Walking in the Nakahechi

The Nakahechi is the gentle, well-loved Kumano route — the one the retired emperors walked a thousand years ago — and it remains the ideal introduction to Japan's sacred mountains. Over about five days you follow stone-paved paths through cedar forest to the three grand shrines of Kumano, sleeping between them in family-run inns where dinner is a procession of small dishes and the bath is a hot spring.

The pleasure of it is the texture: moss and cedar, worn stone steps, small roadside shrines, and the onsen at the end of each walking day. It is a UNESCO-listed pilgrimage that pairs naturally with Koyasan, and unlike the sterner Kohechi it is within reach of most reasonably fit walkers, families included.

The inns are small and book out months ahead in the peak seasons of spring and autumn, though luggage transfer between stages takes the weight off the walking. Reserve early, walk in the shoulder seasons, and let the shrines and the baths, not the distance, be the point.

Cedar forest, stone steps and shrines that predate almost everything in Europe, with family-run inns where dinner is eleven small dishes and the bath is an onsen. The Nakahechi is the gentle route and the one most people walk.

If you want the hard version, the Kohechi runs south from Koyasan over three steep passes in four days, with long gaps between villages and almost nobody on it — same pilgrimage, roughly twice the effort.

Book the inns early — the family-run ryokan and minshuku are small and sell out months ahead in the peak spring and autumn seasons — and walk in those shoulder months, loveliest on the trail. Luggage transfer between stages is available, so you can walk with just a day pack.

Start the Nakahechi from Takijiri and follow it over about five days to the three Kumano shrines, pairing it naturally with a visit to Koyasan. It suits most reasonably fit walkers, families included.

For a far tougher alternative, the Kohechi runs south from Koyasan over three steep passes with sparse lodging. Reach the area via Kii-Tanabe, and let the shrines and onsen set the pace.