I Spent a Week on Japan’s Kii Peninsula – The Nature Blew Me Away

Before this trip, when I thought of Japan, it was the cities that first sprung to mind. For me, Japan was represented by twinkling skyscrapers covered in animated billboards and orderly pedestrian crossings streaming with people. Little did I know that there’s a deep spiritual connection with nature in Japan that dates back to the beginning of the country’s history.

It all started in Kii Peninsula, the small coastal region south of Osaka. Its forested mountains, rocky ravines, and weathered coastline have inspired belief systems and imperial nation-building over thousands of years.

Get ready to walk into a world of wonder

After a week exploring the three prefectures of the peninsula, Wakayama, Nara, and Mie, the ancient value of the natural world and sheer beauty of the area were unexpectedly captivating. For my first trip to Japan, this impressed me more than I anticipated.

Hidden Beauty at Dorokyo Gorge

We’d been winding our way through a maze of valleys all morning, the roads almost too skinny to pass oncoming traffic. It felt a world away from the hyper-industrialised sprawl of Osaka that I’d flown into just days before, just 160km to the north.

But, if the reward for holding your nerve on blind corners is to discover a magical, hidden gorge straight out of an Avatar film set, I knew it was my kinda place.

As we descended from the car park to the heritage Doro Hotel for lunch, Dorokyo Gorge came into view. The towering rocky, bush-covered cliffs carved out over millions of years by the teal-hued river curving its way through the ancient volcanic landmass certainly deserved our audible gasp of awe upon first sight.

The prehistoric gorge is best explored on a river boat cruise, unhurried and intimate as you take in the carved-out earth. It was certainly no jet boating around river bends – this was a calming cruise at a slower pace, very Japan-like.

We glided through the river, completely alone other than the birds soaring above, with enough time and stillness to absorb the crinkles of the rock and the trees clutching to the sides of the gorge with their roots.

This was not the Japan I thought I knew. This stunning natural landform made me realise there’s much more to this country than the concrete urban jungles. It was no surprise then to discover that before a single skyscraper was built in Japan, these kinds of natural places had inspired an entire belief system based on nature worship.

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The Birthplace of Japan’s Faith

Most ancient civilisations possessed some form of nature worship or animism, but few have survived the test of time to exist today. Shintoism is somewhat of an exception. This early belief system spread around the Kii Mountains for over 2,000 years and is still celebrated today, although often interwoven with Buddhism, which drifted across from China in the 6th century.

At the heart of Shintoism is nature’s sacredness, where the kami or deities exist within nature, amongst the mountaintops and in the tree canopies. Even natural phenomena, like giant boulders or enormous trees, are worshipped as though they were gods themselves.

Our guide, Yuko, insisted that Shintoism is more like ‘a way of life, not really a religion’. As someone who finds true happiness in the outdoors and has literally cried happy tears at the sight of beautiful landscapes, I could certainly get around celebrating nature with religious fervour (even as a non-religious person).

Especially, if that meant following an ancient pilgrimage path through the Kii Mountains.

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Collecting pilgrimage stamps

Pilgrimage on the Kumano Kodo

The mountainous Kumano region of Kii Peninsula has been regarded as a spiritually powerful place since the earliest days of Japan, where gods dwell amidst the mountaintops.

Emperors began making the arduous trek from Kyoto to the region as far back as the Heian Period (794-1185).

The aim of their pilgrimage was to visit the triad of Kumano Sanzan or the three grand shrines, which are revered as some of the most important Shinto shrines in the country.

Today, ‘the way to Kumano’ is recognised as only one of two UNESCO-designated hiking trails in the world (the other being the Camino de Santiago, of course). The Nakahechi Route is the most popular section leading to the Grand Shrines and was the main route travelled by the imperial family. This is the route we traced over a few days, both on foot and by car.

We began our pilgrimage at Hosshinmon-oji, one of the most important sites on the Kumano Kodo and the outermost entrance to the first of the grand shrines, Kumano Hongu Taisha. Literally, ‘Hosshin’ means spiritual awakening and ‘mon’ means gate, so our passage symbolised a transformational rebirth and ‘a forgiveness of our sins’, according to our guide Kyoko.

The pilgrimage has changed greatly since the modernisation of the country. Our walk indeed began on a paved road, passing houses and essential facilities that I’m sure were not commonplace on the pilgrimages of old, including frequent public toilets (with heated seats!) and vending machines.

But then we moved deeper into the cypress and cedar pine forest, where the towering trees enveloped you on the winding dirt path laced with roots and worn cobblestones. For a country that birthed the concept of forest bathing, I imagined this would be a perfect place for it.

As we continued further down the trail, an oversized timber torii gate stood tall in the valley below: our destination for the day’s walk, Kumano Hongu Taisha. After around 7km of walking, we made it to the shrine hidden deep in the forest to pay our respects and collect our pilgrim stamp.

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Onsen Soaks in Trail Towns

You know how good a shower feels at the end of a day on the trail? An onsen is even better. There are several quaint, onsen towns on the Kumano Kodo, a way to showcase traditional Japanese hospitality and ideal places to rest weary legs.

After our day of walking, we stayed at a traditional ryokan or Japanese inn, Ryokan Adumaya, in Yunomine Onsen.

This ancient town is home to the only UNESCO-listed onsen bath in the world, Tsuboyu, which is said to have magical healing powers.

While the stench of the sulphuric waters can be overwhelming and the heat made me sweat more than the trail, I could feel the minerals working to ease aching muscles and smooth dry skin.

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Shrines, Waterfalls, and Mountains

A couple of days later we completed our pilgrimage by visiting the final grand shrine, and a highlight of the Kumano region: Nachisan. If there’s one place that embodies nature worship, it’s this. The shrine complex sits perched between mountains, with a direct view of Nachi Falls, Japan’s tallest waterfall.

We climbed from Daimon-zaka on the Kumano Kodo up paved stone steps lined with massive evergreen trees to the top of the mountain and the outstanding sight blending nature and prayer into one.

The shrine felt more like a nature park than a strict religious complex, acknowledging the link between spirituality and the natural world. People prayed at the main shrine, while others made offerings inside the ancient camphor tree in the courtyard.

We also continued down to the base of the 133m-high Nachi Waterfall, admiring the rainbow colours created by the mighty spray. This place felt like it embodied the Kii Peninsula; nature, history, and spirituality all rolled into one.

Nachi Falls in all its glory

A Changed Understanding of Japan

Kii Peninsula revealed itself as a real surprise. For a country known for its bullet trains, sprawling cities, and convenience stores, I discovered a beautifully intact natural world that is treated with God-like status.

Now this is the image I have of Japan. The pine-covered mountains, carved-out gorges with the clearest water, old winding ways leading to distant shrines, and the peaceful, steaming sulphuric waters. There was no better region to visit for my first trip to Japan.

FAQs Kii Peninsula

How do you get around the Kii Peninsula?

Getting to the Kii Peninsula requires some planning, but there are a few public transport options that run from major cities. You can catch a train from Osaka, Kyoto, or Nagoya on the JR Kisei Main Line. Get off at Kii-Tanabe or Shingu station where local buses can help you access more remote areas in the region. Otherwise, hiring a car might be your best bet!

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