Hi everyone! (Hope I’m using the right flair…)
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English is my second language so sorry for any mistakes!
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My partner and I are quite experienced hikers, and we are planning to hike the Kohechi route of the Kumano Kodo trail in October 2024. I had a hard time finding reliable feedback on this trail apart from “It’s harder than the Nakahechi route! You need to be in good shape and possibly speak Japanese!”. Now that I’ve finally found some resources, I thought I’d share where to look for those interested. 🙂 This is a remidner that I have NOT hiked the Kohechi route (yet), and that this list is only from the perspective of someone trying to prepare for the hike.
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* **The obvious: The Kumano Kodo tourism official website.**
If you’re thinking about hiking any route of the Kumano Kodo and if you haven’t already, please check the amazing [official website](https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/) of teh Kumano Kodo tourism association, which is a mine of useful information about any aspect of your hike (topographic data, potential housing, history…). Among different things, they offer detailed PDF maps for each route, as well as a very complete paper guide that you can order (I’m currently waiting eagerly for mine to arrive in the mail). Their most important feature however may be the [online booking system](https://www.kumano-travel.com/en) that enables you to book all your accomodations for your trip on the same platform. There have been some other posts about the process for this, so I’m not going to detail it here, but it’s pretty well-explained on the website anyway.
The details on this website are especially useful if you’re looking at the [Kohechi](https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/kohechi/) route: because it has this reputation of being so difficult, the precise information of the length and ascent/descent for each portion of the route will help you decide whether you’re up for the challenge, or if you’d rather try one of the easier routes like the [Nakahechi](https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/nakahechi/). Also, some of the sections of the Kohechi route have very limited lodging (one of the official overnight stops, Miuraguchi, is a remote village with only two guesthouses, neither of which with english-speaking staff from what I’ve read), and those options are MUCH easier to book through the Kumano Kodo online booking system, well in advance.
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* **Several accounts on different websites and blogs**
1. This [series of blog posts](https://followingthearrows.com/japan/kumano-kodo/kumano-kodo-kohechi-route/) (Following The Arrows) that has also been recommended by u/syntheticadventures on o[ne of the few other posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/8wkskg/hiking_kumano_kodo_would_you_recommend_kohechi_or/) that I’ve seen of this sub.
2. This very complete description and some detailed feedback by a hiker on [Walkopedia](https://www.walkopedia.net/best-world-walks/Japan/Kohechi-Trail)
3. This sweet and straight-to-the-point report by [Big Heart Adventures](https://bigheartadventures.com.au/2023/08/walking-the-kumano-kohechi-pilgrimage-route-in-japan/)
4. If you’re looking for less text and more pictures, you can try this post on [Omakase](https://omakas.es/kumano-kodo-kohechi-route/)
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* **The Kumano Kodo facebook group (great for other routes also)**
I think it is on this sub (sorry but I can’t find the original post) that someone recommended I join the [Kumano Kodo Planning facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/984871891620344), and I am really glad I did! I would recommend it for any route of the Kumano Kodo, the community is diverse and really lovely, and you can find a lot of information in older posts. I’m especially happy to have come across this group because even though I have done much harder treks than the Kohechi route, the constant online discourse around the difficulty of the trail had almost put me off doing it. Seeing experienced hikers and people who had hiked the Kohechi giving a more nuanced account really changed my mind.
\[**Disclaimer**: I still DO believe that you should only choose to hike the Kohechi route if you are really confident in your own hiking abilities and experience, and ONLY after having made sure that you fully understand the implications of hiking a remote altitude trail that has no network coverage, and that requires some appropriate equipment.\]
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* **This amazing podcast episode**
I just finished listening to this episode of the [Trails Around The World](https://getpodcast.com/podcast/trails-around-the-world) podcast, which is a very chill and cozy report, with lots of details, by two very experienced hikers who have hiked the Kohechi route (some of the conversations even happen on the trail!). They discuss its difficulty with a lot of nuance, as well as the pros and cons, and some differences between the Nakahechi and the Kohechi route. I cannot recommend it enough.
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**Bonus**: **Why we chose the Kohechi**
We have settled on the Kohechi route because we have done several technical treks at high altitudes in the past two years, and are confident in both our physical conditions and our knowledge concerning the necessary gear. We also are fortunate enough to go to Japan for quite a long trip (six weeks – more on that maybe in a later post) with a lot of cultural sights on our list, and we wanted to have this stage of our travel to be more focused on nature and isolation rather than the wealth of culture (and crowds) of the Nakahechi route. Finally, we already knew we wanted to go to Koyasan, because I’ve already been there and it’s probably my favourite place I’ve ever visited, so it seemed natural to opt for the Kohechi route that starts from there.
I hope everything’s clear, please do not hesitate to correct me or to add anything you might find useful in the comments!
(Edited for typos)