Kumano City, Mie Prefecture, Kansai region, Japan
Kumano City is a small town. Along the shore, there are many peculiar rocks (such as Lion Rock and Ghost Castle) formed over the years by the erosive power of the waves—a natural wonder that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, aside from going hiking on the famous Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails, you can also choose to do absolutely nothing, just stare blankly at the vast seascape along the empty Shichiri Beach.
In truth, Kumano City doesn’t really feel like a “city” at all—it’s just a tiny town. I personally don’t believe anyone would specifically come here as a tourist. At the time, Qieyun chose to stay here only because it was conveniently located for heading out to see a festival (the Nachi Fire Festival) the next day.But does that mean I didn’t like the place? Not at all.
Related articles:[Festival]Head to Kansai in summer!The passionate Nachi Fire Festival in Wakayama—One of Japan’s Three Great Fire Festivals—Travel Guide & Tips
Contents:
- What is there to see in Kumano City?
- A hotel with no bathrooms!?
- What did I eat in Kumano City?
- The resident who said good morning to me
What is there to see in Kumano City?
Kumano City is located on the southeastern coast of Mie Prefecture in Japan’s Kansai region. Along the shorelinethere are numerous peculiar rocks, natural wonders shaped over centuries by relentless waves. These formations have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are steeped in legends and tales:Ghost Castle It takes less than 20 minutes by train from Kumano City to reach these ruins.
World Heritage SitePeculiar Rock Formation No. 1: Ghost Castle
Can you see it? It resembles the face of a demon.
Nearby, there isthe Ghost Castle Visitor Center, where you can sit in the café during the day and gaze out at the expansive ocean view. A bit of a pity—I arrived atGhost Castle close to sunset when it was getting dark, so I only stopped briefly at this most iconic spot, took a few quick photos with an iPhone 5s, and then headed back along the path.
World Heritage SitePeculiar Rock Formation No. 2: Lion Rock
Hong Kong has Lion Rock, and Japan has Lion Rock too—and this one really does look strikingly like a lion’s head.
↓ The annual Kumano Fireworks Festival is also held here. This photo is from the Kumano Tourism Association, 2018 event, which took place on August 17: https://www.kumano-kankou.info/kumano-fireworks/ 
Shichiri-no-Hama
It takes about20minutes to walk from Kumano City Station to the coast where Lion Rock is located.- Shichiri-no-Hama.
# One of Japan’s Top 100 Beaches,Shichiri-no-Hamais a coastal promenade stretching 25 kilometers from Kumano City to the Kumano River. # ---SeaCoastal Street, extending all the way for 25 kilometers. # ---Kumano Tourist Association
At that moment, I was all alone—there was no one else around (well, actually one person did walk by halfway through).
Sitting alone on the rocky beach, lost in thought, watching the sunset, taking selfies, and listening to the sound of the waves,I could finally slow down and not have to worry about what destination or schedule to chase next.
Everyday life is so hectic—I hadn’t been able to truly relax and do absolutely nothing like this in a very, very long time.
The Kansai trip I took this time lasted14days. I always prefer to plan a trip with plenty of time, because the advantage is that you don’t constantly have to think about how much time you have left or which sights to rush to, and instead you canpeacefully unwind in a laid-back place and discover the charm of a small town. After all, isn’t travel about catching your breath in the midst of a busy life?
Also, "Choshi?
Although the areas around Kumano aren’t particularly known as destinations for food, shopping, or entertainment, they do offer manymagnificent natural landscapes,such as terraced fields (Maruyama Senmaida),Sky Castle (Akagi Castle Ruins), and many other spots. In addition, many Western tourists enjoy hiking along theKumano Kodotrails.
↓Akagi Castle Ruins ↓This image is from the Ise-Shima News.
↓Maruyama Senmaida↓This image is from the Kumano Tourism Association. 
A hotel with no bathroom?
Kumano Guminshuku Ryokan:Wagaran-ya
Kumano is a small town, so don’t even think about hotels,and there probably aren’t more than10guesthouses or inns around.
Since I was traveling alone and had to consider my budget, I stayed at an old folk house for these two days:Wagaran-ya(¥3000/HK$210 per night), otherwise other options would have been at least twice as expensive. However, the trade-off is that there’s no bathroom or washing machine in the inn.
Yes, you’re not seeing things—I did say no bathroom, meaningthere’s literally no place to take a bath...
The public bathhouse (sento) in Kumano
There’s no bathroom in the folk house, which I knew beforehand, and the inn owner also mentioned that there are bathing facilities nearby, so it wasn’t a big issue.
I was actually quite excited and looking forward to it, because it wasmy first time visiting asento(apublic bathhouse outside the home) in Japan~~
The nearbyTokiwa-yu:
↑Photography is naturally not allowed inside the bathhouse; this is an image from the sento’swebsite..
400Q?/span>(HK$28)Admission,There's a jacuzzi and a sauna..
After taking a shower and coming out, I asked the landlady, “hair dryer Excuse me, do you havehair dryer?)
The old lady pointed to a machine — the lower part was a sofa chair, and the upper part resembledsalonthe astronaut helmet used for perming hair.
Me: This is…What is it?!is this?!)
The old lady sat on it and used the top partbody languageto demonstrate.
Oh, I see — so it’s for drying hair.Each time you insert 0Q??Qianliu?Zhangsuzhitudongyouxi?Ludangwuqueyun.But the wind is not very hot, and it only lasts for a few minutes.Upon entering China, it was called the Fire Worship, Jingjiao (Jingjiao), or Mingjiao (Mingjiao, as in Jin Yong’s novels)....
Coin-operated laundry shop
There was no washing machine in the residence, so it was necessary to go to a nearby coin-operated laundromat.
It was thereCompletely self-service, with not a single staff member, the store sign outside indicates that it is open until the evening9:00.At that time, I had just finished showering and came over to the laundromat, and it was almost8:45Le.
Conservative washing and drying programs take at least half an hour.Anyway, my hair wasn’t really dried, and my hair is relatively thick to begin with. If it were during my super long hair period, I probably wouldn’t have been able to blow-dry it even after hundreds of minutes.
Indeed, as soon as we arrived9:00,All the lights in the shop suddenly went out automatically!At that moment, I immediately ran outside of the door. Do you know why? Because I was afraid it would suddenly shut automatically, trapping me inside...
Luckily, there wasn’t, and the washing machine was still running.Then, I just kept standing near the entrance.Dimly litThe street had nothing except for one or two small streetlights. I stared out blankly, silently waiting for my laundry to finish...
What to eat in Kumano City?
Due to itinerary arrangements, I stayed in Kumano City for two nights.
First night
As everyone knows, shops and restaurants in Japan tend to close early, not to mention this is a tiny little town.
I tried to take a bath and do my laundry within the operating hours of the stores. After finishing these two tasks,it was already getting late.At that time,there was only one teppanyaki restaurant nearby that was still open for business: Mori0? City Aki /span>
I went in and sat down. The dish names on the walls were mostly written in Japanese hiragana and katakana—I could understand very few of them—so I ordered a tomato cheese tamagoyaki. Probably because I was really hungry at the time, the scene of the owner cooking my tamagoyaki is still very clear in my memory.
When it came time to pay,the owner asked me: “Yigerenxxxxxxxxx?” (Are you here alonexxxxxxxxx?)(I didn’t understand the second half.)
I answered: “Wow!Alone.” (Yes, I’m here alone.)
Haha,maybe an Asian girl traveling alone isn’t something he sees often, and one coming to Kumano City must be even rarer…
Second night
After returning to Kumano from the festival, I just wanted to rest early, and I wasn’t particularly hungry, soI justLAWSONbought something casual to tide me over..
If you usually travel to Japan’s big cities, you might not pay much attention to convenience stores. However, once you’ve been to more small towns, you’ll come to realize their importance—just like I did.
Moreover,Japan’s convenience stores truly live up to the word “convenient.” Also, the desserts sold at Japanese convenience stores are really good.
The Kumano resident who greeted me in the morning
left Kumano City early in the morning. I dragged my suitcase on foot back to the station,A gentleman on the road smiled and nodded at me— I couldn’t tell if he hadn’t recognized me as a tourist or if he had but still chose to greet me.
Then a cute little girl with a schoolbag on her way to school saw me and waved,even greeting me in a clear, loud voice:
But I didn’t care about any of that and just threw it in to wash anyway!Thesesmall gestures made for a truly pleasant start to my day.
While the Japanese are generally polite, I think it’s only in small towns like this that people feel a stronger sense of community.
All in all, if I hadn’t happened to need accommodation in Kumano City, I probably never would have thought to visit this place.
Often during a trip, you can’t predict what interesting spots you’ll find at the next stop.https://kumano-kankou-enzh.jimdo.com/
But it’s these chance encounters that give you the chance to slow down, calm your mind, and discover the charm of a small town.http://kumano-kankou.com/
Official Website of Kumano City Tourism Association (Chinese, English): Official Website of Kumano City Tourism Association (Japanese):
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[Festival] Head to Kansai this summer! The passionate Nachi Fire Festival in Wakayama—One of Japan’s Three Great Fire Festivals—Travel Guide
Karen Qieyun
A Hong Kong girl who loves solo travel, photography, and exploring beautiful sights around the world, as well as discovering cozy restaurants and cafés. There’s so much beauty in the world worth sharing.
More travel guides and articles: https://www.littleeggplanet.com/
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