What this area is like
The Nakahechi route links Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano Nachi Taisha, with Nachi Falls and its red pagoda. Sections can be walked in a day.
Book trail-side inns early and carry water; mountain buses are infrequent.
Choose your next step
Places to see in this area
Kumano Hongu Taisha
Head shrine of the Kumano Sanzan and the goal of most Kumano Kodo pilgrims, in a forest above the Kumano River.
- Access
- From JR Kii-Tanabe Station, Meiko or Ryujin bus about 2 hours.
- Hours
- 8:00–17:00.
- Fee
- Free.
- Address
- 1100 Hongu, Hongu-cho, Tanabe, Wakayama
The huge torii at Oyunohara, the shrine’s original site, is a 10-minute walk away. Bring cash.
Kumano Nachi Taisha
A mountainside shrine beside Seigantoji’s three-storey pagoda, framing Nachi Falls, Japan’s tallest single-drop waterfall.
- Access
- From JR Kii-Katsuura Station, Kumano Gobo Nankai bus about 30 minutes.
- Hours
- Grounds open; the shrine office 7:30–16:00.
- Fee
- Free to enter.
- Address
- 1 Nachisan, Nachikatsuura-cho, Higashimuro District, Wakayama
Get off the bus early at Daimonzaka and walk the cedar-lined stone steps up (about 30–40 minutes).
How to plan your time here
- Walk the last stretch of the Kumano Kodo from Hosshinmon-oji to Hongu (about 7 km), then soak at Yunomine or Kawayu Onsen.
- Buses are infrequent; check timetables the night before and allow two or three days.
Information checked 26 October 2026. Plans are JapaLens editorial suggestions, not on-site reviews. Hours and fees can change; check the official page before you go.