Wondering how much the Kumano Kodo costs? Here’s our full 2-day budget breakdown with real prices for food, lodging, transport, and extras.
The Kumano Kodo Pilgramage Trail is only 1 of 2 UNESCO World Heritage trails in the world, next to the Camino De Santiago.
We have done lots of hiking, in North America and now in Japan and we can confidently say, if you are looking for an off the beaten path unique once in a lifetime expereince, the Kumano Kodo is your next hike. The Kumano Kodo was a highlight of our two week trip to Japan.
The Kumano Kodo is a historic network of pilgrimage trails that connect three sacred sites — Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha — collectively known as the Kumano Sanzan. All routes eventually converge at Kumano Hongu Taisha, the most significant of the three shrines. In this blog, we’ll focus on the Nachi route, hiking from Yunomine Onsen to Kii-Katsuura. We’ll share a full cost breakdown and explain why this two-day journey is absolutely worth it.
This blog will only get into depth about the cost of the hike. Check out our full blog on the Kumano Kodo!
Day 1: Travel to Yunomine Onsen on the Kumano Kodo
We travelled from Tennoji Station from Osaka Station at 9:19am and arrived in Kii-Tanabe at 11:22am.
Cost for a train ticket on the bullet train was ¥5,170 or $35 USD. This was a one way ticket. We had Starbucks for breakfast to take onto the train which was around $5 USD.
The train ride is quite scenic on the way to Kii-Tanabe. We got to see a lot of the Japan Countryside.
Arrive at Kii-Tanabe on the Kumano Kodo
When you arrive at Kii-Tanabe, you then have to take a bus to get to Yunomine Onsen.
The cost of the bus ticket from Kii-Tanabe to Yunomine Onsen was around ¥1800 or $12 USD. We also ate lunch in the town of Kii-Tanabe before our bus to Yunomine Onsen to begin the Kumano Kodo trail. The lunch was around $7 USD for Japanese Tonkatsu.
Arrive at Yunomine Onsen on the Kumano Kodo
The bus ride ot Yunomine Onsen was about an hour and a half long.
We prebooked our stay at J-Hoppers Kumano Yunomine Guesthouse. You must book these accommodations months in advance as there is little availability especially during the busier times of the year. Also, only book directly on the Kuamno Kodo reservation website. Read out full blog on the Kumano Kodo trail as we cover how exactly to book reservations through their website.
J-Hoppers Kumano Kodo Yunomine Guesthouse ¥5,100 or $35 USD per person per night. We got the dinner option ad on as well.
We also went to the Public Onsen which was ¥800 or $5 USD. Cash Only.
We also had a little dinner at the You-Got-It-Bar. Our food was about ¥1200 or $8 USD Per Person.
Day 2: Travel To Koguchi on the Kumano Kodo
After a long day of hiking we ended up in Koguchi for the night.
We grabbed a quick lunch in Hongu before heading out. Our lunch was about $8 USD per person.
Take the bus from Hongu Visitors Centre to Ukegawa Trailhead (1 stop, 3 min bus ride). ¥200 or $1.30 USD.
Arrive at Koguchi on the Kumano Kodo
We stayed the night at KUMAANO Farm & Guesthouse which was ¥11,500 or $78 USD Per Person, Per Night. This included the Dinner, Breakfast and Packed Lunch which was extremely good. We highly recommend doing the food options as there is not really any place to go for dinner on this stretch.
Day 3: Travel to Kii-Katsuura on the Kumano Kodo
This was our last day of hiking. We hiked about 17km to get to Nachi Waterfalls.
Bus from Nachi Waterfall to Kii-Katsuura
We took about a 26 min bus ride from Nachi Waterfalls to Ki-Katsuura for ¥500 or $3.50 USD.
We stayed at the JIYUJIYA which is about a 3 min walk from the train station. This was ¥5,900 or $40 USD. No meals included.
Arrive at Ki-Katsuura on the Kumano Kodo
Day 4: Travel back to Osaka
We travelled back to Osaka in the morning on our 4th day. This train ride was about 4 hours long.
We reserved the Green Car (first class) for ¥14,500 or $138 USD. The regular car is a little cheaper at ¥10,500 or $99 USD.
Full Cost Breakdown: 2-Day Kumano Kodo Hike, 4-Day Trip
The total cost for everything was ¥55,424 or $375.80 USD.
We have covered a full in depth blog about the Kumano Kodo and our experience. Check it out here!