On this journey, along with the original landscape of such Japanese "prayer," you can visit and experience traditional crafts such as Owase wappa, sword smithing, and Kumano Otonashigami (paper-making) workshop, and immerse yourself in the magnificent nature of the Nanki Geopark. Enjoy the relationship between the three types of land created by the subduction of plates, the unique landscapes they created, the wide variety of flora and fauna brought about by the warm and humid climate, and the Kumano worship born from them.
What's included
English speaking guide
Travel expenses during the tour except option costs
Lunch
All Fees and Taxes
Dinner
Breakfast
Airline ticket
Transportation costs to the meeting point
Additional beverage costs incurred locally, It would be under $50.
What to expect
Day 1: Ise, Kihoku Town, Mie Prefecture
Ise Jingu
1h · Admission ticket included
Visit Ise Jingu and Naiku
1h 30m
Stroll around Oharaimachi and Okage Yokocho
Day 2: Kihoku Town, Mie Prefecture ⇒ Kumano City, Mie Prefecture
1h 30m · Admission ticket included
Owase Wappa Hands-on Workshop at Nushikuma
Shishiiwa
30m
Visit Shishi-iwa (Lion Rock), World Heritage Site
Hanano Iwaya Caves
30m
Visit Hana-no-iwaya Shrine (Cave of Flowers), World Heritage Site
Maruyama Senmaida
30m
These beautiful terraced rice fields have been selected as one of the 100 Terraced Rice Fields of Japan.
Day 3: Kumano City, Mie Prefecture
1h 30m
This is a rare and valuable experience where you will be given a lecture on the fascination of Japanese swords by the only qualified swordsmith in Higashi-Kishu region whose workshop is located in a village in a valley deep in the mountains of Kumano.
You can observe the traditional technique called "tatara," in which iron sand is melted in a furnace to produce iron, as well as the place where Japanese swords are made.
Visitors can also do the quenching process, in which beautiful "Hamon (temper pattern of a sword blade)" are made on the blade, with their own hands.
Matsumoto Mountai Pass
1h 30m
Matsumoto-Toge Pass is mysterious with its beautiful moss-covered stone pavement and many scenic viewpoints from which you can see the blue sea and the sacred land of Kumano.
Day 4: Kumano City, Mie Prefecture ⇒ Tanabe City/Shingu City/Nachikatsuura Town, Wakayama Prefecture
1h
Hand Papermaking Experience at Kumano Washi Paper Workshop Otonashi
Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine
1h
At Kumano Hongu, you can receive a goshuin (red seal) on the washi paper you have made.
Dorokyo
1h 30m · Admission ticket included
Dorokyo is a grand canyon designated as a National Special Place of Scenic Beauty. You can take a Japanese-style boat and listen to the boatman's guide as you cruise through the beautiful scenery.
The principal image of the Senju Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) is designated as a national important cultural property and is usually opened only three times a year, but it will be specially displayed during the tour.
Inside the temple, there is a demonstration of the pictorial explanation of the Nachi Pilgrimage Mandala, which depicts Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine and its surroundings.
Visitors can experience how nuns introduced Nachi as a sacred place in order to propagate the Kumano worship throughout Japan.
Daimonzaka
2h · Admission ticket included
Daimonzaka Slope, with its beautiful stone pavements, moss-covered stone steps, and old cedar trees that are over 800 years old, is one of the places along the Kumano Kodo that retains a strong trace of its ancient past.
The origin of Kumano Nachi Taisha is the nature worship of Nachi Falls, which is considered sacred. Nachi Falls is one of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan, with a drop of 133 meters and a depth of 10 meters at the waterfall basin.
It is said that an elixir of immortality is submerged in the waterfall basin, and since ancient times, the water of Nachi Falls has been known as the water of long life and longevity, and many people still visit the shrine to seek the water.
Nanki Kumano Geopark Center
1h 30m · Admission ticket included
At the Nanki-Kumano Geopark Center, visitors can enjoy learning about the formation of the land and the wonders of nature in Nanki-Kumano through projection mapping, which projects powerful images of volcanic eruptions and other phenomena onto a large three-dimensional model of the Kii Peninsula, and through hands-on equipment that reproduces how the earth was formed.
Day 6: Kushimoto Town, Wakayama Prefecture ⇒ Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture
Hashigui Rock
1h 30m · Admission ticket included
Enjoy sea kayaking, a popular ocean activity, at the best location overlooking "Hashikui-iwa Rock," which is designated as a National Monument of Scenic Beauty / Sea kayaks are designed to be less affected by waves, wind, and currents, and can be easily enjoyed by adults and children alike after a lecture.
Senjojiki
1h 30m
Shirahama Geopark sightseeing (Senjojiki Rock Plateau, Sandanbeki Cliff, Engetsu Island, etc.)
Meeting and pickup
Meeting point
It takes about 2 hours from Osaka Namba Station by Limited Express Kintetsu Railway. Your guide will wait at Iseshi Station. Please come to Iseshi Station on own.
End point
End point
Additional information
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Cancellation policy
If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.<br>If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
