What I didn't know was that those steps -- leading to the lofty（崇高的） highlight of my Kumano Kodo 熊野古道pilgrimage（朝圣之行） -- would be on a 70-degree incline（倾斜）.
Ever tried climbing a rock face? Or the roof an A-frame （金字塔形）house?
Run a rolling pin（擀面杖） over your calves（小牛） a few times and you'll get an idea of what I was looking at. Already exhausted from hiking Kumano Kodo's ancient trails in the Kii Mountains紀伊市木 -- the route starts about an hour by train from Osaka大阪 -- the only things pushing me upward were the encouraging smiles from a grandpa, a girl wearing a long maxi-dress and salarymen in stiff （呆板的）shirts and dress pants who walked past me as if they were taking a stroll to the grocery store.
So, was that uphill torture（折磨） worth it? Of course -- what great hike isn't?
Anyway, the rest of the trail was relatively easy to get through -- the biggest obstacle（障碍） was all the stops for photos.
And there is good reason for that. The views and little stops along the way make this one of the best (and possibly most overlooked) treks（艰苦跋涉） on the planet, a glorious march -- or in my case, occasional scramble（抢夺）, that includes hot springs retreats, delicious local food and rich cultural insight（文化洞察力） into a relatively unexplored part of Japan.
When I say unexplored, I mean for international travelers. Though the pilgrimage has been in operation （生效）for more than 1,000 years it remains quite off the map for most visitors to Japan who consider Kyoto 京都or Osaka a far enough detour（绕道） from the main access point of Tokyo.
And this is a good thing -- because it means a richer, more peaceful experience for those that make it to Wakayama prefecture（县） and the Kumano Kodo. And for those that think Japan is expensive, food and accommodation prices are better than reasonable.
This guide will give you all to know to capture a truly epic adventure. And like most epic adventures, there's a bit to it. 10 things that make Wakayama Japan's best kept secret
The religious stuff
Before getting too carried away with directions and recommendations, a step back.
Kumano Kodo is the name of a hiking route made up of seven trails that snake through the Kii Mountain Range（山脉） in Japan's Wakayama prefecture. As you can see by the inset map（插图） it is about 100 km south of Osaka. It's one of only two pilgrimages in the world registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Spain's Way of St. James is the other.)
To characterize the experience solely as \"a pilgrimage\" doesn't do Kumano Kodo justice.
Though there is some stiff competition（激烈竞争）, Kumano Kodo just might be one of the world's top nature hikes.
The route dates back more than a thousand years, when imperials and aristocrats（贵族） took weeks-long journeys from as far away as Kyoto to hit up the area's three major Buddhist/Shinto shrines, Kumano Hongu Taisha,熊野本宮 Kumano Hayatama速玉大社 Taisha退社 and Kumano Nachi Taisha.那智大社
Together, the trio(三重唱) of shrines is referred to as Kumano Sanzan.散々
Instead of a 30-day commitment (as walkers doing Way of St. James sign up for), Kumano Kodo's infrastructure (基础
设施)makes it possible even for the exercise-averse or time
poor to enjoy the area's mountains, cedar-filled forests, farms and hot springs.
If you don't have the strength, time or desire to do the entire pilgrimage -- not everyone considers walking 40-plus kilometers a holiday -- there are other ways to take in the highlights (the gallery above shows most of those). Kumano Kodo has a good transportation network that allows hikers to bite off shorter walks by traveling to various points along the route by bus or train.
The full Kumano Kodo hiking experience takes four or five days.
Help from higher authorities（最高当局）
Regardless of spiritual beliefs, most visitors find it's useful to learn about the local religious culture before embarking （着手）on the Kumano Kodo experience.
Along the way, walkers encounter（偶遇） about 100 \"oji\"叔父 (subsidiary(附近的) shrines of Kumano Sanzan), at which Japanese pilgrims（朝圣者） stop and offer prayers. The oji's purpose is to enshrine（铭记） natural landmarks in the area -- be it an ancient tree or a majestic （宏伟的）waterfall.
Here's the routine: drop a coin in the donation box in front of the shrine, ring the bell above the box, bow鞠躬 twice and clap鼓掌 twice, pray then bow once more. Got it? \"Any coin is fine, but the most common is the five-yen coin, called 'goen'ご縁 in Japanese,\" says Brad Towle, director of Tanabe City's international tourism promotion and development department.
\"It means 'good relationship' and offers hopes for a bonding with God.\"
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