Category: Kumano Kodō

hiking the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi imperial route

The Kumano Kodo is a network of paths of pilgrimage towards places seen as sacred by either buddhists or shintoists (or syncretists!) from the 700’s. Meaning for non-believers a well-established system of ancient hiking paths in the mountainous forests of the Kii peninsula, south of Osaka, Kyoto and Nara. Apart from the potential dangers of […]

off to Osaka

Today, I am off to Japan to visit Kengo Kamatani at Osaka University (where I will give a seminar on Tuesday) for a week and then for two weeks of vacation hiking the Kumano Kodō, a network of ancient pilgrimage routes in the Kii peninsula, south of Osaka. (Presumably with little access to the Internet […]