Kumano-Mie Japan Mie
13
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Emerald Waterways (4 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
At the port quay, or at anchor with tender transfer depending on the ship and conditions. Kumano mainly receives small and mid-size vessels. The centre, the station and the first sights are a short distance away.
That going ashore depends on sea conditions. An anchorage on the southern coast of the Kii peninsula, facing the Pacific, can be cancelled by swell. That is the risk to accept with this call, as with any call without a guaranteed berth.
The demon's castle: a chaos of pale cliffs carved by wind and waves at the northern end of the bay. A cliffside path of about a kilometre threads between caves, arches and rock platforms, with the Pacific roaring below.
No. It is a cliff path across rock platforms, without smooth surfacing or a continuous handrail. Visitors with reduced mobility or a fear of heights should stick to the Lion Rock, visible from the road.
Shishiiwa, a rock rising above the road with the profile of a roaring beast facing the sea. It has become the town's emblem and photographs effortlessly, right beside Onigajo.
One of Japan's oldest places of worship, at the far end of the beach. Neither statue nor building is venerated here, but the cliff itself: a monolith of about 45 metres. Twice a year the community ceremonially renews the enormous sacred rope linking the rock to the shore.
Yes. Kumano gives access to the Iseji, the eastern branch of the routes inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Matsumoto pass, short and well marked, offers an accessible taste, rewarded with a sweeping view over the beach and the ocean.
Good shoes. The ancient paving stones, polished by centuries and rain, turn slippery, and the sections cross passes and cypress forests. This is not a seafront stroll.
Twenty-two kilometres of dark pebbles drawn ruler-straight between the Pacific and the mountains, the longest pebble shore in Japan. It accompanies the arrival at Kumano like a line of calligraphy, but pebbles are pebbles: it is not a comfortable swimming beach.
Mehari-zushi, a rice ball wrapped in a pickled mustard leaf that pilgrims once slipped into their packs. Small restaurants near the station serve it with a bowl of noodles. The region also showcases its citrus and its inshore tuna.
