5/5
Japan: Koyasan and the Kumano Kodo pilgrim walk
9 days from Osaka: two nights in a Koyasan temple, three stages of the Kumano Kodo with your suitcase in our vehicle, three nights in Yunomine Onsen and Nachi Falls.
9 days · Round trip from Osaka · up to 12 guests
The four-seasons courtyard at Kongobuji, the head temple of Koyasan Photo: DimiTalen, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Four-seasons_courtyard,_Kongobuji,_Koyasan,_2016.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Osaka
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Active
This is a walking trip. Three trail days on the Kumano Kodo of about 3.7 km, 10 km and 7 km on forest paths with stone steps, roots and some steep climbs, the longest 5 to 6 hours with a lunch stop, plus 4 to 6 km on foot most other days in Koyasan and at Nachi. Koyasan sits at about 800 m. Our vehicle can meet you part-way on every trail day, so any stage can be shortened or sat out.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 6 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,025 (estimated price)
- Season
- March to May and October to November
Highlights
Why this trip
- Two nights in a Koyasan temple, with shojin ryori dinners and the monks' morning service
- Okunoin's cedar-lined path before the day buses arrive, and again by lantern light after dinner
- Three stages of the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi, from Takijiri-oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha, walking with a daypack while our vehicle carries your suitcase
- The Gyubadoji statue at Hashiori-toge, halfway along the longest stage, with a sit-down lunch on the route
- Three nights in Yunomine Onsen, with a booked turn in Tsuboyu, the small hut bath in the river that is part of the World Heritage site
- The Kumano River by wooden boat to Hayatama Taisha, the way pilgrims arrived
- The Daimonzaka stone stairway to Nachi Taisha and the 133 m drop of Nachi Falls
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,025 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Osaka
Kansai International Airport to your hotel near Namba, Osaka
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Osaka
- Drive about 1 h

Fly into Kansai International Airport (KIX), built on an island in Osaka Bay, where our driver meets you in arrivals for the hour's drive to your hotel near Namba, the station the Koya line leaves from tomorrow. If you land by about 1 pm, join your guide at 3 pm for an easy walk around the grounds of Osaka Castle: the moats, the huge stone walls of the inner bailey and the five-storey keep, a 1931 reconstruction that now holds a museum (entry is optional). At 6 pm the group meets for a welcome briefing. This is where we talk about the walking: how your suitcase travels in our vehicle from tomorrow while you carry a daypack, what to wear on the trail, and how temple and onsen etiquette works.
Evening
Then we walk to dinner together in the lanes around Dotonbori, where the canal-side signs light up as the evening starts.
Included
- Pick-up at Kansai International Airport (KIX)
- Walk around the Osaka Castle grounds with your guide (for those who land by about 1 pm)
- Welcome briefing
- Welcome dinner near Dotonbori
Optional experiences
- Osaka Castle keep museum
Free time: Free until the 3 pm castle walk; if you land later, simply join the group at the 6 pm briefing
Activity: Land by about 5 pm to make the briefing; the latest arrival time is confirmed with your final itinerary.
Up the mountain to Koyasan
Osaka (Namba) by the Nankai Koya line and cable car to Koyasan
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Koyasan
- By train

Morning
After breakfast we take the Nankai Koya line from Namba, about 80 minutes on the limited express, climbing through river valleys and tight bends to Gokurakubashi, where a short cable car lifts us up the last steep slope. Your suitcase goes ahead in our vehicle. Koyasan is a temple town about 800 m up, founded by the monk Kukai, known as Kobo Daishi, in 816 as the centre of Shingon Buddhism; with the Kumano pilgrimage routes it was listed by UNESCO in 2004.
Afternoon
After a lunch of goma-dofu and mountain vegetables we walk the heart of the town with your guide: the Daimon, the great gate on its western edge; the Danjo Garan with the vermilion Konpon Daito pagoda; and Kongobuji, the head temple, with its painted sliding doors and the Banryutei rock garden. Late in the afternoon we check in to our temple lodging (shukubo) for two nights.
Evening
Dinner is shojin ryori, the vegetarian cooking of Buddhist monks, served on lacquer trays.
Included
- Nankai Koya line limited express and the Koyasan cable car
- The Daimon gate and the Danjo Garan with your guide
- Kongobuji and the Banryutei rock garden
- Shojin ryori dinner at the temple
Free time: Free hour before dinner to explore the temple grounds
Activity: About 4 km on foot around town, on pavements and temple paths with some steps.
Okunoin and a slow day in Koyasan
A day on foot in Koyasan, from the temple to Okunoin and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Koyasan

Morning
Rise for the temple's morning service, when monks chant in the hall at about 6 am (guests are welcome; it is not compulsory), then a vegetarian breakfast. By about 7:30 we walk through town to Okunoin, before the day buses from Osaka arrive. From the Ichinohashi bridge a path of about 2 km runs under cedars several hundred years old, past more than 200,000 graves and memorials, from feudal lords' tombs to company monuments, to the Torodo, the Lantern Hall, and the mausoleum where Kobo Daishi is believed to remain in eternal meditation. Photos stop at the Gobyobashi bridge.
Afternoon
After lunch in town the afternoon is yours: try sutra copying (shakyo) or meditation where the temple offers it, see the treasures in the Reihokan museum, or rest before tomorrow's walk.
Evening
After dinner your guide takes anyone who wants back into Okunoin by lantern light, when the cemetery is quiet and the stone lanterns glow along the path.
Included
- Temple morning service
- Okunoin early in the morning with your guide: the cedar path, the Torodo and the Kobo Daishi mausoleum
- Lunch in Koyasan
- Lantern-light walk in Okunoin after dinner
- Shojin ryori dinner at the temple
Optional experiences
- Reihokan museum
- Sutra copying (shakyo) where the temple charges for it
Easier option: Ride the local bus to the Okunoin-mae stop and walk the shorter approach of about 1 km to the Torodo.
More active option: Before lunch, walk a section of the Nyonin-michi, the old women's pilgrimage path that circles Koyasan through the forest, with your guide.
Free time: Afternoon free in Koyasan
Activity: About 6 km on foot over the day, on gravel and stone paths with gentle slopes.
Onto the Kumano Kodo: Takijiri to Takahara
Koyasan by road to Takijiri-oji, walk to Takahara, then drive to Yunomine Onsen
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Yunomine Onsen
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
After breakfast our vehicle takes us about three hours south through the forested mountains of the Kii Peninsula to Takijiri-oji, the traditional entrance to the sacred Kumano area and the start of the Nakahechi, the route emperors walked from the 10th century.
Afternoon
It is the longest drive of the trip, broken by a stop on the way and a sit-down lunch near Takijiri. At the Kumano Kodo Kan pilgrimage centre your guide explains the routes and the oji, the small shrines that mark the way. Then the trail goes straight up: a steep climb through cedar and cypress, past the Tainai-kuguri, a narrow rock crevice pilgrims crawled through as a symbol of rebirth, to the ridge and down into Takahara, a hill village known for its views over layered ridges and morning mist. It is about 3.7 km, two to two and a half hours with stops.
Evening
The vehicle meets us at Takahara Kumano-jinja for the hour to Yunomine Onsen, our home for three nights, and a first soak before a ryokan dinner.
Included
- Drive from Koyasan to Takijiri with your guide
- Sit-down lunch near Takijiri
- Kumano Kodo Kan pilgrimage centre
- Walk the Kumano Kodo from Takijiri-oji to Takahara (about 3.7 km)
- Ryokan dinner in Yunomine
Easier option: Skip the climb: ride in the vehicle to Takahara and walk the level lanes of the village and the last 1 km of trail into Takahara Kumano-jinja.
Free time: Evening free for the ryokan's hot spring baths
Activity: A short but steep stage: the first 30 to 40 minutes climb hard on roots and rock; the rest is easier.
The long stage: Takahara to Chikatsuyu
Yunomine to Takahara by road, walk to Chikatsuyu, then back to Yunomine
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Yunomine Onsen
- Drive about 2 h
Our vehicle takes us back to Takahara, about an hour, for a 9 am start on the longest walk of the trip: about 10 km to Chikatsuyu, five to six hours with stops. The path climbs gently out of the village into cedar and cypress forest, passing the small oji shrines one by one, the stone foundations of old teahouses where pilgrims rested, and long views back over the ridges you came through yesterday.
Afternoon
Around midday we reach the Hashiori-toge pass and the small stone statue of Gyubadoji, a figure riding a horse and an ox, linked to the Retired Emperor Kazan, who made the pilgrimage in the 10th century. Lunch is a sit-down meal at a restaurant on the route, which we confirm with your final itinerary, not a packed box. The afternoon is mostly downhill to Chikatsuyu-oji, beside the Hiki River in the valley, where pilgrims purified themselves in the water.
Evening
The vehicle is waiting there for the 40-minute drive back to Yunomine, a long bath and dinner.
Included
- Walk the Kumano Kodo from Takahara to Chikatsuyu-oji with your guide (about 10 km)
- Gyubadoji and the Hashiori-toge pass
- Sit-down lunch at a restaurant on the route, confirmed with your final itinerary
- Ryokan dinner in Yunomine
Easier option: Walk the morning to Gyubadoji and ride back after lunch, or ride to Gyubadoji and walk only the last, mostly downhill 3.5 km to Chikatsuyu.
More active option: Carry on past Chikatsuyu to Tsugizakura-oji and its giant cedars, about 1.5 to 2 hours more, where the vehicle collects you.
Activity: The longest day on foot: about 10 km, 5 to 6 hours, with several climbs and descents on forest paths and stone steps.
Hosshinmon-oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha
Yunomine to Hosshinmon-oji by road, walk to Kumano Hongu Taisha and Oyunohara, back to Yunomine
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Yunomine Onsen
- Drive about 30 min
A short drive takes us to Hosshinmon-oji, the 'gate of awakening' that marks the start of Hongu's inner sacred area, for the walk most pilgrims looked forward to: about 7 km, mostly downhill, past tea fields, farm hamlets and roadside oji, two and a half to three hours. At Fushiogami-oji pilgrims caught their first sight of Oyunohara, the river island where the shrine stood until a flood in 1889, and bowed to it.
Afternoon
We reach Kumano Hongu Taisha, head shrine of more than 3,000 Kumano shrines across Japan, with its dark cypress-bark roofs, in time for lunch in Hongu. Afterwards your guide walks you through the Kumano Hongu Heritage Centre and out to Oyunohara and its great torii gate, about 34 m tall. Back in Yunomine the afternoon is free: boil eggs in the hot spring source in the village centre, or bathe in Tsuboyu, the tiny cabin bath in the river bed where pilgrims purified themselves.
Evening
It takes only a few people at a time in short booked slots, so your guide books turns for those who want one, spread over the afternoon and evening.
Included
- Walk the Kumano Kodo from Hosshinmon-oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha with your guide (about 7 km)
- Lunch in Hongu
- Kumano Hongu Heritage Centre and Oyunohara
- A turn in Tsuboyu for those who want it, in booked slots
- Ryokan dinner in Yunomine
Easier option: Start at Fushiogami-oji and walk only the last, gentle 2 km into Hongu.
More active option: After lunch, walk the Dainichi-goe over the hill from Hongu to Yunomine, about 3.4 km and 1.5 hours, steep in places, instead of riding back.
Free time: Afternoon free in Yunomine; Tsuboyu turns are staggered through the afternoon and evening, a couple of guests per slot
Activity: About 7 km, mostly downhill on forest paths and quiet lanes; knees notice the descents, so poles help.
Down the Kumano River to Shingu and Kii-Katsuura
Yunomine to Hongu, by boat down the Kumano River to Shingu, then to Kii-Katsuura
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Kii-Katsuura
- Drive about 1 h
Pilgrims who had reached Hongu went on to Hayatama by boat, and so do we. A wooden river boat with a boatman takes about 90 minutes to cover the roughly 16 km down the Kumano River to Shingu, past rock walls, gravel banks and forested slopes; the river route is part of the World Heritage listing, and the boatman points out the spots pilgrims named. In winter, when the boat runs only on request, our vehicle follows the river road instead. In Shingu we visit Kumano Hayatama Taisha, the second of the three grand shrines, with its vermilion halls and a nagi tree said to be about a thousand years old.
Afternoon
After lunch in Shingu it is 20 minutes down the coast in our vehicle to Kii-Katsuura, a fishing port and hot spring town on a bay of small islands, where we stay two nights.
Evening
The evening is free: Katsuura's restaurants serve the fresh tuna landed in its port.
Included
- Kumano River boat from Hongu to Shingu
- Kumano Hayatama Taisha with your guide
- Lunch in Shingu
- Drive to Kii-Katsuura
More active option: Climb the 538 steep stone steps to Kamikura-jinja and its great rock, Gotobiki-iwa, for the view over Shingu and the Pacific.
Free time: Evening free in Kii-Katsuura
Nachi Falls by the Daimonzaka
Kii-Katsuura to the Daimonzaka, Kumano Nachi Taisha and Nachi Falls, and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Kii-Katsuura
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
On market days we start at 7 am at the Katsuura fish market to watch the tuna auction from the visitor area, then go back for breakfast. By about 9 am, ahead of the tour coaches, our vehicle drops us at the foot of the Daimonzaka, where a pair of cedars marks the start of a stone stairway of about 600 m through tall cedar forest, the old pilgrims' approach to Nachi. It is about 45 minutes up, steady rather than steep, to Kumano Nachi Taisha, the third of the grand shrines, and next door Seiganto-ji temple, whose three-storey vermilion pagoda frames Nachi no Taki behind it, at 133 m the highest single-drop waterfall in Japan. We walk down to Hiro-jinja, the falls' own shrine, to stand near the base.
Afternoon
Lunch is back in town, then the afternoon is free for the hot springs or the harbour.
Evening
In the evening we sit down together for a farewell dinner, with Katsuura tuna on the menu.
Included
- Katsuura tuna auction visit (on market days)
- The Daimonzaka walk with your guide
- Kumano Nachi Taisha and Seiganto-ji
- Nachi Falls from Hiro-jinja
- Lunch in Kii-Katsuura
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Skip the Daimonzaka: ride to the shrine car park and take the shorter stairs to Nachi Taisha.
More active option: Climb the first steep section of the Ogumotori-goe above Nachi Taisha into the forest with your guide, about 2 to 3 hours there and back.
Free time: Afternoon free in Kii-Katsuura
Activity: Many stone steps on the Daimonzaka and at the shrine; they are slippery when wet.
By train along the coast to Osaka
Kii-Katsuura by the Kuroshio limited express to Osaka, then on to Kansai International Airport
- Breakfast
- By train

Morning
A last morning soak and breakfast, then a slow walk along the harbour. At about 10 am we board the Kuroshio limited express at Kii-Katsuura station, with reserved seats, for the journey back to Osaka, about four hours. The line follows the coast of the Kii Peninsula past Kushimoto, near Honshu's southern tip, and the beaches of Shirahama before turning inland, so sit on the left for the sea views.
Afternoon
Pick up a bento at the station for lunch on board; your suitcase travels with you on the train's luggage racks. We reach Tennoji and Shin-Osaka in the early afternoon. Your guide sees you onto the Haruka express to Kansai International Airport, or to your Osaka hotel if you are staying on; some Kuroshio trains continue to Kyoto.
Evening
Book a flight leaving Kansai International after about 6 pm, or plan a night in Osaka or Kyoto.
Included
- Kuroshio limited express from Kii-Katsuura to Osaka, reserved seats
- Haruka express to Kansai International Airport (KIX)
Activity: Book a flight from Kansai International after about 6 pm.
- Osaka1 night
- Koyasan2 nights
- Yunomine Onsen3 nights
- Kii-Katsuura2 nights
- Osakaend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: The Kii Peninsula is one of the wettest parts of Japan, so expect rain on at least one walking day. June to mid-July is the rainy season, and typhoons between August and October can close trail sections, when we switch to a lower path or the vehicle. Koyasan is cold, sometimes snowy, from December to March.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Walkers comfortable with 10 km on forest trails with steps and roots
- Travellers curious about Buddhism, Shinto and pilgrimage
- People who want the Kumano Kodo without planning buses, luggage and lodgings
- Solo travellers who want company on the trail
- Repeat visitors to Japan who have done Tokyo and Kyoto
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who want sightseeing with little walking
- Anyone who needs step-free access: temples and trails mean many stone steps
- Travellers who need Western beds and a private bathroom every night
- A first look at Japan's big cities: see our Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka trip
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Osaka1 night
- Koyasan2 nights
- Yunomine Onsen3 nights
- Kii-Katsuura2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 1 in Osaka near Namba, 2 in a Koyasan temple lodging (shukubo), 3 at a ryokan with hot spring baths in Yunomine Onsen, 2 in Kii-Katsuura
- Traditional tatami rooms with futons in Koyasan and Yunomine
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Kansai International Airport (KIX)
- Nankai Koya line limited express and the Koyasan cable car
- Our own vehicle and driver from Koyasan to Kii-Katsuura, meeting the group at each trailhead and trail end
- Your suitcase carried in our vehicle every day, so you walk with a daypack
- Kumano River boat from Hongu to Shingu
- Kuroshio limited express from Kii-Katsuura to Osaka with reserved seats, and the Haruka express to Kansai Airport
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip, who walks every stage with the group
- The same driver from Koyasan to the coast
Activities
- Osaka Castle grounds walk
- Koyasan: the Daimon, the Danjo Garan and Kongobuji with its rock garden
- Temple morning service in Koyasan
- Okunoin early in the morning and again by lantern light
- Kumano Kodo Kan pilgrimage centre at Takijiri
- Kumano Kodo Nakahechi: Takijiri-oji to Takahara, Takahara to Chikatsuyu, Hosshinmon-oji to Hongu
- Kumano Hongu Taisha, the Hongu Heritage Centre and Oyunohara
- A turn in Tsuboyu, Yunomine, for those who want it, in booked slots
- Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingu
- The Daimonzaka, Kumano Nachi Taisha, Seiganto-ji and Nachi Falls
- Katsuura tuna auction visit on market days
Meals
- Breakfast daily (8)
- 7 lunches, sit-down on every walking day
- Welcome dinner in Osaka
- 2 shojin ryori dinners at the temple in Koyasan
- 3 ryokan dinners in Yunomine
- Farewell dinner in Kii-Katsuura
Not included
- International flights to and from Osaka
- A visa or travel authorisation, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance, which must cover hiking
- Dinner on day 7 and lunch on day 9
- Drinks
- Optional entries: the Osaka Castle keep museum, the Reihokan museum, sutra copying where the temple charges
- Tips (not expected in Japan)
- Laundry and personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,025 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
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Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 5,115 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 5,540. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 6,020.
What does the price include?
Eight nights in an Osaka hotel, a Koyasan temple lodging, a Yunomine ryokan and a Kii-Katsuura hotel, 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners, your See Sight Tours guide, our own vehicle and driver carrying your suitcase daily, the Koya line, the Kumano River boat, the train back to Osaka and Kansai Airport, an airport pick-up, and every visit in the day plan.
How fit do I need to be to walk the Kumano Kodo?
Fit enough to walk 10 km on forest trails in a day. This is a walking trip: three trail days of about 3.7 km, 10 km and 7 km, with stone steps, roots and steep climbs, the longest 5 to 6 hours with lunch. Our vehicle meets the group mid-stage, so you can shorten any day.
Do I have to carry my luggage on the trail?
No. Our own vehicle and driver stay with the group from Koyasan to the coast and carry your suitcase every day, so you walk with a daypack only. Many Kumano trips forward main bags and ask walkers to carry an overnight pack; we do not.
How big is the group and who leads it?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, led by a See Sight Tours guide who travels with you for the whole trip and walks every stage. We name your guide when we confirm your departure.
What is the temple stay in Koyasan like?
You sleep on futons in a tatami room inside a working Buddhist temple for two nights. Dinner and breakfast are shojin ryori, vegetarian with no meat or fish. Baths are usually shared and separated by gender, and the monks' morning service at about 6 am is open to guests but optional.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own is from CAD 1,025 more, about 17% of the trip price, shown up front. Temple lodgings and ryokans charge per person, which is why it is not lower. If you are happy to share, ask when you book and we will tell you whether a same-gender roommate is available.
When is the best time to walk the Kumano Kodo?
March to May and October to November, when days are mild and the trails are dry more often. June to mid-July is the rainy season, typhoons between August and October can close trail sections, and Koyasan is cold and sometimes snowy from December to March.
What happens if it rains on a walking day?
We usually walk: rain is common on the Kii Peninsula and the forest paths are sheltered. In heavy rain or a typhoon warning, your guide switches to a lower path, a shorter section or the vehicle. Bring a proper rain jacket, waterproof shoes and a pack cover.
Can I use the onsen if I have tattoos?
Often not in shared baths, as many Japanese hot springs still refuse visible tattoos. We ask each ryokan for a private bath time or a room with its own bath. Tsuboyu in Yunomine is a small private-style hut bath booked in short slots; we confirm its tattoo policy and slot rules at booking. Tell us when you book.
Do I need a visa for Japan?
Canadian, US, UK and many EU passport holders can visit Japan visa-free for short tourist stays. Japan plans to introduce an electronic travel authorisation, so check the rules for your passport before you fly; we send the latest guidance with your final itinerary.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 10,835 per person sharing. If you would rather walk independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote lodgings, luggage and transfers.
How does booking work?
Pick a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and nothing is charged until we do. The small group is from CAD 6,020 per person sharing, with taxes; the price is indicative until your departure is confirmed.