Shingu:Heart of Kumano

Though it feels like the new year just started, we have already reached the beginning of February. Which means the Oto Matsuri festival at Kamikura-jinja Shrine is nearing upon us!🥰

This 1400-year old festival is held every February 6th in Shingu City, Wakayama to welcome the new year and the changing of winter into spring! 2000 men gather at the top of Kamikura-jinja Shrine to receive the sacred fire on their torch, before rushing down the shrine’s 538 stone steps. Coming down like a waterfall of fire, it is truly a magnificent sight!🔥🔥🔥

👀Unfortunately with the coronavirus situation rearing its head once again, the Oto Matsuri festivities will be limited to the shrine priests and other associates for another year. There will also be no spectating from the Taikobashi bridge. If you are visiting Kamikura-jinja Shrine on the 6th of February, you will only be able to use the carpark until 12pm and that visiting on foot will be allowed until 3pm. Afterwards, the shrine is shut in preparation for the event.

Hopefully next year Shingu will be able to welcome everyone again! We look forward to seeing everyone in white, torches shining brightly in the night when the time comes. Until then, stay safe and healthy.😘⛩

P.S The fastest time recorded to race down the steps is 27 seconds! Crazy!

🚗National Highway 42 connects Shingu to many places!

🚙Being a little further away from the big cities means that car trumps all other modes of transport for getting around – though walking and bike is enough within the city, car can get you from A to B in a flash!😍

🚐Many people come through asking if it’s possible to visit the three shrines part of the Kumano Sanzan (with lunch in between!) all in one day by bus. Depending on what time of day you start, it can be incredibly difficult, leaving you with very little time to see the sights!

🏎️Taking the bus is a great form of transportation, but can also result in time lost waiting for the next departure. If you only have a single day, it might be worth getting a rental car (with the right license!) and reducing the time you spend waiting. There are a few rental companies around Shingu as well as Wakayama – some even let you drop off your car at a different branch, making it very convenient when you go home!🙆🏻‍♀️

🌄Route 42 is also a great drive if you do have time to spare; just like the train line, it follows along the coast and provides an amazing view of the sea. It also helps connect you to every city and town all the way up to Wakayama City!

🅿️There is parking available at every major landmark and destination in the area, but not every spot will be free of charge. It’s best to look this up beforehand, so pop by a Tourist Information Centre for a driving map!

⛵Being alongside a river and a stone’s throw away from the Pacific Ocean means Shingu has a lot to do with boats. ⛵

🏞️Hundreds of years ago, many of the pilgrims who visited Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine would travel downstream on the Kumano-gawa River by wooden riverboat. They would get to enjoy the soothing waves and the beautiful sights, like the many waterfalls, on the way down before arriving at the riverbed next to Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine. ⛩️

This riverboat still runs twice a day from March until November, letting you experience a part of that same journey – you can book this from the Kumano-gawa River Boat Centre or use the reservation service from the Tanabe Kumano Tourism Bureau! Get a feel for the riverboat tour with the video link down below!

🚢But speaking of boats, an even larger sized vessel comes by to Shingu; cruise ships! Several times a year, cruise ships from Japan and overseas will stop by Shingu Port. Sometimes taiko performances or other small events are held to see these ships off, though this stopped during the pandemic. Hopefully once things settle, these festivities can start once again!🎶

🍵The Qin Dynasty Chinese scholar named Jofuku also has very strong ties to Shingu! He ventured out by boat looking for the herb that could grant eternal life and ended up settling in Shingu. He found the herb named Tendai Uyaku, which you can taste today in tea or sweets form.

🎥https://youtu.be/GI3VKhXk0Mo

🚲Bikes are a great way of getting around Shingu! 🚲

Despite being surrounded by mountains, Shingu’s terrain is relatively flat. Most of the places around the city that we’ve shown, like Kamikura-jinja Shrine and the castle ruins, are within 1km of the station. These are walkable distances but the most efficient way (and best way to enjoy the scenery of the town) is to bike around!🚲

🚵Some accommodations may have bikes available to use during your stay but Shingu’s Tourism Association, opposite the train station, and Jofuku Park both have rental bikes available as well. There are the regular bikes with baskets attached and speedier cross-bikes, so be sure to check them out on your trip down here! You can also grab cycling maps here too. 🚴

Though great for getting around central Shingu, feel free to challenge yourself and go out further! The cross bikes are lighter and come with adjustable gears, making hills and long distances an absolute breeze. 😊

💪With a bit of time, you can ride out to Kuwanoki no Taki Waterfall or enjoy an open view of the Kumanogawa River right next to you. Challenge yourself and see how far you can go!🦵

🚃Train is one of the most popular and easiest ways to get to Shingu!

🚈Bordering Wakayama and Mie Prefecture means that two local train lines run through Shingu; one from Osaka (Kinokuni Line) and one from Nagoya (Kisei Line). But for travelling a long distance, rapid express trains are best to save time!🚈

🐼From Osaka, the rapid express train is the Kuroshio, named after the Kuroshio current in the sea. Some of these trains have the special Panda skin, themed after the pandas at Adventure World in Shirahama! (Even cuter when the red taillights are on!)🐼

💴Many stations along the way to Shingu are mujin-eki or unmanned stations, meaning it isn’t staffed. If you get off at one of these stations, buy a ticket beforehand or pay on the train. Like a local bus, take a numbered ticket at the front and find your fare using the board above the driver’s seat. Pay exact change into the front box. IC cards are also okay, but will depend on the station!

🌊There are some really amazing views on the way to Shingu when taking the train. The train tracks follow the coast, so the Pacific Ocean accompanies you part of the way down! The mountains that surround you are also extremely mesmerizing!

🚆Until the end of December, there is a special train running; the Ginga train (Japanese for the Milky Way🌠✨), travels from Kyoto Station to Shingu and takes approximately 9 hours. The train is slightly slower than normal trains, allowing you to really enjoy the view on your travels. There are even cabins inside for ultimate comfort! 🚆

🚌Have you ever taken a local bus in Japan? 🚌

On your travels around Japan, you’ll have taken trains 🚃, bullet trains 🚅 and maybe even biked around! 🚲With everything being so close by, it is also very convenient to walk as well.

🚗In Shingu, even if you don’t drive, you can still get to many places via bus. Aside from getting around the city, you can also go to Nachi-Katsuura ⛩, Hongu ⛩, various onsens ♨️, Kumano City and even Nara Prefecture – all by local bus!
🏃But how do you ride a bus here? It can be a little confusing because IC cards aren’t usually used here.

1️⃣Get on from the back door and take a numbered ticket. Keep this safe!

2️⃣After pressing the button for your stop, look at the price board above the driver’s seat. Find your ticket number on the board – that’s the fare you pay! 💴

3️⃣Pay in exact change, with your ticket, to the box next to the driver. If you need change, the machine at the front accepts 1000 yen and below!

Shingu is also the starting point of Japan’s longest local bus line! Starting from just outside Shingu Station, this local bus stops at every single stop on its way to Yamato-Yagi Station in the middle of Nara Prefecture. How long does the bus take?

✅Approximately 6.5 hours! This includes 3 longer stops to take a break and stretch your legs – at the end of your trip, the driver will give you a small token as a souvenir for riding Japan’s longest bus line! 🥳

This last stop in our Food series isn’t so edible – but you can use it to make delicious things! 😋

🍖 Binchotan, a type of charcoal revered for its ability to sear food without an overpowering charred flavor, originated in Wakayama Prefecture. It is usually found in higher end restaurants overseas, like Japanese or BBQ eateries 🐔🔥

🌳 Made using the ubame oak, the designated tree of Wakayama, this charcoal was named after its creator Bichuya Chozaemon from Tanabe City. From start to finish, the entire process is quite intensive (including burning the wood at 1000 degrees for 7 days!) but creates a charcoal that is amazing to cook with.

🎵 You can recognize binchotan from its dusty white appearance, the crystal sharp cross section and an extremely distinctive metallic ring when you hit two pieces together!

💯 Unlike regular charcoal, binchotan doesn’t produce smoke and keeps its heat for much longer 🔥 This means no crazy smoke or ash taste on the food, and the intense heat makes a delicious crust. It takes a while to get the charcoal lit but is well worth the wait! 🥰

😋Binchotan and delicious food all go hand in hand! Give it a try next time you see some! 👀

Wakayama Prefecture is widely known for the quality of its ume, and the sheer volume produced every season. Approximately 67,000 tons of ume come out of Wakayama every year, an amount that makes up a whopping 60% of the national harvest. 😲👀

❓What are umeboshi?❓
Pickled sour plums, often eaten alongside rice but more commonly as a side dish to many meals in Japan.

❓How are umeboshi made?❓

Depending on the season and colour of the ume, you can make different things. Early June means green ume – you can throw this in with some rock sugar and Japanese liquor and leave it to sit. After 3 months, it’ll become a refreshing drink that can be had on the rocks🧊, or mixed with ginger ale or soda water. Easy drinking for humid summer nights!🥃

Riper yellow ume will appear mid-late June, and these are used for umeboshi.
✅These are first pickled with salt in a container. The salt draws out some of the ume’s moisture, which it then pickles in.

✅Add red shiso leaves after 7 days of pickling, to give it that signature natural red colour.

✅The last step is to dry out the ume in the sun. In Japan, this time of year coincides with rainy season, so it is important to look at the forecast ahead of time. The ume are dried out in the sun for 3 straight days. ☀️ Once they have dried, you can pack them away into jars for later snacking!

Umeboshi make for an easy and healthy snack, so give them a try next time you see some around!😇

An all-round great read and comprehensive overview to the different Kumano Kodo routes and all the sights to see on your way! ✌️
From Shingu, you have access to the Nakahechi trails, so be sure to check it out when you next come to Japan!🥰

Experience the Kumano Kodo - A Complete Guide to Hiking One of Japan’s Great Pilgrimage Routes For a unique and eye-opening exploration of Japan’s natural beauty, history and spirituality, you couldn’t do better than the Kumano Kodo, one of Japan’s great ancient pilgrimage routes. Located in Kansai south of Nara and Kyoto, these exceptional walking paths will lead you deep into one of t...

From here we'll be showing you some of the Bites to be had around Shingu!

Summer in Japan means a cold bowl of shaved ice in the shade. Shaved ice, or kakigori, is a treat enjoyed in the summertime by everyone big and small. ☀️

In Shingu, there is a famous kakigori stand a short walk from Kamikura-jinja Shrine. Nakakori-ten (仲氷店) uses high quality ice for every cup it serves 🧊🧊– the ice is sourced from the Koza-gawa River, whose water is slowly frozen over a 72-hour period. This ensures a crisp texture to the ice and is famous for not giving you a brain freeze, no matter how much you eat. As someone who gets brain freezes quite easily, I was surprised to find that this was true!😮

There are heaps of flavours to choose from! From traditional flavours like lemon 🍋and melon🍈, to the ever-classic matcha 🍵, the slightly more outlandish salty lychee and jabara, a citrus that can only be found in Wakayama Prefecture. 🍊
Nakakori-ten is also known for its watermelon shaved ice 🍉 – not quite watermelon flavoured, but most definitely watermelon shaped! Served on an icy pole stick for easy eating, there are two flavours for the two-toned dessert.

The stand has kept its retro feel throughout the years, with the wooden furnishings it really feels like you’ve taken a step back in time. The grandmas and grandpa who run Nakakori-ten are extremely kind, making it a pleasure to sit back, listen to the sounds of the neighbourhood and cool off with your shaved ice! 🍧
😋

Find Nakakori-ten here! https://goo.gl/maps/VH4tb1X2tu5wV2aM8

[Where] Northern side of Shingu – 10min walk from Shingu Station
[Best time to visit?] Anytime of the year, when it hasn’t rained
[Don’t miss] The remains of Japan’s shortest cable car track!

This is the last location on our Sites and Bites series! Welcome to the Shingu Castle Ruins!🏯

Shingu Castle was once the centerpiece of the southern Wakayama area. The grounds overlook the entire city and give you a great view of the Kumano-gawa River, the neighbouring Mie Prefecture and the Pacific Ocean 👀☀️

The wide-open area near the top is lined with cherry blossom trees all around, making it ever-so pretty in the springtime, and a popular cherry blossom viewing spot as well. Very picturesque!

Today, only the stone walls of the castle remain. You can see many different methods of stacking stone for the walls. My personal favourite part is just after ascending from the car park, which is extremely even (crazy that these walls were built with such precision so many years ago! 😲). If you look at it from the side, you’ll notice that the wall slants upwards. This small detail was a defense against enemy soldiers! At this angle, it was not easy to climb and would repel enemies.

Shingu Castle 🏯went through a number of changes before its destruction. There was an area turned into an inn where many visitors to the city would stay! Sleeping atop castle grounds is already quite extravagant, but to add to its luxurious feel, a cable car was built to carry people from the bottom of the grounds to the accommodation area at the top. Standing at 73m long, this is Japan’s shortest cable car track! 🚡🗾

[Where] Northern side of Shingu
[Best time to visit?] Sunny days, most of the year ☀
[Don’t miss] The Kumano-gawa River Boat Centre 🛶

Have you ever seen a river as beautiful and breathtaking as this? 👀

The Kumano-gawa River is a huge natural landmark within the humble Kii Peninsula of Wakayama Prefecture, spanning a total of 183km. A large portion of it runs alongside and near Shingu City and served as a vital transport route at various points in history.

It has a gorgeous emerald-green colour for most of the year and is a treat to travel next to and atop it. The colour depends on the condition of the river, so it’s advised you visit when it hasn’t rained much beforehand! 🙌

When walking the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage route hundreds of years ago, many would spare their legs the mountainous walk and take a boat 🛶downstream between Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine ⛩ and Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine ⛩. Travelers walking the route will still do that now! You can get a taste for this boat tour with the video link below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R08gAGp1YU

The 90min river boat tours depart twice a day, once at 10am and again at 2:30pm every day from March until November. It leaves from the Kumano-gawa River Boat Centre, which is accessible via car or bus and arrives a short walk from Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine⛩. Reservations are essential and can be done below! It is a great way to experience a different view of the river and the historic journey of the pilgrims hundreds of years ago. 🛶🛶

The river is a beauty in itself, but it is always fascinating to think about the other roles it has played in the past!

www.kumano-travel.com/en/tours-activities/traditional-boat-tour

[Where] Eastern Shingu – 11, 15, 17 bus, get off at the Hirotsuno (Koyazaka) stop
[Best time to visit?] Sunny days ☀️☀️☀️ morning and afternoon, early/late winter and other seasons
[Don’t miss] The whale viewing platform and the small shrine towards the end

The Koyazaka Slope trail is one of the shortest portions of the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage route but that does not detract at all from how well the atmosphere can transport you a world away. Part of the Nakahechi Route, ancient pilgrims used this to travel from Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine ⛩ in Shingu to Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine ⛩ in Nachi and vice versa. It is an absolute pleasure to walk, so give it a try if you have the time!

The trail goes along the coastline🏖, meaning you get a great view of the ocean from parts of the walk. You’re followed by the sound of the sea crashing against the shore, which helps to whisk you to another place and time. Koyazaka takes around 40min to complete, but there are pathways that branch off the main track. This includes the Whale Viewing Point remains 🐋 and a small shrine near the end of the trail. There are signs that point them out but are small, making it easy to miss – keep an eye out for them! 👀

The trail finishes amongst the vegetable gardens of some locals – you won’t realise the walk is done until the tell-tale signs of civilisation bring you back to reality; the chuga-chuga of the panda train 🚈 passing by, the high pitched vroom of the kei-trucks 🚛 and the shrill ‘pin-pon!’ of the convenience store doors.

You can continue on your way here via train, or return back to Shingu using the bus stop close to the exit!
🚌🚃

[Where] Eastern side of Shingu – a 10min bike ride from JR Shingu Station or 20min walk
[Best time to visit?] Sunny days 🔥 early morning until afternoon, early/late winter, spring, summer and autumn
[Don’t miss] The epic view of the coastline!

Welcome back to another episode of the Shingu Bites and Sites series! Today we're visiting Ojigahama Coast 😁

Ojigahama Coast is the portion of the coastline between the Kumano-gawa River and the Hirotsuno area. If you find yourself walking to Koyazaka instead of taking a bus, the coast is a great place to take a break and catch your breath before continuing onwards. The waves rolling back and forth make for relaxing background noise. 🌊Whenever I come here, the sheer broadness of the ocean makes me feel oh so very small and I always end up reflecting on the things I’ve been able to do and everything I hold dear today. Perhaps you’ll experience something similar if you come here and relax too.

The coast does go out to the Pacific Ocean, so keep in mind that the water at the shoreline is too deep to swim in! This means it’s a decent spot to fish and depending on the weather you might be able to see someone trying to score a catch. 🐟The beach itself is rocky instead of sandy, which may be hard to walk on but there’s a handy concrete pathway closer roadside so you can traverse easily to the other end of the coast.

Put yourself between the mountains and the sea and see what you can find within yourself!🗻

[Where] North-eastern side of Shingu – an 8min walk from JR Shingu Station,
[Best time to visit?] Sunny days, morning and afternoon ☀️☀️
[Don’t miss] Mt Horai and the Ethnology and Folk Museum to the left

Here we are with another entry in the Shingu Bites and Sites series!

Asuka-jinja Shrine ⛩ is another piece of the World Heritage pie in Shingu, and though small in stature, its spiritual presence and religious history is nothing to be scoffed at. Its torii gates are a worn white stone but that only makes the vermillion-coloured shrine body stand out even more. Only a short distance away from the train station, your legs will thank you – especially if you visited Kamikura-jinja Shrine before this!🦵

Shingu is enclosed by mountains on three sides, so it can be easy to glaze over any greenery you see, but be sure to keep an eye out for Mt. Horai behind the shrine. It’s said that Jofuku, a Qin Dynasty scholar sent to look for the elixir of immortality, landed here and made contact with the locals. He enjoyed the climate and the area so much, he eventually settled in the area and passed on his knowledge of fishing and agriculture. As such, there is a small shrine to the right-hand side dedicated to him – take care to not miss this on your way through! 😄

To the left-hand side is the Ethnology and Folk Museum, which houses a wide variety of worshipped ornaments and tools that tell an expansive story of Shingu’s religious history as well as the wooden export industry of the past. 😁

[Where] Western side of Shingu – a 15min walk from JR Shingu Station, or take the 11, 15 or 17 bus and get off at the Kamikura-Jinja stop
[Best time to visit?] Sunny days, morning and afternoon ☀️
[Don’t miss] The Gotobiki-iwa Rock, the breathtaking view and the Bikuni storytelling house 😁

Welcome again to another trip in the Shingu Sites and Bites Series! Today, we're stopping off at Kamikura-jinja Shrine! ⛩

Kamikura-Jinja Shrine is located near the top of Kamikura Mountain and like a valiant protector, watches over the city from its perched mountain position. It is a part of a World Heritage Site through its cultural and historical importance.

It takes roughly 10-15 minutes to climb the 538 stone steps up the mountain to the main hall of the shrine, but those looking to go upwards should beware of just how steep it is, especially in the first half. ⚠ Thus, it’s better to visit on sunny days without any rainfall prior to ensure a safe journey both up and down 😁☀️It definitely gets the blood pumping! 😲

Whenever I climb to the top, I’m always puffed out but it always occurs to me after that someone else had to do the same climb hundreds of years before me, and tow along with them the rocks to make the path we have today. So, it is with an appreciative mindset that I visit the main hall of the shrine, even though my knees and ankles don’t share that same sentiment on the way up. There are also walking poles provided at the bottom to help you!💪🦵

When you get to the top, you’re hit by two things at once; the crazy good view of the city, and the gigantic rock sitting behind the shrine hall. From this vantage point, you can see the entirety of Shingu and the Pacific Ocean. Definitely makes the trip up extremely rewarding! The large rock behind the shrine is referred to as Gotobiki-iwa, which is the word for frog in the local dialect 🐸 – the rock sits, almost crouched over, and you’ll be surprised by just how big it is.

Every year on February 6, the Oto Matsuri Festival is held here. 2000 men garbed in white will gather at the top to receive the sacred fire on their wooden torch, before rushing down the stone steps to welcome in both the New Year and the start of springtime – like a dragon set aflame, the river of fire snakes downwards and makes for quite the visual experience. 🐉🔥

We’ll be visiting Asuka-jinja Shrine ⛩ on our next stop! 👀

Welcome back to another episode in our Shingu Sights and Bites series! This week we're continuing where we left off at Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine! 👏🎉🎉

The Nagi tree stands off to the side without drawing much attention to itself, a wooden Japanese sign and a holy rope around it as the only indicators to its importance. Its leaves lack prominent stems or veins, making it difficult to tear into two. Visitors in the old days would take leaves home as a memento of their pilgrimage, and as a good luck charm – its inability to be torn ensured an uninterrupted stream of good fortune for its holders.✌️

Of course, now that the tree is listed as part of a World Heritage site, you can’t just take leaves as you please. Nagi leaf souvenirs can be attained from the store attached to the shrine office onsite!

At this shrine office, you can purchase charms and other items of the spiritual sort. However, in an easy-to-miss corner of the grounds is a large stone tablet – it lists the names of every emperor that has visited Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine in the past. When first looking at this, you’ll see that many have only visited once or twice, and it doesn’t really seem like that big of a deal.

However, in a time before cars and other creations existed to chauffeur us around, there were only horses and your own two legs to carry you forwards. 🦵🐎

Getting to Shingu nowadays only takes around 4 hours from the nearest big city but back then, a pilgrimage by an emperor could take anywhere between 2-4 weeks ❗️, all done atop horseback with royal entourage and staff in tow. So, to see that one emperor had visited a whopping 33 times made my jaw drop. Totally crazy – what a trip it must have been! I suppose if an emperor can come down to Shingu 33 times whilst running an entire country, us mere mortals should be able to make time for anything!

The pilgrims of the past sure were something!😲
Stick around for our next post which looks at Kamikura-jinja Shrine!👀

Welcome to a weekly write-up introducing some of the best parts of Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture where I’ll be showing you the sights and bites of Shingu! Hopefully you can find some spots to visit next time you’re around Japan. You may even find out something you missed while you were here!

We’re kicking off this new segment with the largest shrine in our little city; Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine. 👏

[Where] Northern corner of Shingu; 15min walk from JR Shingu Station or via bus 11, 15 or 17
[Best time to visit?] Anytime!
[Don’t miss] The shrine seal unique to Hayatama Taisha, the 1000 year-old Nagi tree and the Holy Treasures Museum opposite

Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine is a World Heritage listed site and part of the Kumano Sanzan Shrines. Tucked away between the Kumano River and the surrounding mountains it sits quietly amongst the greenery, and stoically welcomes you to pay your respects within its grounds.

Always seen but sometimes missed is the small bridge right before the torii gate – carved into the stone is 下馬橋, asking those on horseback to come down, and to walk amongst the common people to the shrine. With little (obvious) differences in class nowadays, perhaps it is simply a relic of a time that we have moved on from but nonetheless, I see the bridge as an equalizer of men, and a fascinating reminder that at the end of the day we are all the same, that we are all doing our best day by day.

Stay tuned for the next installment, where we look at something you may have missed on your last visit here! Comment down below with your favourite memory visiting Shingu or the surrounding area!😊

The Kumano-gawa River Boat Tours have started back up once again in Shingu!

Travel down the Kumano-gawa River from Hongu to Shingu in style, just like the ancient pilgrims did hundreds of years ago. You'll be able to travel through time on this 90min boat ride, as the guide tells you about the area's history, and shows you sights you can only witness atop the water.

These boat tours run everyday until the end of November, so contact the Kumano-gawa River Boat Centre to book your next trip downstream!