I stitched together the videos from the weekend so you can watch the full thing at once! In November, we took a road trip to the Kii Peninsula 紀伊半島 to ride bikes in Wakayama, Mie, and Nara Prefectures.
On day 1 we biked from Nabari in Mie Prefecture, and on day 2 we went from Kawayu Onsen to Shirahama on the Pacific Ocean coast. On day 3 we followed the the Kumano River to some famous shrines in Shingu, part of the Kumano Kodo. On the final day, we crossed the border into Nara Prefecture to ride on some rural gravel roads. We visit Hayatama Taisha and Hongu Taisha, two of the three main shrines making up the Kumano Sanzan.
Jump to…
0:20 – how we got to Wakayama Prefecture
1:20 – Day 1 – biking around Nabari
4:23 – arriving to the Kawayu Onsen campsite
5:25 – Day 2 – biking to Shirahama
8:31 – do we have to turn back?
15:00 – Day 3 – ride to Shingu 16:12 – Kamikura Jinja17:42 – Asuka Jinja18:16 – Hayatama Taisha20:51 – Day 4 – gravel ride to Nara Prefecture25:22 – Hongu Taisha
Ride and Route information:
Day 1 ride from Nabari: https://www.strava.com/activities/10265647130
Day 2 ride to Shirahama: https://www.strava.com/activities/10272478966
Day 3 ride to Shingu: https://www.strava.com/activities/10276867338Day 4 gravel ride in Nara and Wakayama: https://www.strava.com/activities/10283758873
Planning a Japan bike tour yourself? Zeb wrote a blog with tips about cycling in Japan here: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/blog/planning-bikepacking-or-bike-touring-in-japan
🎙️ Want to keep up with the rest of our adventures? We have a podcast! : https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com
Links for more info:
More about Wakayama prefecture: https://en.visitwakayama.jp/
Yoshino Kumano National Park: https://www.japan.travel/national-parks/parks/yoshino-kumano/
Kawayu Onsen: https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/places/kawayu/
Soni Village: https://soniexperience.jp/en/Shingu City: https://www.shinguu.jp/enKumano Kodo: https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/Kumano Hayatama Taisha: http://kumanohayatama.jp/Kumano Hongu Taisha: http://www.hongutaisha.jp/english/ Ryujin Area: https://www.ryujin-kanko.jp/ryujin/
More videos about Japan Cycling here:
Riding from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go: https://youtu.be/f-j3oMr7LEE
Kanazawa cherry blossom tour on a mamachari bike: https://youtu.be/Xjn89S64iXE
Biking the Highlands of Japan in Nagano: https://youtu.be/gdDsRhyQUPo?si=laJ0etHK0QaQKRdB
Noto Peninsula Cycling Tour: https://youtu.be/AtgQuM1PLaI
#japancycling #roadcycling #japanlife #jetprogramme #lifeinjapan #gravelride #cyclingroute #ramblingramsbothams #cycling #cyclinginjapan #自転車 ＃サイクリング #biketouring #wakayama #kiipeninsula #三重県 #奈良県 #和歌山 #和歌山県 #紀伊半島 #kawayuonsen #川湯温泉 #熊野古道 #kumanokodo
In November Zeb and I packed up the bikes and headed down to Wakayama prefecture for a long weekend of biking and camping on the Kii Peninsula. It’s like 6:00 a.m. It’s pretty chilly out. We’re really close to Nara prefecture right now and we’re starting a biking and camping trip.
But before we get into the riding, here’s how we got there it was about 7 and 1/2 hours of driving total for us, split over 2 days. If you don’t have a car and you’re coming from Tokyo by train, you can also get to Wakayama on the Tokaido Sanyo Shinkansen
While driving there were plenty of michi no eki, or roadside stations, to stop at and break up the trip. you can even collect stamps from the stations as you drive through the country. there were a lot of fun trinkets for sale and some interesting marketing…
In the dream resolutely so he will be able to become to see you in his dream too we’ve been living just below the Noto Peninsula but this is the largest peninsula on Japan’s main island of Honshu. It’s maybe most known for the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail,
Since the peninsula is a sacred place in Buddhism Shinto and Shugendo religions. Many people visit to see the shrines and temples, hike the lush temperate rainforest, enjoy the beautiful coastline, or eat the many fruits like persimmons and plums that grow well in Wakayama’s climate. back to the bike riding though
So here we go on day one while our goal was to camp in Wakayama, we first stopped in Nabari in Mie Prefecture to stay in a hotel on the way. This is very close to the border of Nara Prefecture
And our first 35 mile ride would go through part of both Mie and Nara on the Kii Peninsula. We got up early to get in some riding before finishing the rest of the drive. today’s bike ride started by following the Nabari River out of the city and around the Hinachi lake.
In fact, we kept following the Nabari River along Road 422, all the way into Nara Prefecture. As the sun rose, the colorful fall leaves became more illuminated We began our descent back into Mi prefecture around halfway through the ride we joined up with the Shorenji river, a tributary of the Nabari river
Which we would follow for the rest of the route. We rode through lots of little towns and villages, including ones like Mitsue Village and Soni Village, and it’s a place that I’d love to return to and spend more time in. This road took us through the Shorenji River Gorge,
And finally to Shorenji Lake back in Mie Prefecture. The Gorge is so pretty! this 8 kilometer gorge is called Kaochidani , or Kaochi Valley there were beautiful fall leaves called momiji as well as columns of rocks and stunning cliffs.
In addition to being a beautiful place to bike or drive, it’s apparently also a good place for rock climbing. back at the car we changed quickly and started our final drive to the campsite
It was nice to have our ride finished so early in the day, because it left us plenty of time to enjoy the road trip. We stopped at a roadside station on the border of Nara prefecture, where we saw their controversial mascot, Sento-kun. We bought some persimmon omiyage,
And you can also get omiyage with Shikamaro-kun, Nara’s more conventionally cute deer mascot. there were lots of vegetables for sale, and we got sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves for lunch. This is called kakinoha zushi Persimmon leaves also contain a high amount of tannin, with antibacterial and antioxidant properties.
So some people say that this helps with the preservation of the sushi. wow you just ate that whole thing in one bite we saw this beautiful golden ginko tree from the road, and drove down to see it in person. while we were admiring it, two other drivers did the same thing
And we were all taking photos and talking about how impressive it was. the Totsukawa river becomes the Kumano River when you enter Wakayama prefecture and it was such a vibrant green color.
The final part of the drive wasn’t on toll roads but wound deep into the mountains with a maze of curling tunnels and overlapping bridges. The views down into the river valleys below were really beautiful. We’ve been driving through Nara and we finally got to Wakayama and look how pretty it is!
Finally we made it to the campsite in Kawayu Onsen, located on the Oto River in the Kumano section of Wakayama Prefecture In the US we went camping a lot since we lived in Western North Carolina, so I had to bring some s’mores supplies with us to enjoy around the fire like usual.
This is the closest thing I could find I didn’t find any graham crackers in our grocery store but these marshmallows and chocolate cookies were close enough. After we ate we actually saw that there was tent space by the river,
So we moved to that side of the campground and fell asleep to the sound of the water. Here’s what the evening chimes sounded like – a nice signal for the end of another day. Good morning Zeb’s already been up for like an hour and built a fire which is really nice. Today we have an almost 100 mile ride planned, so I’m pretty excited. We’re going to wait until it warms up a little bit because we don’t have anywhere else to be which is nice
So we’ll have some coffee and breakfast and then start getting out on the road today. Look at him go, making us some coffee. Caffeinated and ready to ride, we set out on the biggest route of this trip: A 90 mile or 145 kilometer journey through the mountains to the Shirahama coast and back. We almost didn’t get to finish it. Luckily we had some generous help to get back on the road. More about that soon.
Leaving the campsite now. It’s a really pretty morning. we started by riding along the Oto River out of Kawayu Onsen and into the Kii Mountains. much of our riding this weekend was in the Yoshino Kumano National Park a 614 square kilometer park across areas in Mie, Nara, and Wakayama prefectures.
Kawayu Onsen where our campsite was located is famous for the naturally occurring hot spring water in the Oto River each year from December to February, a huge Sennin Buro or outdoor bath that can hold nearly a thousand people is dug into the river bank.
We were a couple weeks early for this but it would be so cool to experience. [Music] Following the Oto River took us into beautiful lush forest, and the road soon turned to gravel. This was a surprise but we had wide enough tires that the rougher terrain wasn’t a problem, so we continued deeper into the mountains. this like a trail the weather is really nice. oh wow – look at that.
There were colorful fall leaves, cool rock tunnels, and views down onto the crystal clear water. Wow. Did you film that? Yeah This gorge is one of the prettiest roads that we’ve been on. It is gravel so I am kind of a little worried about daylight but Zeb’s not, so it’ll be fine
Look at this – the river water is just so blue and the leaves are peaking. It’s really, it’s nice out here. I’m very impressed with Wakayama. It felt like the perfect day for biking, until we came across an unfortunate sign. uh oh. guess what this sign says? ここでUターン お願いします please u-turn here
With our poor Japanese skills we asked a friendly construction worker if the road was closed to cars only, or if bikes could pass. so the road is closed but the very nice construction worker here said that if we wait he’s going to go up and check at the split to see
If we can go on the right side road and keep riding and not have to turn around. Apparently there was a landslide so that’s what they’re fixing out here which happens kind of a lot I guess. After some time though, we heard him returning and he had great news!
Not only would we be able to continue, but he would drive us to the top and escort us through the construction zone. 上まで一緒に行こう oh wow 軽いい！ this was so kind and better than anything I had expected. The construction worker saved our trip! Thank goodness. That was so kind. There were some more workers repairing a tunnel on the same section of road, but I think the boss had sent a radio message up about us since they didn’t seem too surprised to see us.
Afterwards it was smooth sailing for the rest of the ride. I’m still so grateful that the construction workers took the time to help us through when they could have easily just told us to turn around. From here, we were back on pavement and it was a really fun long descent towards Shirahama.
We’re back in civilization that was a really beautiful road but I’m also kind of glad that we’re back on pavement. Maybe we can finish when the sun is still out now. Look at the yuzu! And the tea! Ah, the promised land. It’s the Lawson I was telling you about. Oh It’s noon, we made it almost halfway, and now we can finally get something to eat. I’m pretty excited.
We stopped for conbini snacks and then started a lollipop loop on our route that would take us out to the coast. Look it’s the Pacific! Now we just have to ride all the way back. Yep. This area is really popular for their coastal hot spring baths. a very tropical island. This is very tropical Shirahama means white beach, and the sand was surprisingly white. It didn’t feel like anywhere else we had been before in Japan
And it was especially striking to have such different scenery in the same ride. Just that morning we had been in a dense forest, and now we were suddenly in a beach resort city. That’s so cool! This unique rock formation is called Engetsu Island and apparently there are times during the year
Where the setting sun will be positioned perfectly through the hole in the middle of the rock. the only downside of this part of the ride was the really strong wind. I was glad I could hide behind Zeb while he faced the worst of the winds for us.
This hotel was so striking because of its unique architecture. It’s called the Hotel Kawakyu and is one of the most extravagant hotels in the country. I read later that it’s gold leaf ceiling actually holds a Guinness World Record for being the largest in the world. soon we were back in Tanabe,
Though Zeb had mixed feelings about this welcome statue. My bike looks a little rough I got a white takayaki though. I got a bean bun and the ride reminded me so much of Nice I got a Cafe Au Lait wow, just like Europe. Just like Europe, it tastes just like it. wow.
The climb back up from the coast was a little rough for my tired legs but luckily we had snacks. Also after we reached mile 80, the last 10 miles were all downhill! We rolled up to the campsite just in time, since the setting sun was already getting pretty low. we made it back and we put our bikes away at our campsite. It’s pretty nice that we don’t have to check into a hotel and stuff again. We could just roll up
And put our clothes back on. Now we’re walking to Kawayu Onsen which is like a 3 minute walk from our campsite. This is where the seasonal outdoor bath is. I think the public bath was 300 Yen and you need to bring your own soap and towel, since no soap is provided. Okay it’s a very old style bath so we came in over here and then Zeb’s going to go into the men’s one
And then this means women so I’m going to go in there too and I’ll see you in like 20 minutes or so. bye On the third day of our trip on the Kii Peninsula, we followed the Kumano River to some famous shrines in Shingu.
Then on the final day, we crossed the border into Nara Prefecture to ride on some rural gravel roads. Once again we are starting our ride from the campsite in Kawayu Onsen. So we’re going to Shingu today, which is on the eastern side of the peninsula. Yesterday we were on the western side.
There’s a few different shrines and temples down there at the start of the Kumano Kodo and hopefully we’re going to be able to see some today. The Kumano Kodo is an important spiritual route connecting a network of shrines in this area. It is one of only two recognized world heritage site pilgrimage routes.
The Camino de Santiago in Spain is the other. The Kumano Kodo is a hiking only trail, but rather than being a single linear path, there are several different routes to choose from. You can collect stamps along the way from the temples and shrines on your spiritual pilgrimage.
It typically takes 4 to 6 days to complete the 14 to 21 kilometer route options. Shingu, the city we’re headed to now, is home to one of the three Kumano main shrines: Hayatama Taisha. Our route was simple since we were just following the Kumano River to the Pacific Coast. The name Shingu means “new shrine”
And it’s said that the gods of Kumano first landed on a rock on Mount Kamikura, located in Shingu, before establishing the three shrines of Kumano. Our first stop was that Kamikura Shrine from the legend. There are 538 Stone steps to the gotobiki-iwa, or the huge rock at the top that looks like a giant toad.
It’s there where the gods supposedly landed. We didn’t make the journey to the top since we were in our cycling shoes and we still had a ways to bike, but the view of Shingu from the top is apparently really nice.
Every year on February 6th there’s also a huge fire festival here known as Oto Matsuri. Look at this, it’s a library. Next to the Kamikura Shine was also a really cute youth library. This Chinese style gate is the entrance to Jofuku Park,
Dedicated to the Chinese scholar Jofuku who was in Shingu looking for the elixir of life. Oh my. There he is. We rode by lots of mikan, or oranges, for sale on our way to the next shrine. This is a sacred site believed to protect the river mouth from storms and floods
It was registered as a world heritage site in 2016, and it’s said to be the location of where the gods of Kumano were divided and enshrined separately for the first time. You can get Goshuin here, as well as free stamps for anyone collecting them on the Kumano Kodo, or just for your personal stamp collection.
Finally we arrived at the Hayatama Taisha, one of the three main Kumano shrines. There’s also an impressive Nagi tree that’s almost 1 thousand years old at the front. The main deities here are a married couple, so it’s a popular place for people to visit to wish for a healthy marriage.
Hayatama Taisha, along with Hongu Taisha and Nachi Taisha are collectively known as the Kumano Sanzan. We get to see Hongu Taisha later in the weekend, but unfortunately we’ll have to come back to see Nachi Taisha, which is the one that’s known for it’s stunning waterfall. This river, the Kumano-gawa, is actually part of the prefecture border.
So while we were in Wakayama, Mie Prefecture was just on the other side. We rode back along the same river but on the opposite bank. Look at this waterfall! And if you want to, you can even rent one of these sauna tents, and hang out in a sauna right next to the falls.
So on the way into town into Shingu, we were on the road across the river, but honestly you should ride your bike on this side cause the other side has so much more traffic, and this is just as beautiful but more enjoyable because there’s no cars behind me.
We got back to the campsite with some food for dinner, visited the baths again, and went to bed early to prepare for the final day of riding. Hello? Good morning. Good morning, it’s very cold.
Okay so today we’re leaving our campsite but we’re going to drive to a hotel for our final night of this trip, and before we get there we’re going to stop and ride for a little bit. So I’m going to get dressed in my bike clothes and get ready to ride.
Ta-da! Now we’re ready to ride finally! It’s still cold but it’s very pretty. I have the lobster gloves on and Zeb’s planned a very fun ride again. By the way this parking lot is across from the big shrine, and it’s free and it’s huge so definitely recommend.
From the Kumano Hongu Taisha parking lot, we followed Road 168 along the Totsukawa river and into Nara Prefecture. We then turned to follow the Kamiyuno river as it climbed into the forest. This Yanagi Moto bridge is part of a Kumano Kodo route. As we followed Road 735, there were lots of peaceful onsen spots along the Kamiyuno river. The color on the trees is really nice out here. This road feels very magical.
I don’t have a lot of GoPro footage because since we’ve been camping, I haven’t been able to charge things very well. I haven’t been able to charge things very well. It kind of reminds me of the forest in Princess Mononoke, the studio Ghibli movie. It’s been really nice.
The Kamiyuno became the Nyuono River, but for most of this part of the ride the water was flowing far below us since we had been continuing to climb higher. Soon, Road 735 re-entered Wakayama Prefecture, and we turned south onto a smaller road that paralleled 371. If we had continued straight we would have arrived at Ryujin Onsen, a peaceful Hot Spring Town on the Hidaka River. This road turned out to be gravel which was a surprise,
But it was a beautiful forest road so we kept going. Hopefully left is correct. Oh my The road continued to get more rough though. I don’t know about this one. I started getting worried that it wouldn’t be passable ahead. This road is really beautiful. It turned to gravel a while back.
It is making me a little nervous that we’re going to get to the end of it and not be able to get back onto the main road, cause we’re kind of far out here now. So hopefully it connects.
We have plenty of daylight so that’s good in case we have to turn around I guess. We’re doing it! When we reached the Tonda River, the gravel started to be smoother and more maintained, which was a good sign. Look what we found – a little woodland shrine!
I learned later that this is the Kasuga Shrine, a friendly thing to come across in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Shortly after, the road became paved again. We saw a car and knew that the road must be clear ahead. Look! We’re back on pavement! Ah, it connected. What a nice place.
We crossed the Tonda River and we were suddenly back on a main road again, Road 311, which we would follow back to the Kumano River. We did it! We’re back in the same parking lot. It’s significantly more busy now, and yeah it feels really good to be done.
We couldn’t leave without a visit to the Kumano Hongu Taisha, our second of the Kumano Sanzan shrines that we would get to see this weekend, and the head Shrine of over 3,000 Kumano shrines across this country. You’ll see this three-legged crow symbol, known as yatagarasu, at each of the Kumano Sanzan.
These sacred crows are said to be the messengers of the Gods. They inhabit the sun and can guide humans to unknown lands. In fact, legends describe Yatagarasu as being the one who led Jimmu, said to be the first emperor of Japan, through the mountains to establish his country.
The Crow’s three legs also symbolize heaven, earth, and humanity, and they can stand for the three Kumano Clans: Ui, Suzuki, and Enomoto. If you’ve also completed the Camino de Santiago in Spain, you can be certified here as a Dual Pilgrim for completing both.
Originally this shrine was a kilometer away, but it was moved in 1889 because of flooding. There’s a huge 33 meter tall torii gate that’s still at Oyu no Hara, the original location. There are so many places in this area that we didn’t get to explore,
And I feel like we hardly scratched the surface on what the Kii Peninsula has to offer. I feel lucky that we got to bike and camp here, but I also hope that we can return again soon to enjoy it even more.
Thanks for watching, and feel free to subscribe so you can see where we go on the next ride.