Kumano Kodo advice - luggage transport, etc.

[samstier]

Hi, my wife and I hope to walk the Kumano Kodo in 2 weeks (our itinerary starts in Tanabe, bus to Hoshinnmon-oji, walk to Hongu, stay in Kawayu for 2 days, walk to Koguchi, walk to Nachi Taisha, then bus to Taiji). We booked everything but the accommodations in Tanabe and Taiji through Kumano Travel, but were told that because we did not also book these through them, they could not help us on luggage transport. Anyway, we were wondering if anyone had advice about luggage transport, or any other advice for us give our itinerary. Thanks!

 

[tominrm]

As far as I know that’s the only way. There are not many options (competition) so far. Plan to carry your backpack. Kumano is trying to piggy back on the success of Camino de Santiago. In the future when there are a lot more tourists, there might be competitions.
With three companies including Correos competing, the cost of backpack transport on Camino France is now 5 euro. It was 7 euro 6 years ago. French companies still charge 8.

 

[Bradypus]

Plan to carry your backpack. Kumano is trying to piggy back on the success of Camino de Santiago. In the future when there are a lot more tourists, there might be competitions.

I have walked Caminos in Spain and the Nakahechi Kumano Kodo. Very soon I will be returning to Japan to walk more of the Kumano Kodo. As I always carry my pack I have never looked into luggage services. I would question the notion that the Kumano Kodo is trying to "piggy back" on the success of the Caminos. Certainly the formal links between the two are more recognised and celebrated in Japan. But so far there is very little sign that local people and businesses want to follow the Camino's history of largely unrestricted growth as a low budget mass-market experience. If anything there is an emphasis on maintaining the relatively low key commercial aspects like accommodation and the tourist board deliberately promotes the Kumano Kodo as a fairly upmarket and exclusive experience. I see no immediate sign of any desire for the Kumano Kodo to mimic the Camino's success if by that is meant vastly increasing numbers of low budget tourists.

 

[Deleted member 73526]

Your best bet may be to inquire at your lodgings. Depending on the type of place you're staying at, they may be able to make arrangements - The owners of a local, family-run, minshuku might just know someone who happens to be driving in that direction. A manager at a more corporate hotel or ryokan would be more likely to contact an "akabo" (literally "red cap") with a license to transport stuff, which would cost about as much as a taxi. (A taxi would not normally be licensed to transport luggage without passengers, although there's a chance that the regulations in rural Wakayama might permit it).

If you're willing to carry a couple of days worth of gear and you're looking to send a box or suitcase from the starting point of your pilgrimage to the end, then you can use a regular Takuhaibin delivery service. Any hotel or convenience store can arrange it for a couple of thousand yen per bag. But that's not a same-day service.

 

[tominrm]

I have walked Caminos in Spain and the Nakahechi Kumano Kodo. Very soon I will be returning to Japan to walk more of the Kumano Kodo. As I always carry my pack I have never looked into luggage services. I would question the notion that the Kumano Kodo is trying to "piggy back" on the success of the Caminos. Certainly the formal links between the two are more recognised and celebrated in Japan. But so far there is very little sign that local people and businesses want to follow the Camino's history of largely unrestricted growth as a low budget mass-market experience. If anything there is an emphasis on maintaining the relatively low key commercial aspects like accommodation and the tourist board deliberately promotes the Kumano Kodo as a fairly upmarket and exclusive experience. I see no immediate sign of any desire for the Kumano Kodo to mimic the Camino's success if by that is meant vastly increasing numbers of low budget tourists.

OK, I confess I can’t prove they are trying to “piggyback” Spain’s success.
But have you heard about Kumano Kodo four to five years ago in this forum? There are many countries replicate Camino success because they want to promote their tourism.
Can you tell me why only Japan can claim they have the pilgrimage in the East? Apparently Kumano Kodo signed a deal with Spain or Camino de Santiago association to be their Eastern partner to mutually promote pilgrimage. I did not know there is only one country in East. Japan is not even a predominantly Catholic country.

 

[Bradypus]

Can you tell me why only Japan can claim they have the pilgrimage in the East? Apparently Kumano Kodo signed a deal with Spain or Camino de Santiago association to be their Eastern partner to mutually promote pilgrimage. I did not know there is only one country in East. Japan is not even a predominantly Catholic country.

The formal links between the Caminos and the Kumano Kodo have been created because both are pilgrimage routes recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. One is predominantly Catholic in origin while the other is a network of paths linking Shinto shrines. Both the Kumano Kodo and the pilgrimage to Santiago date back over 1000 years and developed separately long before contact between Europe and Japan began. Neither is dependent on the other for its creation or for its continued popularity. And Japan does not claim to be the sole possessor of pilgrimage routes in the east. For example: within the past month the syncretistic Taoist-Buddhist Dajia Matsu pilgrimage in Taiwan involved around 250,000 over its 9 days. Pilgrimage is not an exclusively Catholic practice and your observation that "Japan is not even a predominantly Catholic country" is a non sequitur unless you intended to argue that only Catholic pilgrimage is authentic and valid.