open-air baths, the cuisine is made from seasonal ingredients from Kumano and the tatami rooms are the epitome of a Japanese inn! Tatami mat rooms. You can feel the history and tradition in everything. You can relax and heal your tired body after walking the Kumano Kodo.
If you have come this far, the Tsuboyu is a must. It is a public bathhouse so small that only two or three people can fill it, and you often have to wait several hours for your turn as there are 30-minute shifts. Get a number slip and wait your turn.
Address.
〒647-1732 122, Yunomine, Hongu-cho, Tanabe, Wakayama
Access.
Approx. 100 minutes by bus from Kii-Tanabe Station.
Or 70 minutes by bus from Shingu Station.
Official website.
4 recommended hotels near Kumano Hongu Taisha – Oguchi – Kumano Nachi Taisha – Kumano Hayatama Taisha
After visiting the Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine, the next stop is the Kumano Nachi Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha.Visit these three and you have completed the ‘Kumano Sanzan’ (three mountains of Kumano).
[Kokuchi] Farmhouse guest house guest house KuMaano.
Between Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine and Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine, there are two mountain passes called ‘Oumotori-koshi’ and ‘Ko-umotori-koshi’. Between these two passes is the Koguchi area.
The farmhouse guest house Guest House Maano is located in the Koguchi area and is limited to one guest house per day. Maa’ means “mother” in Indian. The name was chosen because the Kumano Kodo is ‘Mother Earth’.
The area around the inn is made up of mountains, rivers and terraced rice fields. You can also experience making firewood, burning a bath and working on a farm, which is sure to be a valuable experience. The inn is used by Kumano Kodo walkers and those wishing to experience country life.
The location is ideal for Kumano walks, with the Ounotorikoshi trailhead about 35 minutes‘ walk and the Kounotorikoshi trailhead about 45 minutes’ walk away.
Address.
〒647-1203 1561 Oyama, Kumanogawa-cho, Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture
Access.
From JR Shingu Station, take a bus to Kamimaru bus stop (40 minutes), change to a bus bound for Koguchi (15 minutes).Get off at Koguchi bus stop and walk for about 30 minutes.(Pick-up service also available).
Official website
https://www.kumano-travel.com/ja/accommodations/kumaano-guesthouse
[Koguchi] B&B Momofuku
The next inn is also located in Koguchi. The Minshuku Momofuku is located approximately 1 km from Kounodori-koshi and 100 m from Ounodori-koshi along the Kobeji Road. The inn is perfect for walking along the Nakaheji Road in the direction of Kumano Nachi Taisha from Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine.
The attraction is that you can stay here at a reasonable price of 8,000 yen per night for two meals and 5,000 yen for an overnight stay with no meal. Meals are carefully prepared using seasonal ingredients from Kumano, such as wild vegetables in spring, sweetfish and mozuku crab in summer and mushrooms in autumn. You can also have an onigiri (rice ball) lunch box made for 500 yen for those walking the Kumano Kodo Trail.
The warm hospitality of the owner and his wife is well received and attracts guests from all over the world.
Address.
〒647-1206 224-3 Nishi, Kumanogawa-cho, Shingu, Wakayama
Access.
35 minutes by bus from JR Shingu Station, transfer at Kamimaru bus stop, 15 minutes by bus, 1 minute walk from Koguchi bus stop.
Official website
https://momofukushop.wixsite.com/momofuku/
[Shingu] Kamikura Shosai
It is said that the Gotobiki Rock at Kamikura Shrine, located at the southern end of Mt Gongen (Mt Kamikura), about 17 minutes’ walk from Kumano Hayatama-taisha Shrine, is where the Kumano gods first descended. Later, the descended deities were welcomed and enshrined at the Kumano Hayatama-taisha shrine, which is why Kamikura Shrine is called Motomiya and Kumano Hayatama-taisha is called Niimiya.
The Kamikura Shosai is a small inn, limited to one couple per day (up to three people), located close to the Kamikura Shrine, the place of origin of Kumano worship, and reserved for one person per building. When the old house was renovated, the history (story) that has been inscribed in the house was interspersed in the space and created so that guests can feel it. It is a unique inn that is like a ‘novel you can stay in’, so to speak.
They can interact with the local people through cooking and visiting nearby restaurants, and enjoy the flavours familiar to the local people. Also, as there are no baths and only shower facilities, those wishing to enjoy the hot springs can go a little further and enjoy a day trip to the Katsuura Onsen.
Another attraction of the inn is that as a member, you can use it like your own ‘study’. It can also be used as a base for remote work. Two doors down is Youth Library Engawa, an overnight library that opened in 2014. Please take a look here too.
Address.
1-3-1, Chiho, Shingu, Wakayama
Access.
15-minute walk from JR Shingu Station.
90-minute drive from Susami Minami IC.
Official website
https://www.kamikura-hideaway.art/
[Katsuura] Why Kumano
Why Kumano is a hostel with private rooms and dormitories, located right in front of JR Kii-Katsuura Station. The hostel is only a 15-second walk from the station and offers affordable accommodation.
There are private rooms that can accommodate up to four people and a dormitory area (for 12 people) with spacious and comfortable space with special attention to bedding.
The café and bar, located just outside the entrance, is busy not only with guests but also with the general public. It has a selection of local products and drinks from Kumano and Wakayama, so you can chat with people you meet for the first time with a drink in hand. You can also use it as a co-working space as it is equipped with power supply and Wi-Fi.
There are also accommodation plans that include unlimited drinks from the café bar, and breakfast plans that allow you to taste sashimi from the morning, so be sure to check them out. Nachikatsuura is famous for its tuna. There are some unique spots in the vicinity, such as an unmanned tuna sales point, which are unique to this famous tuna-producing area, so be sure to visit.
The two owners travelled all over the world and Japan before returning to their home town of Wakayama. Having seen many places around the world and interacted with many people, they decided to spread the good qualities of their hometown, Kumano, all over the world. They are working on creating a new concept of accommodation with a view to the new world and new ways of society after the Corona Disaster, such as starting the world’s first ‘#OnlineLodging’ project.
Why Kumano is equipped with a shower room, but guests can also enjoy a day trip to the nearby Katsuura Onsen spa.
Address.
〒649-5335 2F, 5-1-3 Tsukiji, Nachikatsuura-cho, Higashimuro-gun, Wakayama
Access.
Short walk from JR Kii-Katsuura Station.
Official website
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