| 1 – Onigajo / Shishiiwa (LionRock) (Kumano City) |
2 – Tategasaki (Kumano City) |
The rugged one-kilometer coastline facing the Kumano Sea was created by earthquakes and powerful wave erosion. According to legends, an oni (a Japanese falktales monster) lived in the rugged cliff-face now called Onigajo, and the various caves that look out to sea still seem to offer a perfect dwelling place for demons. The cliff also features a huge rock 25 meters high known as “Shishi-iwa” that resembles a lion looking out to sea.
- 5-minute ride to the Onigajo Higashiguchi bus stop from Kumano-shi Station on the JR Line
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Tategasaki is a huge wall of rock jutting into the entrance of Nigishima Bay and offers spectacular views of waves advancing into the Kumano Sea.
- 90-minute walk from Nigishima Station on the JR Line
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| 3 – Shichiri Mihama (Kumano City) |
4 – Tanemaki Gonbei-no-Sato (Kihoku Town) |
This gorgeous stretch of curving coastline extends twenty-five kilometers from Kumano to Shingu, covered with the beautiful stone known as “Mihama pebbles.” The drive along the national coastal highway offers good views of the spectacular scenery.
- A short walk from Atawa Station on the JR Line
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This facility was constructed based on Gonbei- san, who actually lived here and is a character in a famous folk song: “When Gonbei plants his seeds, crows will begin picking one out of every three….” A Japanese garden and items associated with Gonbei-san are exhibited here.
- 7 minutes by car from Aiga Station on the JR Line
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| 5 – Doro Gorge (Kumano City) |
6 – World Heritage Kumano Old Road(Owase City, Kumano City, etc.) |
Water reflecting the fresh greenery of summer and autumn leaves in the fall, and cliffs covered by virgin forests, create the mysterious beauty of nature. You may also enjoy a cruise on a jet boat. Doro Gorge is noted for Rhododendron indicum in May.
- Take the Nanki-Koiki bus, Kumano Kodo–Seiryuso Line to the Doro Ohashi bus stop, from Kumano-shi Station on the JR Line
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Kumano Old Road has been designated as a World Heritage Site. Formerly a route for pilgrims journeying between shrines on Kumano Sanzan Mountain, regarded as the home of the gods Hongu, Shingu, and Nachi, the Kumano Old Road is now used as a hiking trail. The cobblestone road, blanketed with moss, winds through a cypress forest, and occasionally historical ruins and guideposts are visible along it.
- (Magose course) 10-minute ride to the Washige bus stop from Aiga Station on the JR Line
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| 7 – Michi-no-Eki Kiho Town Sea Turtle Park (Kiho Town) |
8 – Maruyama Senmaida Paddy Fields (Kumano City) |
This is a park located in Kiho Town where sea turtles are a protected species. You can very closely observe sea turtle families. Products with sea turtle character images can be purchased here.
- 10-minute walk from Kiida Station on the JR Line
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Here, Japan’s lost rural landscape can be seen as it formaly was. Over 1300 rice paddies terraced into the mountainside create a beautiful landscape that varies with the seasons.
- Take the Nanki-Koiki bus, Kumano Kodo–Seiryuso Line to the Senmaida•Tori-toge Iriguchi bus stop, from Kumano-shi Station on the JR Line
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