Tokyo - Kii Tanabe, Start of Kumano Koda trail
I read a magazine article about the opening of the Kumano Koda trail somewhere. At the time I thought, "I must go there sometime.." .
Kii-Tanabe, the starting town of our walk, is a fair distance from Tokyo.
Our mode of transport , the J.R. Shikansen bullet train. It looks fast and is. we were traveling at speeds over 250 km/h. It is is a shame our country doesn't make similar investments, but here is not the forum for opinion on political decisions.
Note also the barricades on the platform, idiot proofing those on mobile phones who walk off the edge into moving trains. These barricades are also present on the city/suburban train platforms.
What is it like, traveling at 260km/h ? Smooth, especially since we had the Green reserved class carriage (and all to ourselves). Going through tunnels is a bit hard on the ears with an change in pressure and speed is noticed when passing buildings or other trains. The comfort level in the carriage is high with our reclining seat, table and USB charging ports. Loud noise and mobile phone use in the carriage is discouraged (not that we were going to disturb anyone.)
We stayed the night at the Kumano Kodo Winery. It was not quite the winery that one would expect. Really it is a bed and breakfast at a home that a couple are in the process of refurbishing. Yes, there are a handful of plants out the back but it's not even close to the size of the tiniest winery in Australia. that detail - no matter.
Our host was an Italian chef married to a Japanese lady. He has restored a very old Japanese home keeping with its heritage: tatami mats, thin paper walls, but with that ultra modern Toto toilet as an exception. This kind of restoration is hard to do.
On offer is a personal chef prepared meal. I have no qualms in recommending it. The food and service was very special and a great start to our pilgrimage ahead.
This was our first stay in an 'authentic' Japanese residence. Sleeping on a futon on the floor was no issue, just as comfortable as a bed. The rooms are cold though even with fires as there is no insulation, so an extra layer of clothing is recommended.
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