hiking the kumano kodo trail

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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onto today’s topic: hiking the kumano kodo trail 🥾

mt. fuji opens up for hiking in the summer.

in july.

my trip ends in may.

yeah, i was devastated.

i was still itching for a hike of some sort (the hiking bug is a parasite at this point) and did some research until i came across kumano kodo, a series of ancient pilgrimage routes recognized as a unseco world heritage site. philip and i took on a 4-day, self-guided hike along the iseji trail, which is also known as a pilgrim’s path of prayer. it spans 170km, passing over dozens of coastal cities overlooking the ocean. this blog post does an amazing job summarizing the iseji path’s background — we, surprisingly, also only saw 1-2 other hikers throughout the entire journey. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 

we arrived at a new town each night and checked into hotels with stunning views of the ocean and traditional japanese meals (more like feasts) to accompany them. it was definitely a luxurious upgrade from the kilimanjaro conditions. i did notice that foreigners were scarce at every point of this experience, and we definitely got quite a few stares but were met with even more kindness. the thing about the countryside is that everyone greets each other with a smile, bow, and hello. i love it. this, understandably, doesn’t happen at all in tokyo or other major cities.

the hospitality and kindness we received from pretty much ever single local we encountered was heartwarming and i know i’ll miss it while spending my last 2 weeks in japan exploring tokyo.

yes, we saw some stunning views of mountain ranges with dense forests bursting with birdsongs meeting the vast ocean, but one aspect about this hike that i appreciated in particular was the opportunity to actually immerse myself in the historical significance. like i’ve mentioned before, history displayed behind glass cases in museums doesn’t resonate much with me, but here, we were actually hiking the same routes merchants took hundreds of years ago. 🚶 i saw religious statues, significant shrines and walked up stones steps that were placed there in the 13th century. i literally put myself in the shoes of those that traversed these paths. the dots connected in my brain and i was able to develop a real appreciation for iseji’s cultural significance.

at this point i’ve spent more time in rural japan than the city, and i’m not complaining at all. coastal towns are unreal — it felt like i was in ponyo, my favourite studio ghibli film. 🌊 

next hike when?

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