Nachi Taisha of Kumano Kodo

Aug 10 | Evan | No Comments |

Instead of going directly from Shirahama to Kushimoto, we went inland a little to first check out one of the most famous shrines on the Kumano Kodo, Kumano Nachi Taisha.  It’s not the easiest place to access without a car, but there are some bus you can take.  If you do drive, there are a lot of parking lots, mostly at the bottom of the stairs, but if you don’t want to walk a lot of stairs, you can pay a small fee to park at the top.  Having walked the stairs, it’s probably worth it to pay the fee!

 

As I mentioned before, my trip was cut short by soon to come typhoon, so I only spent about 30 minutes here, most of which was to photograph the pagoda with Nachi Falls, though there is plenty explore around the shrine grounds along with other shrines not too far by.  Take a look at Japan-Guide for more information of the surrounding area.  One place I didn’t see mentioned there though is an observatory, Nachisan Observatory (那智山見晴台) – though it literally translates to Nachisan Belvedere (did you know that a belvedere is a summerhouse or open-sided gallery, usually at rooftop level, commanding a fine view according to google?) that is just another 5 minute or so drive from Nachi Taisha.  Would have loved to come here for a sunrise!