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The stretch between Kumano Hongū Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingū is one of the most sacred sections of the Kumano Kodo, but it is not one you walk. Historically, pilgrims covered it by boat, down the Kumano River. Today most visitors take a local bus, and the riverboat still runs as a seasonal tour.
The short answer
There is no established walking trail directly linking Hongū and Shingū. The two grand shrines sit about 40 km apart down the Kumano River valley, and the traditional pilgrimage route between them was the river itself.
- Fastest and cheapest: the local Kumano Kotsu bus from Hongū Taisha-mae to JR Shingū Station, roughly 60 to 90 minutes for about ¥1,540. From the station it is a flat 15-minute walk through town to Kumano Hayatama Taisha.
- Most meaningful: the traditional riverboat down the Kumano-gawa, a UNESCO-listed part of the pilgrimage, running March to November as a guided 90-minute tour.
- If you want to walk: the mountain routes near here, Kogumotori-goe and Ogumotori-goe, run from the Hongū area south to Nachi, not east to Shingū.
Why there is no trail, the river was the route
The Kumano-gawa is the only river section inscribed in the UNESCO “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range” listing. The river is itself an object of worship. Retired emperors, samurai and commoners alike floated down from the Hongū area to Shingū in flat-bottomed boats as part of the pilgrimage, then continued on foot from Shingū to Nachi.
The mountains directly between Hongū and Shingū are steep and roadless. The walking pilgrimage never went that way, it branched south from the Hongū area, over the passes to Nachi. So if a guide, a map or an older article promises you a forest trail from one shrine to the other, it is describing something that does not exist.
By bus, the practical choice
Kumano Kotsu, Ryujin and Nara Kotsu buses run the Hongū to Shingū corridor several times a day along Route 168, which follows the river the whole way. Board at Hongū Taisha-mae and ride to JR Shingū Station, the regional transport hub. The trip takes roughly 60 to 90 minutes depending on the service, and costs about ¥1,540 one way, paid in cash or with an IC card as you leave.
Service thins out in the late afternoon, so check the current timetable on the Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau site or through Kumano Travel before you set out, missing the last useful bus means an expensive taxi.
From Shingū Station it is about a 15-minute walk, a little over a kilometre, along the town’s flat streets to the Kumano Hayatama Taisha grounds. No climb, well signed.
When I made this trip I took the bus and sat up front, watching the river the whole way. At Shingū Station I left my pack in a coin locker and walked the 15 to 20 minutes to Hayatama Taisha through ordinary town streets, a quiet, almost anticlimactic arrival after the forest walk into Hongū a few days earlier. That contrast is part of what makes the shrine land the way it does: the thousand-year-old nagi tree and the vermilion halls come at you out of a normal working town, not a mountainside.
Planning the shrine before this leg? Top Things to Do in Hongū →
By traditional riverboat (March to November)
The Kumano-gawa kawabune tour recreates the water pilgrimage in a motorised wooden flat-bottomed boat, with a guide narrating the history and landmarks along the way.
- Season: March 1 to November 30. No sailings December through February.
- Duration: about 90 minutes on the water.
- Departures: typically one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon.
- Fare: around ¥4,950 for adults and ¥2,200 for children (elementary-school age); children under 4 cannot board.
- Booking: reserve at least about 20 days ahead. Non-Japanese speakers book through Kumano Travel.
- Logistics: you meet near Hongū Taisha-mae and transfer by bus to the boarding point at Michi-no-Eki Kumano-gawa (the River Boat Center), then drift down to a landing beside Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingū.
Prices and schedules shift from year to year, confirm the current details when you book.
For Japan more broadly, rail passes, regional bus tickets and pre-booked experiences around Kansai and the Kii Peninsula, Klook has the widest English-language selection. Klook
If you actually want to walk: the nearby mountain routes
The walking pilgrimage from the Hongū area does not go to Shingū, it heads south to Nachi over two hard sections:
- Kogumotori-goe: from Ukegawa (a few minutes by bus east of Hongū) to Koguchi, about 13 km, 4.5 to 6 hours, over one forested pass.
- Ogumotori-goe: Koguchi to Kumano Nachi Taisha, about 14.5 km, 7 to 9 hours, over three passes. This is the toughest stretch of the Nakahechi, including the climb known as Dōgiri-zaka, the “body-breaking slope.”
Most walkers split this across two days with a night in Koguchi. From Nachi you can reach Shingū in about 20 to 30 minutes by JR train or bus along the coast.
For a shorter taste of the trail into Hongū rather than out of it, the Hosshinmon-oji to Hongū Taisha section is the popular half-day option, about 7 km, 2 to 3 hours, mostly downhill, ending at the shrine.
What is waiting in Shingū
Kumano Hayatama Taisha is one of the three Kumano Sanzan grand shrines. Its main deities are Kumano Hayatama no Ōkami and Kumano Fusumi no Ōkami, identified with Izanagi and Izanami, the creator couple of Japanese mythology. In the courtyard stands a sacred nagi tree more than 1,000 years old, a national natural monument, said to have been planted by Taira no Shigemori in 1159.
A 15-minute walk or short taxi ride away is Kamikura-jinja, the shrine’s auxiliary site, reached by 538 steep stone steps. At the top, the giant Gotobiki-iwa boulder marks where the Kumano deities are said to have first descended to earth. It hosts the Oto Matsuri fire festival every February 6.
“Shingū Taisha” is a name you will sometimes see used loosely for this shrine, Kumano Hayatama Taisha is the correct one.
Frequently asked questions
Can you walk from Hongū to Shingū?
Not on a dedicated trail. The two shrines are linked by the Kumano River, not a footpath. Take the local bus (about 60 to 90 minutes, roughly ¥1,540) or the seasonal riverboat. Walkers from the Hongū area head south to Nachi over the Kogumotori-goe and Ogumotori-goe passes instead.
How long is the bus from Hongū to Shingū?
Roughly 60 to 90 minutes along Route 168 beside the river, for about ¥1,540 one way. Buses run several times a day but thin out later in the afternoon, so check the current timetable.
Is the Kumano River boat tour worth it?
If you have a spare half-day and the season is right (March to November), yes. It is the historically authentic way to make this leg and the only UNESCO-listed river section of the pilgrimage. Book at least three weeks ahead through Kumano Travel.
Which shrine is in Shingū?
Kumano Hayatama Taisha, about a 15-minute walk from JR Shingū Station. Its enshrined deities are Kumano Hayatama no Ōkami and Kumano Fusumi no Ōkami.
Do I need to walk the Kumano Kodo to visit the three grand shrines?
No. Buses connect Hongū, Shingū and Nachi, and many visitors shrine-hop by bus in a day or two. Walking even one short section adds a lot, but it is not required.
Where to go next
Planning the Hongū end of the trip? See Top Things to Do in Hongū. Deciding between this pilgrimage and its European counterpart? Read Kumano Kodo vs Camino de Santiago. Everything we have written on the region sits on the Kumano Kodo hub.
This article is for informational and educational purposes only. Always verify current travel requirements with official government sources before making travel decisions.
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