On the second day, you’ll enjoy a trip along the Kumano Kodo to Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, which have been registered as a World Heritage site.

In the morning, you’ll head to Mt. Nachi. It’s possible to visit these places by car or bus directly from Katsuura, but the best way to experience them is to park your car in the Daimon-zaka Parking Lot at the foot of the mountain and walk in from Daimon-zaka Slope on the Kumano Kodo, which people have used to make pilgrimages to the three sacred areas of Kumano, called Kumano Sanzan, since times long past. At Daimon-zaka Slope, which has retained the beauty of its appearance from those times, you’ll walk along a 600-meter, moss-covered cobblestone path lined with giant Japanese cedar trees as you trace your way into the mountains.

After reaching the top of the hill and climbing the staircase, which is lined with souvenir shops such as Yamaguchi Kohodo, you’ll arrive at Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine. Located right next to the shrine is Nachisan Seiganto-ji Temple. Since the two institutions developed together as one of Kumano Sanzan, they are both registered as World Heritage sites.

First, you’ll visit Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine. Situated at an elevation of about 400 meters, the shrine’s bracing grounds, which overlook Nachi Bay, are home to a series of magnificent buildings. The main hall, which consists of six wings, has been designated as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government.
Nachisan Seigan-ji Temple is known as the first place of Saikoku Kannon Pilgrimage to 33 sacred temples with bodhisattva images in western Japan. Its magnificent main hall is said to have been reconstructed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and it has also been designated as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government. As you face the hall, you can see the Fish Memorial, which is a registered Japan Heritage site, to the left.

Next, you’ll head down the steep cobblestone path to enjoy a view of Nachi Waterfall. It is said that the Nachisan faith originated as a nature worship that revered these enormous falls as a deity. Hiro-jinja Shrine, which is associated with Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine, stands in front of the falls, and you can admire their sacred flow from a viewing area situated so close to their base that you can feel the spray from the water as it hits the rocks.

You’ll get on a bus at the Nachinotakimae stop to head back to the Daimon-zaka Parking Lot (check the schedule in advance as service on the route is infrequent) and then travel by car to bodai in Katsuura, where you’ll enjoy a lunch of fresh tuna.