JJapan Trips

Looking for a specific hike in Japan


Okay so this may be a long shot but here it goes. I plan on visiting Japan one day (who knows when with COVID and all). I’m a huge nature person and I love to hike. One day I was watching the local tv channel, I believe it was PBS or something like that. Basically they were doing a special on traveling Japan. I believe they were hiking/backpacking a pilgrimage trail in the mountains. What really stuck out to me was there was a part where they’re were hotsprings(?) that you would walk past on the trail. There would be steam flowing up and you’d walk through it. They explained that some people even put down like a little mat on the trail and would take a nap right next to the springs to soak in the steam. I’m not sure if this was part of the Kumamoto Kung, but I’d really like to know for sure. It just seemed so unbelievable. Please let me know what you think! Thanks for the help.

UPDATE: GUYS I FOUND IT!!!!

Okay so apparently it’s not a “pilgrimage” but this is really really cool. It’s called Tamagawa Onsen. Here’s the link: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/2007387/ . You can find what I’m talking about at the time stamp 14:15. Thank you for everyone’s help! I would love to do both the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage and the Shikoku pilgrimage as well.

8 comments

  1. There are tons of mountain hikes in japan and a lot of those have natural hotsprings, so based on the little information you have, it could literally be anywhere.

    You did mention it could be a pilgrimage, the most famous one is the Shikoku Pilgrimage, that goes all around the island of Shikoku, which also have mountains and hotsprings.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikoku_Pilgrimage

    If they were wearing the characteristic hat and white shirt, while walking with a stick, it was probably here.

  2. Do you remember any other details. One of the well known pilgrimage hike is the Kumano kodo in Wakayama prefecture, that is relatively easy to get to from Osaka.

    There is also some hotsprings (onsen) in the area : [https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/onsen/](https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/onsen/)

    I am not so familiar with the area, so not sure if there is really a place with the onsen water stream next to the trail.

  3. Sounds like the Kumano Kodo, it’s a series of ancient pilgrimage routes through the mountains in Wakayama/Kii Penninsula. The trail does pass through a number of small mountain villages, many of which have natural springs. One in particular, Yunomine Onsen, has the hot spring running in a river through the center of town where people frequently lay and even cook food by hanging nets into the water.

    If this is indeed the hike you’re thinking of feel free to DM me any questions! I did it last year in November (2019)

  4. I don’t think it’s Kumano Kodo since the onsens are located in villages there, and not in the “wild” as you described. Since most mountains are sacred in Japan and temples are commonly built on them, a lot of trails can be considered a pilgrimage of some sort. (Though Kumano Kodo & Shikoku Henro are the most official of them all.)

    There are some mountains where there are wild onsens. I’m not familiar with them but there is a Hiking, Climbing and Camping in Japan group on FB with people who have done this. You might want to ask them.

  6. Oh, that is actually not a hike and not a pilgrimage, so I would have never guessed.

    There is actually several places in Japan that have volcanic activity and area affected by it, here is a list. [https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2327.html](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2327.html)

    Depending on the itinerary you want to plan, some of them could be closer or easier to access by public transport. I would only consider Tamagawa onsen if you are to spend several days in Tohoku,

    The thing specific to this one seems to be that people go there to take a nap and breathe the steamy air. Note that the steam and gas coming from volcanic activity can be toxic, so in general, this is something to be careful about.

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