All Alone On Top of the World
a haiku walking day on the Kumano Kodo, by Donald Yates
Early morning start on Wednesday 9th October. Fresh. I’m the only one around on top of the world until a local greets me.
“Anata wa doko?” (Where are you from?)
“O-osutoraria.”
His face beams with pleasure and welcome. I love seeing the smiles at each attempt I make to speak Japanese. Heart warming and affirming.
Today’s walk on just one part of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail will test my stamina — the guide book tells me it’s 31 kilometres — 700 metres up and 1200 metres down. The other members of our group have opted for an easier route.
In a rush to catch a lift up from the Tsugizakura Inn to the village, I’ve left my packed lunch on the ryokan doorstep. For the next 11 hours from Tsugizakura to Yunomine Onsen I’ll have just half a packet of dried kumera for sustenance.
At 7:15am the air is fresh — no other pilgrims in sight. As I walk I ponder the Shinto gods and shrines — their potency confirmed by the millions of feet that have passed by acknowledging them with claps, prayers and bows.
I’m travelling about the same pace as a Japanese man with head band, shorts, runners and bum-bag. He looks a bit younger than me but he is doing it tough — breathing heavily and determinedly. We overtake each other at various spots during the day. Each time he smiles at me with a look that says — you and I know how tough this is.
I arrive at the Hongu Taisha shrine at about 4:15pm.
All of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes lead to this sacred site.Legend has it that the Kumano deities, in the form of three moons, descended into the branches of a giant oak tree in this clearing. It is one of the Kumano Sanzan, three grand shrines of Kumano, and head shrine of over 3,000 Kumano shrines across Japan.*
By the time I look around I realise I’ve missed the bus to Yunomine Onsen. I can’t see any taxis so I set out on foot. The most direct route is via a stiff pass but the guide book advises that I needed to leave Hongu hours ago to avoid being lost in the dark.
The next option is to walk alongside the roads, through a tunnel and into the next valley. My GPS Gertie assures me she can lead me to Yunominesou Inn in less 75 minutes — just in time for dinner — a short amble compared to the exertions of the rest of the day. Thankfully there is a footpath alongside the road, even through the tunnel, and by 6 o’clock the sun is well down.
A friendly mini-van driver on the outskirts of Yunomine Onsen reassures me that I’m on the right track. I pass by the UNESCO World Heritage thermal hotspring baths in the tiny shed by the river, through the quiet township, and up to the inn. I’m met at the door by a man who ushers me straight in to a private dining room where my companions sit freshly bathed and composed in their yukatas. The evening feast begins.
After dinner we retire to the karaoke room for an hour of singing, dancing and hilarity. I’m tired but the fatigue doesn’t show up fully until the next day when I feel a bit giddy on the trail to Koguchi.
A couple of days later things take a dramatic turn with news of Typhoon Hagibis heading for Japan. We are just off the edge of its path but the mood of the group weighs in favour of us travelling back to Osaka in case trains are stopped for safety reasons, leaving us stranded for an extra day or two.
The camaraderie of our group has built all week. We walked together for five days, had fun letting it all hang out at the karaoke night and shared many novel, beautifully presented and delicious meals. I looked forward to new tastes every night. I felt cared and looked out for in the group. People were very thoughtful of each other.
While I had my camera with me, writing haiku on the the walk was better than point and shoot photography — and more memorable.
stranded roots
a calligraphic message
written by a million pilgrim sandals
space beyond the space
serrated green mid horizon
serrated grey horizons
blunted by low clouds
3,600 peaks of Kumano
giddy to bend
I pick up a rock to add
to Sai-no-Kawara Jizo
for the souls of lost children
three dying leaves
variegated in autumn
pool the rain on the path
ferns lean into my pathway
the forest revived
by the rain
the rain has sprung
the spider’s trap
roots overlap on the pathway
— calligraphic order
deciphering I stumble
osteoarthritic knees
threaten to complain
a carpet of leaves
© Donald Yates 2019. Photos by Jan Cornall
Donald Yates is a retired engineer, poet and singer/songwriter who loves walking and writing.He joined our Kumano Kodo Haiku Walk in Japan in Oct 2019 (and our Basho pilgrimage in 2016).
This magazine showcases the haiku inspired work of artists/writers who took part in Haiku Walking in Japan from 2016 -2019 with Writer’s Journey, led by writing tutor, Jan Cornall.
Read more contributions on other pages of Summer Grass here.
To find out more about Haiku Walking in Japan contact Jan or join our mailing list here.
For our Japan walks writersjourney.com.au partners with www.walkjapan.com
*http://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/world-heritage/kumano-hongu-taisha/
