After our unforgettable hike in Kumano Kodo, (please see earlier blog post: Discovering Stillness in Kumano Kodo) we left the peaceful countryside of Wakayama Prefecture and headed toward Kyoto.    KYOTO Our drive from Wakayama should have taken 4 hours but roadworks caused a mind-numbing jam that added another hour and half to the journey.…

A journey that has been some time in the planning comes to fruition. For some years now, I have thought about hiking the Kumano Kodo; a network of ancient Shinto pilgrimage trails in the Kii Peninsula of Wakayama Prefecture of Japan that connect the three Shinto Grand Shrines – Hongu Taisha, Hayatama Taisha and Nachi Taisha,…