Beyond the Itinerary are stories from the places we’re going — and the things that stay with us. Sole Sister travel adventures take care of the itinerary. The things that happen beyond it are up to all of us.
What could a mountain trail through Japan possibly have in common with the Camino de Santiago?
Quite a lot, as it turns out.
When I first heard the Kumano Kodo described as “Japan’s Camino,” I assumed it was simply a useful comparison. A long-distance walk, a pilgrimage route, a nice way of helping those of us who know the Camino understand what kind of trip this might be.
But the connection goes much deeper than that.
The Kumano Kodo and the Camino de Santiago sit on opposite sides of the world, developed within completely different cultures and spiritual traditions, and yet they share a rather remarkable distinction: they are the two great pilgrimage traditions whose routes are recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage.
There is even an official Dual Pilgrim designation for people who complete qualifying sections of both.
Naturally, this sent me down a rabbit hole.
So, What Exactly Is the Kumano Kodo?
The Kumano Kodo isn't one single trail. It's a network of ancient pilgrimage routes that crosses Japan's mountainous Kii Peninsula, south of Kyoto and Osaka.
People have been walking these paths for more than a thousand years.
The destination for many pilgrims was—and still is—the three sacred shrines collectively known as the Kumano Sanzan: Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha.
Beginning more than a thousand years ago, emperors and members of the imperial court made the difficult journey into these mountains. Over time, the pilgrimage spread beyond the aristocracy, drawing people from across Japanese society.
And difficult really did mean difficult.
There were no high-tech hiking shoes, lightweight rain jackets or luggage transfers. Pilgrims travelled through steep mountains and dense forests on foot, following stone and dirt paths from shrine to shrine.
Thankfully, we'll be approaching things somewhat differently.
A Different Side of Japan
When many of us picture a trip to Japan, we probably think first of Tokyo and Kyoto: neon, bullet trains, temples, extraordinary food and cities where centuries-old traditions exist alongside some of the most modern technology in the world.
The Kumano Kodo offers another Japan entirely.
Here, the journey takes place through forests and small rural communities, past shrines and stone markers, and into traditional onsen towns where soaking in a hot spring at the end of a walking day is part of the experience.
I admit, the onsen part has my attention.
There is something particularly appealing about experiencing Japan at walking speed. Instead of racing from one famous sight to another, we'll have time to notice the landscape between them.
And on this particular trail, the landscape is very much part of the story.
A Pilgrimage Without Having to Be a Pilgrim
The word pilgrimage can sound overtly religious, but that isn't necessarily what walking the Kumano Kodo—or the Camino, for that matter—has to be about.
People have always walked pilgrimages for different reasons.
Some walk because of faith. Others because they're at a turning point in their lives. Some want a physical challenge, some want time to think, and some probably start walking without having any idea what they're looking for.
I like that.
There is no requirement to arrive with a revelation in mind.
Sometimes putting one foot in front of the other for several days is enough.
Walking has a way of creating space that ordinary life doesn't give us very often. Conversations become longer. Silences stop feeling uncomfortable. Your world becomes temporarily smaller: today's trail, tonight's bed, something good to eat and, in this case, hopefully a hot onsen waiting at the end.
That sounds pretty good to me.
Two Caminos, One Passport
And then there is that fascinating connection to Spain.
The Camino de Santiago and the Kumano Kodo developed independently, thousands of kilometres apart, yet both became important pilgrimage traditions travelled continuously over centuries.
Today, people who complete designated requirements on both can register as Dual Pilgrims.
There is something wonderfully unlikely about that.
A pilgrim can walk through the forests and mountains of Japan and, perhaps years earlier or later, follow the scallop shells across Spain toward Santiago de Compostela. Two completely different landscapes, cultures, and histories become part of the same personal journey.
For Sole Sisters who have already walked the Camino, that makes the Kumano Kodo particularly intriguing.
The boots may be the same.
Almost everything else will be different.
Why Walk It Together?
This is the part of a Sole Sister Ramble that is difficult to explain on an itinerary.
Walking beside someone for several hours changes the way you get to know her.
There is plenty of time for the ordinary conversations—what we're having for dinner, how much farther we have to go and whose feet hurt most—but eventually you get beyond those.
We've seen it happen on the Camino. We saw it again on Hadrian's Wall.
Women who begin a trip as strangers find themselves talking about families, careers, relationships, retirement, loss, plans, fears, and whatever else happens to come up somewhere around kilometre twelve.
Then everyone gets home, and occasionally one of those women ends up flying to Toronto to spend a week with someone she met on the trail.
Funny how that happens.
Beyond the Itinerary
Before researching this trip, I knew relatively little about the Kumano Kodo.
Now I'm fascinated by the idea that people have been disappearing into these mountains on foot for more than a thousand years, each carrying their own reason for going.
We'll be walking through a very different Japan from the one most visitors see, following paths worn by generations before us. We'll stay in small communities, experience the onsen tradition, and learn about beliefs and customs that may be completely unfamiliar to us.
And yes, we'll undoubtedly take photographs.
But I suspect some of the most interesting parts will happen when nobody has a camera out.
A conversation on the trail. A quiet moment in the forest. Tired legs soaking in an onsen. Sitting around a table at the end of the day with women who were strangers not very long ago.
We won't know which moments will matter until they happen.
That's becoming one of my favourite things about travelling this way.
Come Ramble With Us
Sole Sister Ramblers is heading to Japan to walk the Kumano Kodo with a small group of women in midlife and beyond.
We'll follow an ancient pilgrimage through the mountains of the Kii Peninsula, walking through forests and rural communities and experiencing a side of Japan that is best discovered slowly.
Some women may arrive hoping to become Dual Pilgrims. Others may simply be curious about where the path leads.
Both seem like perfectly good reasons to start walking.
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