table of contents

• 1. Stroll at the starting point, JR KumanoCity Station
• 2. Let's go to Hatasu!
• Hatasu Station
• Jofuku Palace
• Kurano-kado
• Hatasu road
• Jofuku Chaya
• 3. Enjoy it! Looking back at walking the “Hatasu no Michi”

1. Stroll at the starting point, JR KumanoCity Station

This time, popular YouTubers "Beat Naito" and "Norigoto" will introduce you to the charm of Hatasu (*Click on the link for their profiles)

The two of them gave a fist pump and said, ``Let's go to Hatasu no Michi!'' with full enthusiasm.

*Access from Nagoya to JR KumanoCity Station
・By car, it takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes to arrive from Nagoya IC via Kumano Odomari IC.
・About 3 hours by limited express Nanki from JR Nagoya Station

There are few parking lots in the Hatasu area, and the roads along the way are narrow, so if you are coming by car, we recommend parking at a paid parking lot near JR KumanoCity Station and taking the train from JR KumanoCity Station to Hatasu Station. !

There are not many trains, so be sure to check the return timetable before you depart.

The area around JR KumanoCity Station is lined with souvenir shops, tourist information centers, and restaurants, making it perfect for a stroll.

KumanoCity Ekimae Specialty Products Museum sells special products such as cider made with Niihime citrus, a Kumano specialty, ponzu soy sauce, Kumano mandarin jelly, and Mehari-sushi, a local dish of rice wrapped in mustard greens. A wide variety of products and souvenirs are available.

The Kumano region is rich in specialty products such as citrus fruits, pickled plums, mustard greens, dried fish, and Nachiguroishi, so you're sure to want a variety of them!

The KumanoCity Tourist Information Center not only provides comprehensive tourist information and lends out pilgrimage costumes, but also has equipment that allows you to virtually experience KumanoCity 's famous spots in VR, making it a must-visit spot when sightseeing in KumanoCity.

*Hatasu does not have many toilet facilities, so please use the restrooms inside KumanoCity Tourist Information Center or in front of JR KumanoCity Station.

* KumanoCity Tourist Information Center has maps of various places, but there may not be a map of Hadasu. Before heading out, download a map from one of the sites below.

○Download from the Kumano Kodo Iseji website
○Download from the HigashiKishu Regional Promotion Corporation website

Each site also has useful information about the Kumano Kodo and surrounding areas, so be sure to check it out before your trip.

2. Let's go to Hatasu!

Hatasu Station

The fare from JR KumanoCity Station to Hatasu Station is 2 stops (6-7 minutes) and costs 190 yen.

Hatasu is a warm and nature-rich village along the coast. They visited in mid-December, and the weather was pleasantly warm and perfect for a walk.

Hatasu is also famous as a sacred place for anime. Since it was used as the setting for the anime "Nagi no Asukara" in which Natsuki Hanae and Kana Hanazawa appeared as voice actors, it became a popular spot among anime fans and was selected as one of the 88 Anime Sacred Sites in 2018. I did.

Hatasu Station is a small, unexplored station where the sea spreads out in front of you. The scenery is so beautiful that it's no wonder that it was used as the setting for an anime.

From the path leading towards Jofuku Palace, you can see a large camphor tree towering over the village. The camphor tree is the landmark of Jofuku no Miya.

*There are some parts of the path where cars pass, so be careful when walking.

Jofuku Palace

"Jofuku no Miya" is a shrine located about 30 minutes walk from Hatasu Station. The shrine is covered with large camphor trees and has a very mysterious atmosphere.

According to the "Legend of Xu Fu" left in Hadasu, about 2,200 years ago, under the orders of Qin Shihuang, Xu Fu formed a fleet of dozens of ships and headed east in search of the elixir of life. It seems that the ship has set sail.

It is said that Jofuku's ship was the only one that washed up in this area due to a storm during the voyage. After giving up on returning to Japan, Jofuku decided to live permanently, and there is a theory that he passed on various cutting-edge technologies of the Qin Dynasty (pottery, farming, whaling, etc.), and is said to have been the catalyst for the spread of various civilizations.

How did Jofuku interact with the people of Hatasu and pass on his techniques? In front of the tombstone, many people may be reminded of the distant past, 2,200 years ago.

In addition, the place name Hatasu is written as ``Hadazumi'' in some ancient documents, and it is thought that it was given due to the arrival of Jofuku. Apparently he was so influential that he became the name of a place.

Beat Naito prays at Jofuku Shrine. The sunlight shines into the shrine, making it very beautiful.

By the way, there is a narrow path that passes between private houses on the path of Hadasu. As they walked along the path, people who lived along the path waved to greet them, and the warm contact with the people living in the village soothed their hearts.

Kurano-kado

"Kura no Kado" is a spot located about 15 minutes walk from Hatasu Station. It is said that during the Edo period, there was an underground storehouse at this location where crops collected as taxes were stored. Kuranomon is located on a hill, so when you look around you can see the village and the sea. Please stop by as a place to take a breather while enjoying the scenery during your walk.

If you climb up to the Hatasu-no-michi path above the village, you can get a panoramic view of Jofuku-no-gu Shrine, the village, and the sea. It's a beautiful scenery that makes you want to take pictures.

Hatasu road

The Hatasu-no-michi path, located about a 30-minute walk from Jofuku-no-miya Shrine, is the oldest path on the Kumano Kodo Iseji route, a World Heritage Site, and was built during the Kamakura period. It is characterized by the fact that each stone is large and the way it is laid is dynamic. The distance is short, about 300 meters, so even those who are walking Kumano Kodo for the first time, or those with small children such as elementary school students, can easily walk and experience the World Heritage Site.

Walking down the historic Hadasu road in pilgrim costumes from yesteryear, you will feel like you have traveled back in time.

Jofuku Chaya

"Jofuku Chaya" is a lovely teahouse with a terrace overlooking the ocean.

Jofuku Chaya sells coffee, original 100% tangerine juice, souvenirs, and more. Moisten your parched thirst from the walk at Jofuku Chaya.

Cheers with tangerine juice! The juice is made from 100% mandarin oranges grown locally in KumanoCity, and has just the right balance of sourness and sweetness, and will soak up your tired body after walking.

3. Enjoy it! Looking back at walking the “Hatasu no Michi”

The two of them talk about their impressions of today's walk along the Hatasu no Michi while looking out at the sea.

``There were many paths with beautiful scenery, so it felt great to walk!'' ``It took me about 2 hours and 30 minutes to walk slowly. It's probably the perfect distance for a walk.''

``I don't want to go home yet! I want to look at this view forever!'' It seems like it was a very satisfying trip.

That's all for the report on the first part of Kumano Kodo walking, "Hatasu no Michi"!
*Please be careful not to miss your train, as there are only one train every 2 hours.

[Jofuku Chaya Information]
Address: 454-3 Hatasu-cho, KumanoCity City, Mie Prefecture 519-4207
Business hours: Thursday and Friday 13:00-16:00
*Please note that there are irregular holidays.
*Please check the official SNS for monthly business dates and times.
HP: https://jofuku-chaya.jimdofree.com/

○Be sure to check out Beat Naito's YouTube channel where you can see how he walks along the "Hatasu no Michi"! !

○Click here for the PR video of Hatasu!