017 The Omine Okugake Michi of Japan's Kumano Kodo with David Gilbert of Randomwire: An ancient, challenging pilgrimage route, deep in Japan's sacred mountains

Trails Around the World

Japan’s Kumano Kodo is a 1300-year-old network of sacred pilgrimage routes through remote mountains and along a beautiful coastline. The Kumano Kodo’s sacred sites and pilgrimage routes in the Kii Mountain Range are registered with UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The Omine Okugake is the most remote and most difficult of the Kumano Kodo’s routes. Traversing the region’s highest peaks, the Omine Okugake’s difficulty is such that it takes 6-10 days to walk it’s 100 km (60 miles). There are no resupply-points-- one must carry enough food to last the entire route. All of the Kumano Kodo’s routes are extraordinary ways to travel deep into Japan’s traditions and history while experiencing it’s mysterious mountains and exotic geography. Our guest, David Gilbert, has written a guide to hiking the Omine Okugake and posted it at Randomwire.com, along with a GPX track for the route. #kumanokodo #randomwire #trailsaroundtheworld #skyking #thruhike #hikingjapan #thruhiking #pilgrimage #hikejapan #japan #hiking