KII-NAGASHIMA FISHING TOWN PILGRIMAGE WALK/RELAXING WALK THROUGH FISHING VILLAGE - Soak Up the Atmosphere and Step Back in Time with Local Guides

The Kii-Nagashima district of Kihoku Town is a small Showa-era fishing village that is full of historical points of interest. Visitors can try many kinds of seafood caught by local fisherman, learn about the legend of Kappa and see a 1,000-year-old camphor tree next to Nagashima Shrine on the mountainside. On the Kii-Nagashima Fishing Town Pilgrimage Walk/Relaxing Walk Through Fishing Village, local guides will join you on an informative tour as you experience the history of this living museum. The 2.5-hour tour is available year-round and it usually starts at 2:00 PM (start time is flexible). The cost is only ¥1,500 per person, and that includes an English tour guide, a sampling of local fish and a shadow theatre performance.

Eventually, we exited the narrow village streets and made our way to the base of the mountain north of town. This is where the Nagashima Shrine is located in a gorgeous setting of old trees, white torii gates and walls composed of stacked stones.

Caption: This massive camphor tree is about 1000 years old.

The star of the Nagashima Shrine is an incredible camphor tree that is thought to be 1000 years old. The tree measures over 10 meters around at the widest point of the trunk. There is also a Shimenawa (a rope made of twisted strands of rice straw) wrapped around the tree that is believed to ward off evil spirits and disease. It was humbling to stand next to this magnificent tree that has stood the test of time for 10 centuries.

Caption: The Nagashima Shrine is a sacred destination on the tour.

The walk up to Nagashima Shrine was beautiful and it was calming to be surrounded by the ancient trees, walls and buildings of the shrine. My guides allowed me to soak in the atmosphere and just enjoy the solitude of the sacred spot. I always enjoy the temples and shrines of Japan that are nestled into the natural surroundings of the area.

Caption: The view of Kihoku Town from the shrine.

Caption: We left the Nagashima Shrine after a relaxing visit.

After some time spent at the shrine, my tour guides led me back down the steps to the entrance. I felt refreshed after some quiet moments at the shrine. The ancient trees and tranquil atmosphere of the area had left me in a state of calm reflection as we moved to the next part of the tour.

Caption: I enjoyed learning about the legend of the Kappa.

Our next stop was at a traditional home to watch a shadow theatre presentation about the Kappa, a creature from Japanese folklore. The presentation was quite entertaining and it told the story of the mischievous Kappa getting his arm chopped off by a samurai. As the story goes, Kappa was given his arm back and has protected the samurai’s family from accidents ever since.

Caption: The home contained many beautiful traditional items.

Caption: An amazing collection of traditional pop culture items was also on display.

The house where the Kappa shadow theatre was shown was decorated with numerous traditional items and collectible Japanese pop culture items. It was nice to sit and enjoy some tea while taking a break from walking around the town. Old Japanese homes are always wonderful places to relax and refresh with all of the wood and natural colors of the interiors.

Caption: A friendly local who I chattedwith after the Kappa show.

The shadow theatre presentation was the end of my tour and it had been an interesting and enjoyable day with Ueda-san and my other local guides. When we exited the traditional home, there was a nice gentleman seated across the road outside of a tobacco shop. We all said hello and I had a nice chat with him about Japanese baseball after I noticed some Hanshin Tigers items in his shop.

It was the perfect end to my tour of this quaint little village. For anyone who is interested in learning about the history of a traditional Japanese fishing village and eating delicious fresh seafood, this tour is a wonderful option.

KII-NAGASHIMA FISHING VILLAGE PILGRIMAGEWALK AND TOUR

https://wwwtb.mlit.go.jp/chubu/kankou/chiiki/glocon/kumano/kumano1.pdf

Khoku TownTourist Association

https://kihoku-kanko.com/en.html

TEL: 0597-46-3555

Email: info@kihoku-kanko.com

About 2.5 hours

- Starts at 2:00 PM (can be adjusted uponrequest)

All year round

<Price>

¥1,500

- Priceincludes: tour guide, Englishtranslator, Nagashima Shrine visit, fish sampling, shadow theatre performance