CAPTIVATING KII!

Skip the big cities and head to Japan's ancient pilgrimage trail

- Emma Babbington

There are 538 very uneven, steep and slippery stone steps to climb before I reach the Kamikura-Jinja Shrine. But once I get to the top, I will be at one of the oldest and most sacred places in the Kii Peninsula.

I am around 500km south of Tokyo and a four-hour scenic drive from Nara, deep in the forested heartland of Japan’s Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route. The view of the sweeping valley below is breathtaking and as I explore the small shrine, which is tucked under a massive boulder, I can understand why this place is so spiritually significant. This is the location where, it’s believed, the Shinto gods first descended from above.

This is also where the famous Oto Matsuri festival takes place every February, when around 2000 men holding lit torches run down the stone steps in an ancient traditional fire ritual, and pray for the wellbeing of their families.

Grand physical gestures are a big part of the esoteric Buddhism, which came to this area from China around 1200 years ago. A few days in my week-long trip, I visit Kinpusen-ji Temple where I meet a senior monk from this branch of “mountain” Buddhism.